The Future of World Heritage Cities: Heritage Governance and New Urban Commons

In cities with World Heritage status, considerable attention is devoted to officially designated heritage properties and their immediate surroundings. As a result, other heritage sites, particularly those located outside the protected zone, may be perceived as less significant and become vulnerable to underfunding, weak legal protection, or lack of expert evaluation. This article examines how residents shape urban futures through the creation of new urban commons outside officially protected World Heritage zones. Using the case of Medieval Town of Toruń, Poland, a World Heritage city since 1997, this article investigates how urban futures are shaped through grassroots heritage activism. The article analyzes two situations in which citizens challenged the boundaries of institutional heritage frameworks and asserted their right to shape the city’s cultural landscape and future. Empirically, the study is based on a combination of semi‐structured expert interviews and a contextual analysis of local and regional media publications, official statements, and planning documents related to the contested heritage sites. The study shows that despite constraints related to the Covid‐19 pandemic, Toruń residents succeeded in making their expertise count, either by joining decision‐making bodies or by involving experts whose authority was recognized by institutions. This allowed for the creation of new urban commons and led to the partial preservation and official recognition of contested heritage sites.