Long-term building stock survival and intergenerational management: The role of institutional regimes

Intergenerational value-management of the built environment requires preservation of both natural capital and man-made resources. A consequence is that buildings and infrastructure should be used as long as possible. Considering that built cultural heritage is mainly a 'non-renewable' capital, it affords a number of insights and lessons that can be more widely adapted to other parts of the built environment. The following key issues are discussed: long-term patterns and dynamics of the building stock; specific survival profiles for groups of buildings; strategies that have led to a long-term value preservation in the past; and robustness of former and existing strategies. Segments of the stock that could be used as a role model for the management of the entire stock are discussed as well as the possible contribution of public policy and institutional regimes to long-term value preservation. A related conceptual basis for an inventory of the built cultural heritage is presented in an appendix.