Heritage Compensation in Changing Environments: The case of the West Link infrastructure project, Gothenburg

Samlingsverk (redaktörskap), 2021

Major urban infrastructure projects in old cities often encounter material, historical features during planning or execution, presenting several challenges for local heritage management. Using the case of the West Link in Gothenburg, Sweden, this paper discusses compensation as an approach to heritage management in cases of large urban developments. The West Link is a railway line currently under construction in Gothenburg. It burrows through the city’s 17th century fortifications, ancient agricultural properties and historical parks. Since the project is deemed to be a threat to cultural heritage, the Swedish Transport Administration (STA) – responsible for the project – and Gothenburg City’s cultural administration, among others, are in talks on how best to compensate for the impact on heritage. The paper finds that compensation can take the form of storytelling, variously expressed by exposing archaeological finds, incorporating them into art and architecture, using digital storytelling techniques and linking project sites to their wider regions. Situating these within the wider discourse on compensation and critical heritage, the paper raises for discussion the extent of interconnectedness between heritage objects and their stories, the centrality of material and overlapping heritage approaches that come into play during planning.