Cultural assets as catalysts for community-led urban revitalization

A case study of Pimbahal Pond Area, Patan Nepal

Bibliographic Data

ID7201386
AuthorsNisha Shrestha Balaya (Chongqing University), Ling Huang (0000-0001-8577-8054), Shuang Ling (0000-0003-2662-077X), Huang Ling (Chongqing University, corresponding author), Dipa Shakya Shrestha (Tribhuvan University)
Year2025
Volume171
Pages106763-106763
Publication date2025-12-26
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCities (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0264-2751 • E-ISSN: 1873-6084
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.cities.2025.106763
OpenAlexW7117308428
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited20

Cultural assets are increasingly recognized as vital catalysts for post-disaster urban recovery. However, despite their importance, a critical theoretical gap remains in understanding how communities mobilize these assets to meet the capital and institutional requirements of large-scale heritage reconstruction. Using the Pimbahal Pond Area of Patan, Nepal, as a case study, this research explores community-led urban revitalization following the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake. This study employs a qualitative methodology and uses the Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) framework as a foundational lens. Results indicate that a model of Strategic Interdependence is key to a successful revitalization, rather than insular localism. This model facilitated a formalized hybrid governance structure that enabled dynamic collaboration among residents, metropolitan authorities, and international partners. Findings revealed that this model enabled the community to leverage its cultural assets and social capital to negotiate for and co-manage external resources. The process not only ensured an authentic reconstruction but also established a self-sustaining financial and social foundation. Nevertheless, the successful revitalization introduced new challenges of the commodification of culture and the contestation of public space. The main contribution of this research is the formulation of Strategic Interdependence as a necessary theoretical extension of ABCD. It argues that while the asset-based approaches hold significant potential for community-led urban revitalization, their implementation requires careful consideration of power dynamics, cultural integrity, and long-term sustainability. Finally, this study contributes to the knowledge of post-disaster recovery of culturally sensitive assets, providing a transferable model for urban planning and heritage management, particularly in the Global South.

Commodification · Corporate governance · Cultural heritage · Leverage (statistics) · Metropolitan area · Negotiation · Process (computing) · Social capital · Urban planning · Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management · Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation · Disaster Management and Resilience · Life Cycle Costing Analysis · Sociopolitical Dynamics in Nepal

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