Integrating Cultural Heritage into Smart City Development Through Place Making: A Systematic Review

Balancing modernisation with cultural heritage preservation remains a core challenge in integrating smart technologies into historic cities. This study conducts a systematic literature review and qualitative content analysis of 42 peer-reviewed articles across the fields of urban planning, smart tec...

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Main Authors: Elika Tousi, Surabhi Pancholi, Md Mizanur Rashid, Chin Koi Khoo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Urban Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/9/6/215
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author Elika Tousi
Surabhi Pancholi
Md Mizanur Rashid
Chin Koi Khoo
author_facet Elika Tousi
Surabhi Pancholi
Md Mizanur Rashid
Chin Koi Khoo
author_sort Elika Tousi
collection DOAJ
description Balancing modernisation with cultural heritage preservation remains a core challenge in integrating smart technologies into historic cities. This study conducts a systematic literature review and qualitative content analysis of 42 peer-reviewed articles across the fields of urban planning, smart technologies, heritage conservation, and place making to address this issue. Through thematic coding using MAXQDA (2020), it identifies recurring themes and patterns that inform the development of a conceptual framework. The findings reveal that cultural heritage sites contribute to smart city planning by reinforcing place-based identity, enabling participatory governance, and supporting culturally sustainable innovation. The study also addresses a critical gap in existing smart city frameworks, which often fail to systematically incorporate cultural values and local identity in their planning logic. The proposed framework integrates cultural heritage with smart city development through place making and provides structured guidance for policymakers and urban planners by outlining four key areas—digital infrastructure, community participation, spatial design, and heritage preservation—while also acknowledging the challenges of applying it across diverse socio-cultural and technological contexts.
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spelling doaj-art-b7fe262b9e314cc990d9f965bb2359bf2025-08-20T03:26:56ZengMDPI AGUrban Science2413-88512025-06-019621510.3390/urbansci9060215Integrating Cultural Heritage into Smart City Development Through Place Making: A Systematic ReviewElika Tousi0Surabhi Pancholi1Md Mizanur Rashid2Chin Koi Khoo3Department of Built and Environment, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3220, AustraliaDepartment of Built and Environment, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3220, AustraliaDepartment of Built and Environment, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3220, AustraliaDepartment of Built and Environment, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3220, AustraliaBalancing modernisation with cultural heritage preservation remains a core challenge in integrating smart technologies into historic cities. This study conducts a systematic literature review and qualitative content analysis of 42 peer-reviewed articles across the fields of urban planning, smart technologies, heritage conservation, and place making to address this issue. Through thematic coding using MAXQDA (2020), it identifies recurring themes and patterns that inform the development of a conceptual framework. The findings reveal that cultural heritage sites contribute to smart city planning by reinforcing place-based identity, enabling participatory governance, and supporting culturally sustainable innovation. The study also addresses a critical gap in existing smart city frameworks, which often fail to systematically incorporate cultural values and local identity in their planning logic. The proposed framework integrates cultural heritage with smart city development through place making and provides structured guidance for policymakers and urban planners by outlining four key areas—digital infrastructure, community participation, spatial design, and heritage preservation—while also acknowledging the challenges of applying it across diverse socio-cultural and technological contexts.https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/9/6/215cultural heritagesmart cityurban developmentplace makingconceptual frameworksystematic review
spellingShingle Elika Tousi
Surabhi Pancholi
Md Mizanur Rashid
Chin Koi Khoo
Integrating Cultural Heritage into Smart City Development Through Place Making: A Systematic Review
Urban Science
cultural heritage
smart city
urban development
place making
conceptual framework
systematic review
title Integrating Cultural Heritage into Smart City Development Through Place Making: A Systematic Review
title_full Integrating Cultural Heritage into Smart City Development Through Place Making: A Systematic Review
title_fullStr Integrating Cultural Heritage into Smart City Development Through Place Making: A Systematic Review
title_full_unstemmed Integrating Cultural Heritage into Smart City Development Through Place Making: A Systematic Review
title_short Integrating Cultural Heritage into Smart City Development Through Place Making: A Systematic Review
title_sort integrating cultural heritage into smart city development through place making a systematic review
topic cultural heritage
smart city
urban development
place making
conceptual framework
systematic review
url https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/9/6/215
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AT surabhipancholi integratingculturalheritageintosmartcitydevelopmentthroughplacemakingasystematicreview
AT mdmizanurrashid integratingculturalheritageintosmartcitydevelopmentthroughplacemakingasystematicreview
AT chinkoikhoo integratingculturalheritageintosmartcitydevelopmentthroughplacemakingasystematicreview