The role of digital technologies in recording values of human settlements: testing a practical Historic Urban Landscape approach in China and India

ABSTRACT UNESCO’s 2011 recommendation on Historic Urban Landscapes (HUL) advocated for an integrated, holistic approach to heritage places, in terms of how they are conceptualised and how they are recorded and managed in practical terms. Digital technologies offer increased capacity for recording places of all kinds, especially in terms of the physical environment and increasingly within heritage settings. Diverse case studies from China and India representing challenges in historic environments aim to test how a combination of the latest technologies and their current deployment better work toward goals within the HUL imperative. Further, we investigate where HUL approaches cannot be met by current technologies or analysis of digital data, providing a clear set of goals for future technologies or data interpretation that can work towards a more holistic capturing of place. This study analyses the interpretation of digital data in two different cultural settings between 2017 and 2018 – a historic water town in China and an informal settlement in India. Both cases employed digital technologies, including 3D laser scanning, photogrammetry, digital photography, video and audio recording to capture both the physical attributes of human settlements and how those places were used, reflecting residents’ values and cultural practices. Findings suggest that digital technologies are useful tools to illustrate layers of value beyond the built environment by connecting physical, social and cultural landscapes and associated place attachment. The combined use of various digital technologies helps to reveal interconnected place values and support better solutions for more sustainable and equitable development.