Valuation of Industrial Heritage in Terms of Sustainability: Some Cases of Tourist Reference in Spain

Abstract

This research is a contribution to the sustainable assessment of industrial heritage. The study analyzes the sustainability of some industrial elements after the cessation of activity as well as their tourist definition. The research includes a bibliographic review, a study of different sustainability thematic groups, and establishes certain analysis criteria in each group, adjusted to the characteristics of each selected case study. The results obtained permit a qualitative assessment of industrial heritage in terms of sustainability and its interpretation as a tourist resource in an increasingly diversified cultural offer. Special emphasis is placed on territory, landscape, environment, architecture, and tourism-related issues as the main interpretative keys that provide a new perspective on industrial heritage through an easy-to-apply analysis that contrasts operationally with other heritage environments.