The conservation of built heritage has emerged as a vital component of urban planning and policy. Once a niche consideration, heritage preservation is now widely recognised for its economic, social, and environmental value, influencing how cities project themselves to both residents and visitors. Yet, while there is broad agreement on the importance of safeguarding historic structures and environments for the public good and for future generations, the complexities surrounding what should be preserved, why , and how are far from settled. Equally pressing are questions about who gets to make these decisions, sparking important debates about values, inclusivity, and knowledge within conservation-planning frameworks. Focusing on Ireland, this book explores these themes, tracing the development of heritage policy since Irish independence and examining how postcolonial experiences have shaped urban conservation debates. It discusses the challenges of managing historic environments tied to colonial histories, especially in the context of expert/non-expert narratives and property-led regeneration and place-marketing within neoliberal urban strategies. Here, planning and conservation officials must balance modernisation with the preservation of cultural values embedded in the urban landscape. This book advocates for a more democratic, inclusive approach to conservation-planning, emphasising decision-making frameworks that integrate both tangible and intangible heritage.

By linking heritage to place-making, it calls for policies that reflect diverse voices and values, fostering urban spaces that reflects inherited culture while engaging community identity and contemporary needs.