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UNESCO World Heritage listing is often misunderstood by the state party and the community as being tourism promotion or branding. This tendency has led to unwanted consequences, such as gentrification, the commodification of heritage, the loss of physical integrity, etc. Small and medium cities in the Asia and Pacific region have been facing rapid social and physical transformations due to the decentralization and expansion of economy and infrastructures from the metropolitan areas into its hinterlands. These developments have threatened the historic urban core due to weak planning and the lack of a conservation policy. The research aims to formulate a more coherent and comprehensive heritage management instrument for a medium city (e.g., provincial and regional capitals or smaller towns), based on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) recommendation by UNESCO. Cases in two cities will be used in this study: Semarang and Surakarta in Central Java, Indonesia. The study will focus on three components: (1) Comprehensive mapping of tangible and intanible cultural heritage assets to find the DNA of the Community and place; (2) Capacity building and empowerment of the local community to protect their heritage and to develop the economics of heritage; and (3) Protection and Continuation of the authenticity of local living heritage (the DNA of the Community identity and place personality). It is expected that the outcomes of this research will contribute to (1) the formulation of comprehensive Local HUL Mapping of tangible and intangible heritage as the basis for a more scientific and democratic process in managing conservation and developments; (2) the provision of Heritage Management Recommendations for Local Community and Local Government; and (3) the production of new knowledge through a research paper for academic publication.

Given the current lack of awareness and training regarding heritage conservation in Asia, it is inevitable that advanced discourses about cultural heritage management are urgently required at every level from the national to the regional and global, and advanced discourses among skilled historic buildings professionals are needed as well. If nothing is planned now, it is believed that the current heritage education situation will get even worse in the future due to the rapid urban development of historic cities and mass tourism in Asia. The need to lead a collaborative effort with top Asian university partners to advance conservation pedagogy and research is urgently required. This proposed offering would train skilled professionals in architectural conservation who would subsequently develop the region’s heritage conservation capacity. The proposed research aims to provide a framework for establishing the Asian heritage education community of five Asian universities, which are already running or intending to offer heritage conservation degree courses soon, to develop architectural conservation pedagogy and research. The collaborative programmes would then be provided for students and professionals in the region through classroom-based or online programmes. The universities, which could become a part of this heritage community, are the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage (Daejeon, South Korea), the National University of Singapore, Southeast University (Nanjing, China), Tsinghua University (Beijing, China), and the University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong SAR).

The earthquake of 2015 cause immense damage to the cultural heritage of Kathmandu Valley. It also regenerated the debates on authenticity. Due to the material use, seismic vulnerability and organic linkages of people with the heritage, the values defining authenticity were quite different. Rani Pokhari was chosen as a study site among several sites that were destroyed in the earthquake. This site is an interesting case from several aspects. First, it was the most controversial site under reconstruction and also the first site where the locals, experts and youth protested for the conservation in the traditional style. Second, it was a white washed dome shaped temple in the centre of the pond before the earthquake and was reconstructed in sikhara style. Also, from its construction in 1670 to 2015 it had gone through several restorations, renovations and even reconstruction. The study took place during the reconstruction by the National Reconstruction Authority so the on-site observation along with the controversies and issues raised could be included and analysed. Looking through the lenses of authenticity in heritage reconstruction, this paper explores different values in the context of Nepal and seeks to understand the traditional practices and the recent practice in heritage conservation post 2015.

According to reports from international agencies such as the United Nations, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the African Development Bank, by 2050, more than 90 percent of global urbanization will be concentrated in Asia and Africa, with about 2.5 billion people entering cities from rural areas. This will have a fundamental impact on the world urban structure. Asian countries are experiencing unprecedented rapid urbanization, and the sustainable development of cities in the future exists in the constantly updated historical environment. How can the historical experi-ence be summed up reasonably, and then push the countermeasures on a path to future development? This research focuses on Guangzhou-Hong Kong as the core node and typical type of the Chinese section of the Maritime Silk Road. The Group city is not only interdependent in spatial geography, but also a combination of trade, culture and history. The research studies the historical patterns of interactive development between Guangzhou and Hong Kong under the influence of "Sea-River." It analyzes the characteristics of urbanization mode determined by natural geography and the types of secondary city clusters driven by the trade and economy. It explores the internal logic and motivation, and deeply understands the interaction between the region's history and culture, economy and trade, natural environment, national policy and urban structure. It explores the new development mode of historical culture and local resources conservation and utilization, and puts forward the integration mechanism of historical urban heritage conservation and sustainable development in the future.