Living heritage as shared knowledge: advancing community-led reconstruction in post-earthquake Antakya

Abstract

This paper investigates living heritage as a crucial entry point for community-led post-disaster reconstruction, drawing on the work of Architecture Sans Frontières UK (ASF-UK) in post-earthquake Antakya, Turkey. As state-led reconstruction often disrupts local ways of life and overlooks residents’ needs, living heritage is proposed as a framework to broaden the range of perspectives included beyond technical expertise, providing a platform for constructive engagement within communities and among stakeholders. The paper situates this approach within critical heritage and participatory recovery debates, contextualizing challenges within Antakya’s historical and sociopolitical dynamics. It outlines ASF-UK’s ongoing collaboration with local civil society, framing living heritage as shared knowledge – the tacit and explicit relations connecting people, places and practices. Technical assistance is reimagined as an interpretive role, documenting and visualizing embedded community knowledge to enhance advocacy efforts. We argue that a living heritage approach supports inclusive, locally grounded reconstruction pathways in contested post-disaster settings.