Challenges of collaboration in old townscapes

Contemporary cities are increasingly viewing cultural/heritage tourism as an area of tourism with great potential in city development, building city brands as well a local community. The relationship between heritage and tourism is complex since preservation and commercialization often are viewed as contrasts .Heritage tourism is among the most significant types of tourism and includes visits to sites of historical importance.  The concept of heritage is wide hence in this paper focus is on old town areas and the development of old townscapes. A townscape is here to be viewed as a holistic entity although there may be differences regarding the preservation, spatially and social objectives of the area. . An old townscape is sometimes a site for visitors (a destination), as well as a site for business (a workplace) and residents (a home). There are stakeholders from public, private and nonprofit sectors involved in the development of old townscapes. Hence there is a need for dialogue and cross-sector collaboration among stakeholders in order to develop heritage tourism that is beneficial to all. Existing research show that the inclusion of stakeholders in planning and implementation is crucial.  There are calls for further research to understand how collaboration work in different heritage sites. The purpose of this paper is to study the stakeholders’ challenges and views of collaboration and co-shaping of cultural heritage, here an old town in a fortress city. The data collection includes interviews with stakeholders and observations. Findings point out the importance of inclusion, communication, shared visions and strategies in order to balance the attractiveness of the old townscape for visitors, business and residents.