3.3 Industrial Heritage Value Assessment
3.3.1 General Framework for Industrial Heritage Value Assessment
Until now,the main difficulties arising during the process of industrial heritage evaluation were fragmented/unconsolidated theories,excessive quantification,and a lack of feasibility.In response to these issues,our research team reviewed and reconstructed a theoretical approach towards heritage evaluation.
Following a traditional view of economics,there is physical capital(factories and equipment),human capital(workers),and natural capital(mines).These forms of capital and their value can all be found in industrial facilities.Moreover,they include cultural capital to some extent,as some of the industrial facilities have witnessed important historical moments and became heritage sites,as discussed by David Throsby in Economics and Culture.As time goes by,the first three kinds of capital tend to degrade,while cultural capital may appreciate in value.Furthermore,these four types of capital can be evaluated using economic assessment methods.
If the framework of industrial heritage value can be metaphorized as a“duck egg”,its“yolk”could represent the“intrinsic value,”which is the original value of industrial heritage.If the total intrinsic value of an industrial heritage site is A,its physical capital is Ap,its human capital is Ah,its natural capital is An,and its cultural capital is Ac,then A=Ap+Ah+An+Ac.The intrinsic value comprises the main core of industrial heritage,which should be evaluated and graded.
However,for some industrial heritage sites,there is a need to reconstruct and regenerate;if so,we define the value added after the regeneration process as the“creative value,”which is represented by the metaphor of a“egg white”and symbolized as B.Therefore,the physical capital of the creative value(such as newly built factories)is Bp,human capital(new service industries)is Bh,natural capital(new landscape and vistas)is Bn,and cultural capital is Bc(painting,literary or animation creation in the industrial heritage site as a new creative industry).Thus,the total creative value will be B=Bp+Bh+Bn+Bc.
According to David Throsby's concentric model,there are four layers of cultural industry,starting from the center to the outside.The first layer is the core creative arts including literature,music,performance arts and visual arts,while the second layer includes other core cultural industries represented by film,museums,art galleries and libraries.The third layer relates to wider cultural industries including heritage services,publishing and printing media,sound recording,television and radio,video,and computer games.The outermost layer is related industries,which include advertising,architecture,design,and fashion.(David Throsby,2010)Their overall assumed level of creativity decreases from the inside out.(https://www.daowen.com)
Moreover,the“eggshell”refers to positive spillover effects,which are defined as an unintentional or uncompensated benefit or cost,flowing to another economic agent.For example,a museum in a downtown area could create employment,revenue,and other economic opportunities for enterprises and residents nearby.These effects may be important in the local or regional economic evaluation,but are also difficult to properly quantify.(David Throsby,2001,2010)For instance,a given cultural heritage can drive the development of surrounding transportation,commercial,and hotel facilities.
Therefore,we propose the term of“cultural magnetism”which is driven by the intrinsic value and creative value.Only if the“cultural magnetism”of a cultural heritage is well protected can its sustainable development be guaranteed.(Xu Subin and Aoki Nobuo,2017)
3.3.2 Evaluation of Cultural Capital
The research team also further explored the value of cultural capital.According to the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Cultural Relics,this emphasizes the historical,artistic,and scientific value of heritage.Besides these,the Principles for the Conservation of Heritage Sites in China mentions the type of social and cultural values.Because there is a wide range of heritage types with their respective attributes and characteristics,there should be a secondary standard based on their historical,artistic,scientific,social,and cultural value.In this regard,the guidelines in Britain could be an appropriate point of reference.There are different specific guidelines according to the different types of heritage in the United Kingdom,including industrial heritage.While referring to UK guidelines as well as the opinion of Chinese experts[9],the research team proposed the“Value Evaluation Guideline of Chinese Industrial Heritage”(trial edition).It includes 12 criteria used for assessing the value of industrial heritage as follows:(1)age;(2)historical importance;(3)industrial equipment and technology;(4)architectural design and construction technology;(5)cultural and affective identity;(6)promoting the development of local society;(7)conditions of preservation,repair,or reconstruction;(8)integrity of regional industry chain;(9)representativeness and rareness;(10)vulnerability;(11)conditions of documentary records;and(12)potential value.Furthermore,value assessment approaches for different industries were explored in detail as guidelines for practical research and protection actions.(Yu Lei,Aoki Nobuo and Xu Subin,2016)The negative value of industrial heritage has also been taken into consideration.(Aoki Nobuo,Xu Subin,Wang Ruoran,2016)
3.3.3 Calculation Approaches towards Cultural Value Assessment
In this context,a specific approach to the calculation of cultural value can be considered.In April 2017,our research team finished a questionnaire survey at the Beijing 798 Art Zone and collected 303 valid questionnaires.Based on the economic assessment principles espoused by the Travel Cost Method,cultural value is the summation of the overall travel cost(transportation,accommodation,and food,admission,entertainment,souvenirs,etc.),opportunity cost of the salary lost during the total travel time,and consumer surplus(the difference between the price the consumer is willing to pay and the actual price they pay for it),which is 1 472.294 9 million RMB.Conversely,the total cultural value measured by the Contingent Valuation Method is 49 578.616 6 million RMB.Thus,it can be demonstrated that the administrative department of the 798 Art Zone should enhance its service quality and improve visitor satisfaction.Additionally,the cultural heritage of the art zone should be protected to improve its cultural atmosphere and attract more visitors.(Chen Jiamin and Xu Subin,2017)