Inadequacies of heritage protection regulations in an era of shrinking communities: a case study of Valga, Estonia

Valga is a small shrinking town in Estonia where the heritage conservation area acts as the business, administrative and cultural centre of the town. Compared to the overall socio-economic situation of the town, the heritage conservation area suffers due to substantially faster depopulation and higher vacancy rates. Revitalization of the urban centre is a key part of the small town's strategy. This paper addresses the question: In an area of urban shrinkage, what role does heritage protection play in revitalization of a town centre? Drawing on a qualitative case study of the Valga heritage conservation area, the findings show that the current heritage protection system does not support revitalization efforts. There is a need to develop a new set of heritage conservation rules for shrinking cities and to adapt the current heritage conservation system to urban shrinkage. The paper further proposes some possible aspects of such system adaptation.