“Resilience is the capacity of communities and systems to survive, adapt, and thrive—and culture and heritage play a critical role in building that capacity.” – Michael Berkowitz, Executive Director, Climate Resilience Institute
As 2025 comes to a close, so does Stage 2 of CHiFA’s inaugural Heritage Accelerator. Running from September through December, this phase marked a critical shift for the cities. If Stage 1 focused on understanding conditions, Stage 2 focused on structuring ideas and situating heritage-led interventions within the broader urban context.
Shaping Integrated Regeneration Strategies
Building on the diagnostic work completed in Stage 1, Stage 2 focused on identifying and mapping potential interventions in order to coordinate regeneration efforts at the city or neighborhood scale. Rather than viewing historic sites as standalone preservation projects, cities worked to understand how heritage could serve as a catalyst within a broader urban framework—linking housing, public space, climate resilience, mobility, and economic development into a cohesive strategy. Coordinated action is critical to unlock greater social and economic impact.
The work was grounded in the Organization of World Heritage Cities’ New Urban Project, whose four Strategic Axes on habitability frame the shared challenges facing historic cities worldwide. The Stage 2 program focused on opportunities to address these issues and the mechanisms required to implement them at scale.
Applying Global Expertise Locally
Led by CHiFA Senior Advisor and co-founder Derek A.R. Moore, and supported by experts across housing, mobility, public space, climate resilience, impact measurement, and global development finance, Stage 2 provided guidance to create comprehensive framework plans. These plans helped identify pilot projects aligned with local priorities while outlining pathways for broader, long-term regeneration. Importantly, this process challenged cities to think beyond single projects and toward long-term models that can attract diverse sources of capital. Stage 2 concluded with the local teams presenting syntheses of their framework plans, pilot concepts, and key insights that can help them realize their original Vision of Regeneration.
As the Accelerator now moves into Stage 3, cities will translate their framework plans into actionable investment strategies. Stage 3 will culminate in investor-ready offerings, with clear capital needs, tested narratives, and a defined pathway from vision to implementation.
Thank you to our expert contributors who supported cities in advancing integrated approaches to urban regeneration across housing, climate resilience, mobility, economic development, and impact measurement.
Ángel Rodríguez Colón (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill), John Davis (International Center for Community Land Trusts), Dan Ringelstein (Arup), Paul Morel (Stadsherstel Amsterdam), Stefano Della Torre (Politecnico di Milano), Emilie Röell (Doh Eain), Thaddeus Pawlowski (Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes at Columbia University), Michael Berkowitz (Climate Resilience Institute), Federico Parolotto (MIC-HUB, Milan), Marco Dall’Orso (International Finance Corporation), Shaun Mann (World Bank), Paul Burtenshaw (World Monuments Fund).
Continued thanks to the cities’ mentors—Bonnie Burnham, Gary Hattem, Guido Licciardi, Derek A.R. Moore, and Eduardo Rojas—for their guidance, support, and generosity in sharing their expertise.