ABSTRACT
From the outset of the World Heritage programme it was claimed that World Heritage Sites can contribute to ecological and cultural sustainability and thereby to the quality of life and to social sustainability. This chapter considers the Grand Place to explore the role of the social context in the valuation and preservation of remarkable cultural heritage sites such as World Heritage Sites. It reviews detailed questionnaire-based interviews with thirty residents of the Grand Place neighbourhood and thirty tourists, of different ages and backgrounds, carried out in June 2013 during the day on weekdays and at weekends. The characteristics of the respondents were compared with the sample population and visitors to this site. The interviews reveal that community building and voluntarism stand out as particularly negative. These aspects are typical of dense historic city centres with a high migration rate and a loss of social fabric under the influence of the touristic dynamic.
