ABSTRACT
The case study of the Genoa European Capital of Culture 2004 provides a strong example of a heritage-led redevelopment approach where the city used the event as the mechanism to implement a large urban restoration program, integrated within a broader long-term city strategy. The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Genoa, which includes a large part of the historic city centre, was subsequently recognised in 2006, two years following the ECoC, and many of the restoration projects completed for the event became part of the city’s World Heritage Site proposal. The city also combined a series of other large events (the Expo ’92 and the 2001 G8 Summit) as part of an overarching strategy to complete an even greater number of restoration and infrastructure works over more than a decade. Genoa presents an important example of a city bringing together many decision makers to agree upon and recognise the potential of combining the inherent qualities and secondary effects of the city’s built heritage and the ECoC event within long-term city plans.
