Nanjing showcases community-led heritage conservation at UNESCO session

Nanjing presented its participatory heritage conservation model at the 48th World Heritage Committee session in Busan, highlighting work on the Ming City Wall and surrounding neighborhoods. The event emphasized how community recovery efforts, digital reconstruction and urban renewal can support heritage protection and sustainable development.

Why it matters: - Nanjing is positioning heritage conservation as a tool for both cultural preservation and neighborhood renewal. - The city’s approach links historic sites with daily urban life, which matters for long-term conservation, public access and sustainable development. - The presentation also offered a model that other heritage cities could adapt.

What happened: - Nanjing presented its participatory heritage conservation and sustainable urban development approach at the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan, South Korea. - The Nanjing-initiated side event was titled “Shared Heritage, Shared Future.” - The program combined a case presentation on conservation and co-creation with “Our Wallscapes,” a digital exhibition with four short films. - The event focused on the Ming City Wall and nearby historic neighborhoods. - The side event was co-organized by the World Heritage Institute of Training and Research for the Asia and the Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO, Shanghai Centre, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UN-Habitat and ICOMOS Korea. - The Nanjing International Communication Center contributed to the program’s content.

The details: - The institute, WHITR-AP Shanghai Centre, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and UN-Habitat launched the five-year Heritage Hub initiative for 2026-30. - The Heritage Hub initiative is intended to support collaboration on heritage conservation and development in urban and rural settings. - Shao Yong, secretary-general of the institute and director of its Shanghai center, said Nanjing has extensive and creative experience in connecting cultural heritage conservation with sustainable urban development. - Shao said she hoped Nanjing would become an important partner in the five-year initiative. - This year marks 660 years since construction of the Nanjing Ming City Wall began. - Wang Teng, an associate researcher at the Nanjing City Wall Museum, outlined two projects developed under the “Shared Heritage, Shared Future” global co-creation initiative. - The first project, “Bring Every Brick Home Project,” began in 2016. - Residents, community workers and volunteers identify, verify and recover inscribed Ming-era bricks scattered across the city. - By the end of 2025, the program had visited more than 500 recovery sites and retrieved nearly 600,000 bricks, according to project organizers. - The second project, “Digital Heritage Global Innovator Contest,” uses digital design to interpret the Porcelain Tower of Nanjing, a landmark at the Great Bao'en Temple that no longer survives. - Two editions of the museum-based maker program involved more than 1,000 young participants from 19 countries. - Participants produced augmented reality works, immersive audio and digital installations for museum display. - Wang said “Bring Every Brick Home Project” repairs memory by looking to the past, while the digital heritage project constructs imagination for the future. - Wang said the two projects together show Nanjing’s participatory conservation practice through recovery of memory and renewal of cultural imagery. - Doo-Won Cho, an executive committee member of ICOMOS, described Nanjing’s city wall conservation as a useful reference for comparable heritage sites worldwide. - The “Our Wallscapes” exhibition extended the discussion through four films. - One film documents the city brick recovery program. - A second film follows a 12-year lantern tradition in the Laomendong historic district. - A third film explores international and interdisciplinary reinterpretations of the Porcelain Tower. - A fourth film examines the incremental renewal of Xiaoxihu, where residents, government officials, designers, business owners and project implementers work together to preserve historic lanes and courtyards while improving living conditions. - Jae-Heon Choi, president of ICOMOS Korea, said Nanjing’s Ming City Wall and Korea’s Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon face related conservation and governance challenges. - Choi said he was willing to explore multilevel conservation and management approaches with Nanjing. - Construction of the Nanjing City Wall began in 1366 as part of a four-section defensive system. - About 25.1 kilometers, or 15.6 miles, of the capital city wall remain. - The wall now functions as both historic infrastructure and public space for residents and visitors.

Between the lines: - Nanjing is framing conservation as a civic process, not just a preservation project. - The mix of brick recovery, digital interpretation and neighborhood renewal suggests a strategy designed to keep heritage visible, usable and relevant. - International references from ICOMOS and Korean heritage leaders point to broader interest in Nanjing as a case study.

What’s next: - The five-year Heritage Hub initiative will now serve as a platform for wider collaboration on heritage and development. - Nanjing’s projects appear positioned to continue as examples within that effort. - The city’s wall conservation model may also inform future exchanges with other heritage sites, including Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon.

The bottom line: - Nanjing is using its Ming City Wall to show how heritage conservation can support community participation, digital innovation and urban renewal at the same time.