Structural change, cultural heritage and place

In the last few decades, many cities have experienced structural change with deindustrialisation and public closure as a result. Strategies for regeneration include investments in infrastructures for production, consumption and communication. The transformation process results in deteriorated urban environments, and a change in the use and understanding of the urban landscape. The article discusses structural change and infrastructure planning, and its consequences for cultural heritage and the sense of place. We take the theoretical position that an understanding of place is crucial for sustainable heritage management, and that cultural meanings are generated through a combination of people - place interactions in time and space. Empirical findings are based on a case study of infrastructure planning and heritage management in the town of Soderhamn in northern Sweden. The analysis shows that the planning and management refers to space rather than to qualities of place. A tentative model is presented to draw attention to the importance of comprehensive analysis of investments in infrastructure and its consequences for cultural heritage.