Urban Revitalization of World Heritage Cities Through Cultural and Creative Industries: A Case Study of Pingyao Under the Cities, Culture, and Creativity Framework

Li Zhao and Eunhye Kim ()
Additional contact information
Li Zhao: Department of Performing Arts and Culture, The Catholic University of Korea, 43 Jibong-ro, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon-si 14662, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Eunhye Kim: Department of Performing Arts and Culture, The Catholic University of Korea, 43 Jibong-ro, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon-si 14662, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 10, 1-26

Abstract: World Heritage plays a vital role in promoting sustainable urban development. Cultural and creative industries (CCIs) have gained recognition as an effective instrument for urban revitalization in recent years. The Cities, Culture, and Creativity (CCC) framework introduced by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the World Bank emphasizes the core role of culture and creativity in enhancing urban competitiveness, attractiveness, and sustainability. Based on that framework, this study takes Pingyao as a case study, using a literature review and non-participatory observation, systematically examines its assets and resources, assesses the outcomes at the spatial, economic, and social levels, and explores how CCIs, with the support of enabling factors, contribute to urban revitalization. The findings indicate that Pingyao, relying on its historical and cultural heritage, promotes the development of CCIs, resulting in significant spatial optimization, economic growth, and social benefits, while also shaping unique cultural brands. This study verifies the applicability of the CCC framework in analyzing the urban revitalization mechanism, further reveals the role of CCIs in the revitalization of World Heritage cities, enriches the urban regeneration theory, and offers theoretical and practical reference for the revitalization and sustainable development of other World Heritage cities.

Keywords: World Heritage cities; cultural and creative industries; urban revitalization; CCC framework; enabling factors; sustainable development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/10/4292/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/10/4292/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:10:p:4292-:d:1652011

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().