In the era of globalization we are in; The concepts of development, sustainability, culture, heritage and conservation have become the subject of many different disciplines by being read in multiple layers. The definition of development locally and globally has changed in terms of places, societies and cultures, and its relationship with culture and heritage has been redefined. It is observed that a cultural heritage trend built by communities and approached holistically and a heritage-oriented development approach come to the fore in the implementations. Cultural heritage has become both an element and a tool for socio-economic development.

In addition to the economic benefits of globalization today, in order to prevent the confusion that will be created in the cultural sense; It is a basic requirement for every society to maintain its unique cultural diversity and define its identity. The diversity created by cultures created by different values, cultural assets and unique traditions and customs created by different geographies constitute the identity of societies. Societies need to define their own cultural characteristics and maintain their cultural diversity in order to achieve sustainable development goals in the future. The most important distinguishing feature for this requirement is cultural heritage (Grazuleviciute Vileniske ).
The preservation and preservation of the heritage has been demonstrated in every period by associating it with the value of the heritage. Due to the changing global values, within the framework of the new strategies of development policies, the cultural, identity and functional values ​​of cultural heritage have started to be mentioned (Feilden). Turning these values ​​into products in the globalizing world and making them a marketing tool, preventing the projects from causing harmful results is possible with comprehensive protection policies.


Although the idea that the protection of cultural heritage constitutes an obstacle to economic development is no longer accepted, property owners, investors and state officials involved in the protection of the heritage tend to evaluate the cultural heritage only from an economic point of view. (Rypkema) However, the economic added value of cultural heritage is realized if its social, aesthetic and environmental values ​​are preserved.

The values ​​attributed to the heritage and its intangible components are increasingly taken into account, rather than focusing only on the protection of the physical aspects of cultural heritage. Now, heritage management is evolving towards conservation with a holistic perspective that includes concepts such as socio-economic impact, intangible properties of heritage, sustainable development and environmental aspects, inclusion of different stakeholders and heritage communities (ICOMOS, The Nara Document 1994 URL10; The Paris). Declaration; Council of Europe FARO; UNESCO Historic Urban Landscape (HUL); The Hangzhou Declaration; etc. 

It is clear that cultural heritage should be protected with a holistic approach in order to eliminate the negative effects of globalization and achieve sustainable development goals. A new development paradigm has emerged, in which creativity, knowledge and access to information are expressed as a motor power and that connects economy and culture. (UNCTAD,) Based on these views, the article deals with the determination of the multifaceted relationship between cultural heritage and creativity, and the contribution of cultural heritage to sustainable development through creativity mediation.  

An Innovative Approach in the Protection of Heritage: The Relationship between Creativity and Development In culture-oriented development strategies against the threats posed by globalization, the relationship between creativity and development is an innovative approach. 


Awareness based on this view has been identified as follows: The development of a cultural policy and conservation approach that puts people at the center with concepts such as new heritage, new humanism and fragile heritage; Indicating that “culture” is a source of identity, innovation and creativity in the definition; In the era of globalization we live in, creativity and innovation are the new factors that direct the economy; The new formation of cultural production generates new cultural policies focused on the creative industries; In the UNESCO Cultural Statistics Framework Report (2009); highlighting the focus on cultural industries and globalization as two interrelated phenomena as a result of the commodification of culture and heritage and the resulting new cultural production, consumption and services; (UNESCO, ). Increasing the benefits related to the economic potential of the specified cultural heritage, respecting the special character and integrity of the heritage in the policies developed for this; (Counsil of Europe). Addressing creativity, creative industries and cultural heritage as powerful and unique tools for sustainable social, economic and human development, job creation opportunities, social cohesion, education and mutual understanding at UNESCO's “Culture: A Bridge to Development” Conference, (UNESCO). In the Census of Cultural Heritage for Europe Report, the need to invest in heritage preservation, revealing the impacts of cultural heritage and emphasizing cultural heritage as a source of creativity and innovation are the main approaches. Respecting the special character and integrity of the heritage in policies developed for this purpose; (Counsil of Europe, ). Addressing creativity, creative industries and cultural heritage as powerful and unique tools for sustainable social, economic and human development, job creation opportunities, social cohesion, education and mutual understanding at UNESCO's “Culture: A Bridge to Development” Conference. In the Census of Cultural Heritage for Europe Report, the need to invest in heritage preservation, revealing the impacts of cultural heritage and emphasizing cultural heritage as a source of creativity and innovation are the main approaches (CHCfE ).

Respecting the special character and integrity of the heritage in policies developed for this purpose; (Counsil of Europe). Addressing creativity, creative industries and cultural heritage as powerful and unique tools for sustainable social, economic and human development, job creation opportunities, social cohesion, education and mutual understanding at UNESCO's “Culture: A Bridge to Development” Conference, (UNESCO). In the Census of Cultural Heritage for Europe Report, the need to invest in heritage preservation, revealing the impacts of cultural heritage and emphasizing cultural heritage as a source of creativity and innovation are the main approaches (CHCfE, ). Addressing creativity, creative industries and cultural heritage as powerful and unique tools for sustainable social, economic and human development, job creation opportunities, social cohesion, education and mutual understanding at the “A Bridge to Development” Conference (UNESCO). In the Census of Cultural Heritage for Europe Report, the need to invest in heritage preservation, revealing the impacts of cultural heritage and emphasizing cultural heritage as a source of creativity and innovation are the main approaches (CHCfE). Addressing creativity, creative industries and cultural heritage as powerful and unique tools for sustainable social, economic and human development, job creation opportunities, social cohesion, education and mutual understanding at the “A Bridge to Development” Conference (UNESCO). In the Census of Cultural Heritage for Europe Report, the need to invest in heritage preservation, revealing the impacts of cultural heritage and emphasizing cultural heritage as a source of creativity and innovation are the main approaches (CHCfE). 


Cultural heritage assets have moral, aesthetic and artistic values ​​as well as economic, political and educational value. The idea of ​​“assessment of the impact” of cultural heritage, which is closely related to its values, is a new approach that has led to a significant change in the discourse of heritage. There has been a shift from a conservation-oriented (or object-oriented) approach to a value-oriented (or subject-oriented) approach (CHCfE).Evaluation of the relationship between development and cultural heritage in the mediation of creativity will be tried to be put forward through this value/impact process. For this reason, the definitions and qualities of the concepts that are frequently mentioned in creativity-oriented development policies are briefly mentioned.

Creative Creativity 

Embracing the transformative power of cultural expressions and innovation, creativity is multifaceted. Although artistic, scientific and economic are the main areas where thought can take place and creativity can be expressed, a simple definition cannot be made. In addition to different approaches on whether it is a human quality or a process in which original ideas are produced, artistic creativity is considered as imagination and the capacity to produce original ideas and interpret the world in the form of text, sound and image. Scientific creativity is evaluated as curiosity and the willingness to make new connections and experiment in problem solving, while economic creativity is defined as a process that leads to innovations and applications in technology.

In its 2012 report, the European Commission emphasized how culture nourishes souls and unites communities, and stated that creativity helps societies and economies find new answers to the challenges they face every day (Council of Europe, ). Creativity, which is considered as the driving force of innovation, which is vital for development, still represents a developing paradigm. Creativity is heavily discussed in urban and regional studies, which introduce some new concepts to the literature, such as "creative economy", "creative class", "creative industries", "creative environment", "creative cluster" and "creative city". 

Conceptually Creative Economy 

For the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the creative economy is an evolving concept based on creative assets that potentially generate economic growth and development. UNCTAD defines the creative economy as “a knowledge-based set of economic activities, with creative industries at its core, that generate income and job opportunities while promoting social inclusion, cultural diversity and human development”. 

The contribution of the creative economy to multidimensionality and sustainable development is realized through creative industries. In developing countries, the creative economy optimizes socio-economic growth and job creation potential, while promoting social cohesion, cultural diversity and human development, thus providing a significant benefit in achieving sustainable development goals.

Conceptually Creative Industries
 
“Creative industries” that took their place in the literature in the early 1990s; is located at the intersection of the arts, business and technology sectors. According to UNCTAD, creative industries realize the economic cycle of creation, production and distribution of goods and services using intellectual capital as the main input, and they create tangible products and intangible services with their creative content, economic values ​​and market targets. Creative industries not only protect and promote cultural heritage and cultural diversity, but also help develop external benefits.


UNCTAD, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, focuses on the creative industries, heritage (traditional and cultural expressions and cultural spaces), arts (visual and performing arts), media (printed and broadcast media and audio-visual materials), and functional creations (new media designs and creative services).