Erbil City Built Heritage and Wellbeing: An Assessment of Local Perceptions Using the Semantic Differential Scale

Hawar Himdad J. Sektani, Mahmood Khayat, Masi Mohammadi and Ana Pereira Roders
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Hawar Himdad J. Sektani: Architectural Engineering Department, Salahaddin University, Erbil 44001, Iraq
Mahmood Khayat: Architectural Engineering Department, Salahaddin University, Erbil 44001, Iraq
Masi Mohammadi: Department of Built Environment, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5612 Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Ana Pereira Roders: Department of Architectural Engineering and Technology, Delft University of Technology, 2628 Delft, The Netherlands

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 7, 1-19

Abstract: Community perceptions and experiences of built heritage are essential in understanding the built heritage and effect in individual and community wellbeing. Subsequently, local perceptions of built heritage directly influence the conservation and heritage-led interventions. This study investigated local perceptions of built heritage in Erbil by assessing responses of 414 participants using a questionnaire survey aiming to identify how built heritage is perceived by the various group samples, exploring local perceptions’ (in)consistencies. Significant differences were found between architects’ and non-architects’ perceptions and related wellbeing. As the groups attribute different values, the results suggest that heritage buildings do not contribute to the wellbeing of non-architects as much as to architects. A contradicting result was found between modern and heritage buildings. This study contributes to the notion of human-centrality of the built environment by assessing local perceptions of built heritage, that, when implemented in urban planning and heritage management, can contribute to the city’s socio-cultural sustainable development.

Keywords: Erbil city; built heritage; buffer-zone; local community; perception assessment; individual wellbeing; semantic differential scale (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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