Can heritage be turned into a lever for local development?

What if heritage is more than a mere testimony of the past? What if it comes to life and becomes a source of local development? Heritage, whether in its tangible or intangible form, is an extremely discussed topic, due to its presence and impact on communities’ lifestyles. It has been the target of several debates concerning its preservation, its economic valorisation and mostly, its role on the communities nowadays. This research intends to understand if heritage has the capacity to contribute to a local development process. To better understand this topic, this thesis will be illustrated by the case study of Baixa’s Traditional Shops. Similar to several European urban historic centres, Baixa, Lisbon’s historic centre, is loosing its traditional shops that symbolize a cultural and commercial reality, but are no longer economically viable. Thus, if their role as an economic agent is not enough for their own survival neither a key to Baixa’s local development, their conceptualization as cultural heritage is a new path to explore. So first, it is crucial to associate these traditional shops with the concept of heritage. Secondly, it will be investigated whether they can promote the local development of Baixa. Such research will be conducted through interviews to several actors involved in this case study. The aim is to see whether it is possible to suggest that heritage can be a lever for local development.