Building planning spaces for the integration of coastal and maritime cultural heritage in local and regional spatial development

Coastal and maritime cultural heritage (CMCH) is a relative newcomer on spatial development policy agendas and in spatial planning activities. Cultural heritage (CH) may assist in reconstructing place narratives and identities in local and regional strategies and plans, and it may create stronger place attractiveness for outsiders. This article explores the challenges and opportunities of integrating CMCH aspects in spatial development and planning activities at local and regional levels. It specifically investigates contemporary attempts at building planning and governance spaces concerned with CMCH, based on case studies in Scotland, France, Northern Ireland, and Denmark. Emphasis is on mandatory as well as non-mandatory spatial policy and planning activities for a more sustainable and resilient coastal development. The cases show how attempts at building planning spaces concerned with both CH and CMCH have sometimes led to, or contributed to, new types of planning collaborations and products, facilitated changes in existing ones, or illuminated a lack of community involvement to be dealt with in next generation planning. Together, the cases illustrate the importance and challenges of enabling a more place-sensitive planning and of ‘finding the right planning space’ for CH integration.