Developing an Assessment Model for Post-disaster Urban Cultural Heritage: The Case of Cinema Venues in Adana, Turkey

Creative Commons License

Aksu Çam Ç., Çam A., Saban F. D.

SAGE OPEN, vol.16, no.3, pp.1-23, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 16 Issue: 3
  • Publication Date: 2026
  • Doi Number: 10.1177/21582440261486306
  • Journal Name: SAGE OPEN
  • Journal Indexes: Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Social Science Premium Collection (ProQuest), Education Source Ultimate (EBSCO), Scopus, Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Education Abstracts, ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), EBSCO Education Source, Directory of Open Access Journals
  • Page Numbers: pp.1-23
  • Open Archive Collection: AVESIS Open Access Collection
  • Çukurova University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

This study develops an integrated and multi-scalar model for assessing post-disaster urban cultural heritage through the case of historic cinema venues in Adana, Turkey. Bridging critical heritage studies, urban memory theory, and international conservation frameworks (UNESCO, ICOMOS), the research conceptualises cinema heritage as a participatory, values-based, and socially embedded domain that extends beyond material fabric to include memory, identity, and everyday cultural practice. Using a mixed-methods design, the study employs archival research, oral history work, field documentation, typological analysis, a six-criterion evaluation model, and a stakeholder workshop to examine ten surviving cinema venues. It identifies how physical degradation, fragmented ownership, and legal ambiguity intersect with strong community attachment and mnemonic continuity. Findings highlight tensions between AHD-oriented institutional regimes and the lived cultural significance of cinema venues, underscoring their role as vernacular ‘lieux de mémoire’ within Adana’s post-disaster landscape. The proposed assessment model, supported by a conceptual framework integrating actors, legal norms, and participatory strategies, demonstrates how cinema venues can be reintegrated into urban life through adaptive reuse, community-led stewardship, and multivocal interpretation. More broadly, the model offers a methodological prototype and transferable conceptual framework for recognising and safeguarding non-monumental, socially vital heritage in disaster-prone urban environments.