Stakeholders' consciousness of cultural heritage and the reconciliation of different needs for sustainable development

• Purpose. The paper investigates the approach and tools adopted by an Italian city, included among the UNESCO World Heritage sites, to involve different stakeholders in the protection and valorisation of its historical centre to achieve goals of sustainable development. It focuses on the role of local authorities as the key actor that should engage different city users to jointly achieve heritage conservation and socio-economic development. • Design/methodology/approach. Data were collected thanks to researchers’ direct participation to a project launched by the municipality of Urbino, which involved several local stakeholders and lasted about a year. Participant observation allowed to collect informal interviews, join to collective discussions and reflect on direct observation of activities undertaken. • Findings. The case study analysed suggests how participatory governance may be effective in fostering responsible principles in “asset usage” by any type of city users and how citizens actively co-design and co-implement initiatives of heritage revitalization when engaged in CH policies. • Originality. The paper addresses a long-standing problem never solved: how to enhance the consciousness of the cultural heritage among stakeholders and reconcile their different and conflicting needs in the historical urban environment in the process of revitalisation