Culture and heritage overview
Summary of indicator
| Indicator Name | Culture and heritage |
| Indicator Type | Supplementary |
| User Outcome | Distinct |
Objective
To measure the density of sites of significant non-Aboriginal cultural and heritage value, which support a rich and complex built character and reveal the history of a neighbourhood.
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander culture should also be incorporated in place analysis, but this information can only be gathered in collaboration with a local indigenous community. Cultural awareness and understanding for these engagements can be developed using guidance for connecting with Country.
Application guidance
Heritage items, sites and areas reveal the embedded history and story of a particular place and reflect the intensity of activity in that place at a given time. Heritage within urban areas consists of both discrete buildings and large elements but also in the presence of older materials used for roads, footpaths, plantings etc, urban form and other character-defining elements, which creates inherent value for the local and broader community, reinforcing the need for conservation to preserve cultural identity.
This indicator will support practitioners to understand the cultural and heritage value of a particular area, which often indicates a richness of built-character layers over time. Based on the outcome of the assessment, practitioners can determine the density of heritage and culturally significant sites/areas within it and therefore the complex history of that setting.
Practitioners engaging with Country and traditional custodians should review the GANSW Connecting with Country Draft Framework 2020 and apply the Guiding Principles of the NSW Movement and Place Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Engagement Framework “Collaborating when engaging with Country” to their indigenous cultural place analysis.
Practitioners can use the percentage of heritage area metric to measure the proportion of cultural and heritage sites/areas within an area.
Practitioners can use the density of cultural amenities metric to measure the density of discrete cultural amenities such as museums, libraries, and art galleries within an area.
Metrics
Related indicators
 | Amenity and Use |
Recommendation
- Aboriginal Heritage Information Management System (AHIMS) should be included in this indicator (where possible) to ensure a more accurate representation of heritage and cultural sites across the State. This is not a publicly available resource, and access requires purchase.
- The GANSW Connecting with Country Draft Framework 2020 and NSW Movement and Place Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Engagement Framework “Collaborating when engaging with Country” provide pathways and strategies for learning about and caring for Country.
- Heritage NSW is currently rejuvenating their heritage database (expected completion by end of 2021), which will include a GIS database for heritage items and the important documentation work that sits alongside the spatial aspect
- To enrich the POI data source, indoor theatres, music venues and public art could be included as cultural amenities
- Indoor theatres may need to be manually counted to enhance the analysis of cultural amenities.