What is the role of the past in the present and how do we interact with the past? The Centre for Global Heritage and Development initiates, stimulates and facilitates interdisciplinary and innovative research and education in the field of heritage. Our focus is on Heritage & Environment, Identity, Sciences and Heritage under Threat. We also specialise in consultation work for government, NGO's, businesses and other stakeholders.
Now, more than ever, heritage influences everyday life. It has become part of such disciplines as urban planning and landscape ecology. There are always choices and decisions to be made and these choices will in turn influence future decisions because often there is no way back: do we restore cities after a war or do we rebuild them from scratch? Should we redirect the course of a meandering river?'
Prof. dr. Jan Kolen, Dean Faculty of Archaeology
The Centre hosts a number of experts focusing on heritage with a multidisciplinary approach in archaeology, architecture, the social sciences, the humanities, law, science, technology and design and urban and regional studies.
The Centre for Global Heritage and Development is one of the five joint multidisciplinary centres of Leiden University, Delft University of Technology and Erasmus University Rotterdam, the so called LDE alliance.