Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) as a Way to Utilize Heritage Resources: An Examination of Cultural Heritage Stakeholders in the Urban Centers of Türkiye

The challenges and problems that cultural heritage sites face in urban centers are exacerbated by the complex interplay that has existed between neoliberal policies, triggered by development pressures in shaping urban planning decisions since the 1970s, and sustainability concerns. Moreover, the evolving conceptualization of cultural heritage has resulted in significant transformations in heritage management, characterized by the introduction of a 'participatory turn'. Currently, the increasing involvement of diverse stakeholders, including the private sector, local communities, and NGOs, leads to radical changes in managing and conserving heritage resources. Accordingly, the public- private partnerships (PPPs), adopted as a way to utilize heritage resources, are one of the outcomes of these radical changes in the heritage field. PPPs of the cultural heritage field have become popular in recent decades, not only for countries that have difficulty allocating resources for cultural heritage like Türkiye, but also in developed countries such as the Netherlands, the USA, and the UK. Moreover, international stakeholders in the field, such as the UN, UNESCO, and ICOMOS, clearly declare their full support for the necessity of partnerships in achieving sustainable development through cultural heritage. However, the cultural heritage field has been debating the practical success and efficacy of these partnerships, heavily supported in theory, in the context of heritage conservation and cultural economics. This research focuses on PPPs adopted as a way to utilize heritage resources, which have been frequently brought to the agenda recently under the impositions of neoliberal urbanism policies and sustainable development concerns. The overarching aim of this study is to establish legitimate implementation boundaries for effective partnerships in the heritage field by analyzing different parameters of PPPs in the context of heritage stakeholders. Ultimately, the thesis seeks to determine the essential performance indicators and possible gains and losses to improve the efficiency of PPPs in the pursuit of SDG 11: sustainable cities and communities. It also aims to present the stakeholders’ involvement in terms of main responsibilities, interests, concerns, concessions, and challenges, taking into account the value- based approach of cultural heritage. Thus, this research centers on the utilization of heritage resources through PPPs, with a particular emphasis on the stakeholders. This feature distinguishes it from the existing literature, which predominantly examines PPPs focusing on heritage transformation projects, neglecting the substantial influence of stakeholders throughout the processes. The approaches of actors are critical in identifying performance indicators for more effective, transparent, and inclusive PPPs and presenting the current trends in the cultural heritage field. The study follows a qualitative research design based on exploratory case studies. The data was collected and processed using multiple data collection methods. These data collection methods include critical media review, archival survey, field research, and semi- structured interviews with the stakeholders of PPPs. It offers practical insights and recommendations for framing future heritage transformation projects using PPPs. Accordingly, Türkiye serves as a case study for this research. For these purposes, public-private contractual agreements for utilizing heritage resources in Türkiye after Law No: 5225 on the Encouragement of Cultural Investments and Initiatives came into force in 2004 are specifically focused. Among heritage intervention examples from Türkiye, three partnership projects, i.e., Divan Hotel Çukurhan, Ankara; Museum Hotel Antakya, Hatay; and The Peninsula Hotel, Istanbul, were selected as case study areas. Keywords: public-private partnerships (PPPs), management of cultural heritage, utilization of heritage resources, stakeholders of cultural heritage.