On April 24, 2026, the inaugural meeting of Heritopolis Europa – a new European initiative bringing together researchers, practitioners, representatives of international organizations, and institutions dealing with cultural heritage and metropolitan development – took place in Paris during the conference “Heritage and the Metropolis: Heritage Dynamics in the Urban Peripheries.” The event was attended by experts from more than a dozen European countries, as well as representatives from UN-Habitat, academia, NGOs, and heritage institutions. The Krakow University of Economics was represented by Dr. Joanna Sanetra-Szeliga, head of the UNESCO Chair in Heritage and Urban Studies.
Heritopolis Europa is being established as the European dimension of the international Heritopolis network, developed in collaboration with UN-Habitat and MetroHub. Its aim is to create a platform for dialogue and cooperation around the role of heritage in the development of contemporary metropolises. Participants emphasized that heritage should not be viewed solely as a subject of conservation protection, but as a vital resource supporting sustainable urban development, social cohesion, climate resilience, digital transformation, and improving the quality of life of residents. During the meeting, the vision of Heritopolis Europa as a European “policy and research lab” was presented – a space combining scientific research with urban management practice. Opportunities for collaboration with European Union institutions, potential research directions, and funding opportunities from sources such as Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, and COST were also discussed.
One of the most important outcomes of the meeting was the formal support for the establishment of a European branch of Heritopolis (Heritopolis Europa) and the appointment of a working group responsible for preparing a program of further activities. It included representatives of leading European research centers, including Dr. Joanna Sanetra-Szeliga. The participants agreed that the next steps would be to develop a common research agenda, develop international partnerships, and prepare projects addressing the most important challenges related to heritage and the development of European metropolises, including within the COST Action initiative and the Horizon program. The launch of Heritopolis Europa marks an important step towards building a European cooperation platform that will support the development of modern heritage policies and strengthen the role of research in shaping the future of cities.
