Intangible Heritage – Bridging Tangible and Intangible Heritage Through Placemaking: Senses of Belonging and Identification With Place

Abstract

During recent years, there have been several scholarly works that – instead of viewing tangible and intangible heritage as entirely separate entities – hint at an approach that not only acknowledges the intimate ties between the two, but also stresses their unambiguous embeddedness in social, political, cultural, and even psychological contexts. Corresponding to the interpretation of heritage as a “verb”, this chapter will also frame heritage as a complex and dynamic process connected to practices of placemaking that – as we will argue – further stresses the interrelatedness of tangible and intangible heritage. Starting from these premises, this chapter aims to illustrate different approaches in three different cities, which mutually enhance in/tangible heritage and placemaking: through our case studies of (1) the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey, (2) the Machine of Santa Rosa in Viterbo, Italy and (3) the Bloomsday Festival in Szombathely, Hungary, we will investigate (1) narratives and stories, (2) traditions and rituals as well as (3) performances. While our cases showcase different stages in the processes of heritagization significantly differing through the dominance of top-down or bottom-up strategies, they will also underline our interpretation of heritage as a living system. Our cases not only illustrate how heritage can be a resource that connects people and places and how it can contribute to local identity and the sense of belonging, but they also shed light on the potential conflicts embedded in the processes that the linkages between placemaking and heritage can reveal in specific sociocultural contexts. The interrelatedness of tangible and intangible heritage is explored, highlighting the role of placemaking in shaping heritage and its socio-spatial practices. © 2025 by Kadir Has Üniversitesi.