In 2011, UNESCO adopted the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) recommendation and called for the application of a landscape approach to ensure the integration of cultural heritage policies and management concerns in the wider goals of sustainable urban development. This paper tracks the genesis of a landscape approach to heritage conservation, and then presents a systematic review of the literature on the HUL. More than 100 publications from 2010 to early 2018 were analysed. The applied methodology combined an inductive categorization method with a deductive data mining method. The objective is to determine whether the academic discussion is addressing the different dimensions of the HUL approach, including the holistic, integrated, and value-based dimensions, and whether it is progressing through time to move from a conceptual to an operational level. Results show that while the discussion is heavily focused on values, the operationalization of a value-based approach is still lacking, as it is not fully contextualized in relation to local heritage discourses and the dynamics of heritage governance. Results also show that many case studies applications are in ‘non-Western’ cities, thus opening the debate about the accountability of a value-based approach in contexts that tend to be dominated by groups with the most political power, and where conservation practices mainly focus on the mobilization of material heritage to foster its economic value. Nevertheless, the transition from international guidelines to contextualized local endeavours and policies remains a challenge to be solved.

Since the 1970s, the understanding of cultural heritage (CH) has expanded from a focus on monumental conservation to a systemic, socially constructed concept shaped by communities and dynamic values. While recognized as a resource for sustainable development, CH remains marginal in global policy agendas, notably in the UN’s 2030 Agenda. This paper explores how the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach and broader heritage systems can function as enablers of sustainable urban development, moving beyond heritage-as-object to heritage-as-process. It synthesizes conceptual advances, policy frameworks, and empirical cases—such as Capitals of Culture programs, adaptive reuse initiatives, and circular economy models—to analyze how heritage systems contribute to environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Drawing on a value-based and people-centered framework, the paper identifies key principles, models, and success factors for integrating CH into urban planning. Case studies from Europe and Asia illustrate the potential of heritage to foster inclusive governance, community resilience, and innovation, while also exposing challenges such as institutional fragmentation, gentrification, and policy–practice gaps. The findings highlight the need for holistic, cross-sectoral, and participatory strategies to embed CH meaningfully in urban transformation processes, offering concrete insights for advancing heritage-led sustainable development through the lens of systems thinking.

Purpose: In 2011, UNESCO recommended the application of a value-based landscape approach to cultural heritage conservation. In this framework, culture in its manifold expressions is considered as an embrace for the social, economic, and environmental pillars of sustainable development. There is a need to unveil the different cultural values generated from the interaction between people and their environment since these values will help cities maintain their unique identity and integrity. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to present the results of a survey method intended to assess the range of cultural values attributed by people to the historic urban landscape (HUL).Design/methodology/approach: This paper is an experimental enquiry that combines a qualitative and a quantitative approach. It is designed to distinguish the different interpretations and outlooks of people to the HUL. It integrates landscape preference studies with investigation on representative images of the city and assesses these in relation to activities, feelings, and valued aspects of landscapes.Findings: The main finding is that the most preferred scenes of the city are not the ones that best represent the city. Results exposed two sides of the HUL and related heritage values. The first is associated with the scenic beauty of the landscape and its aesthetic values, while the second is reflected in ordinary landscapes and everyday practices.Originality/value: This paper provides an insight into the different interpretations and meanings of the HUL throughout the city. It provides an empirical evidence that ordinary landscapes are of great heritage value as they surpass all aspects of human environmental interaction to contribute to the image that societies make of themselves.