Résumé en anglais
Cultural Heritage Sites are exposed to various kinds of risks not only from natural hazards such as earthquakes, fires but also from various man-made factors such as urbanization, development pressures, poverty and misconceptions. This is especially true for ‘living’ heritage sites, where some aspects of heritage are still living or where remains from the past exist in a new living environment. Both these dimensions have their own specific characteristics as well as associated risks, which most often originate from the settings of these sites.The paper will elaborate on the methodology for integrated risk assessment of heritage sites and their settings by undertaking multiple hazard analysis as well as the analysis of social, economic and attitudinal vulnerability using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Risks are prioritized on the basis of various indicators used to assess the impact on the integrity, authenticity and sustainability of the resource using ‘systems approach’. Moreover all the factors that expose the site to risk are assessed and analyzed for their impact on each other as well as the cultural resource in question. The paper will also elaborate upon the lessons learnt from some recent experiences in application of this approach and will conclude by citing future potential for developing this methodology.