The objectives of this study are to critically map and analyse past and current  discussions, negotiations and social processes that take place and relate to conditions created by living in- or monitoring the World Heritage City Angra do Heroísmo in the Azores, Portugal. Based on ethnographic fieldwork and qualitative interviews with the stakeholders in the city, the purpose has been to study how, and with what result and consequences, contested values, interests, rhetoric and powers are mobilized and made into dynamic forces for these stakeholders. Hence, this thesis gives a chronological presentation of selected issues and discussions, which have been taking place in the city from 1980 to 2012. The first subjects attended to are the 1980 earthquake and the nomination process which led to the inscription of Angra to the World Heritage List in 1983. However, some of the core objectives relate to the implications of living in a World Heritage City, given the preservation provisions which follow such a classified area. The aim has further been to assess the point of departure for the official monitors and their views on monitoring a vibrant historical area. The discussions analysed relate to the predicaments occurring when modern development is set up against preservation. However, the analyses show how policies and preservation ideals change, as well as how powers and authorities are challenged and affected by forces within and outside the “authorized heritage discourse”. Finally, this study has assessed the notions of pride, local attachment and identity among the inhabitants in Angra. The World Heritage Status can trigger a double sense of feelings; on the one side it holds emotions related to pride and recognition, on the other it represents obstacles for living- and developing the city in accordance with the present needs. World Heritage and tourism are closely linked, and this investigation explores how the stakeholders in Angra relate to the possibilities and threats which tourism holds. Angra represents a site where there is a limited influx of tourist, and we can see how most stakeholders speak for a quality-based tourism. In this respect, one could say there is a prevailing consensus among the stakeholders. Finally, this study has assessed the notions of pride, local attachment and identity among the inhabitants in Angra. These sensations are related to the historical cityscape, an environment which also frames personal experiences and processes. The World Heritage Status can trigger a double sense of feelings; on the one side it holds emotions related to pride and recognition, on the other it represents obstacles for living- and developing the city in accordance with the present needs. Angra do Heroísmo is studied for its particularities, yet comparisons made with other studies reveal that the matters and aspects addressed in this thesis can be universal rather than particular. / Avhandlingen er en kritisk kartlegging og analyse av tidligere og pågående diskusjoner, forhandlinger og sosiale prosesser som er relatert til det å leve i og forvalte verdensarvbyen Angra do Heroísmo på Asorene i Portugal. Basert på etnografisk feltarbeid og kvalitative intervjuer med for eksempel innbyggere, kulturminneforvaltningen, politikere og utviklere har formålet vært å forstå hvordan, og med hvilke konsekvenser, ulike verdier, retorikker, interesser og ressurser er mobilisert og gjort til drivende krefter for disse stakeholderne. Avhandlingen gir en kronologisk fremstilling av utvalgte tematikker og diskusjoner fra 1980 og frem til 2012, hvor de første temaene er knyttet til jordskjelvet som rammet byen i 1980, og den påfølgende nominasjonsprosessen til verdensarvlisten som ga Angra do Heroísmo verdensarvstatus i 1983. Et hovedanliggende for denne avhandlingen er problemstillinger knyttet til det å leve i en verdensarvby, med de restriksjoner som følger et klassifisert område. Videre har målet vært å studere myndighetenes- og kulturminnevernets ståsted og deres bevaringspolitikk. I skjæringspunktet mellom hensynet til bevaring og behovet for utvikling oppstår diskusjoner og forhandlinger, og avhandlingen analyserer utvalgte diskusjoner som hovedsakelig er knyttet til utbyggingsprosjekter. Studien viser imidlertid hvordan bevaringsidealer- og politikk endres, og likeledes hvordan myndigheter og autoriteter utfordres av krefter innenfor og utenfor ‘the authorized heritage discourse’. Avslutningsvis gir avhandlingen en analyse av hvilken betydning verdensarvstatusen har for innbyggerne, noe som berører temaene identitet, stolthet og lokal tilknytning. Verdensarven har således en dobbeltsidig størrelse, som på den ene siden trigger følelser som stolthet og annerkjennelse, mens på den andre siden representerer begrensninger og diskusjoner.

Ce travail de recherche se concentre sur les questions du développement respectueux de la ville de Hué et de ses environs, en accordant une importance spécifique à la conservation et la mise en valeur des qualités faisant la particularité de cette ville et des villages avoisinants. La recherche est construite dans le contexte où le processus d'urbanisation et la prolifération des nouvelles zones urbaines et des nouveaux quartiers résidentiels ont entraîné de nombreuses menaces et dangers pour cette ville et ont engendré la perte des valeurs caractéristiques de ce territoire. Les hypothèses de la recherche abordent les relations entre la conservation, la mise en valeur et la gestion durable du patrimoine, du système de l'eau et des valeurs caractéristiques des villages d'ores et déjà inscrits dans le développement environnemental, économique, socioculturel de ce territoire. Les corpus principaux utilisés dans cette thèse, sont des données de cartographique GIS Hué 2010 et des cartes anciennes traitées par la l'analyse cartographique et l'analyse comparative des documents, des ouvrages historiques concernant la ville de Hué et des villages d'étude, ainsi que des entretiens, des questionnaires d'enquête, des relevés photographiques récoltés lors de nos séjours d'étude de terrain à Hué. Grâce à la méthodologie d'analyse, surtout l'analyse cartographique et la méthodologie d'enquête de terrain, nous pouvons définir des caractères spécifiques de ce territoire et démontrer des menaces et des dangers principaux pour cette ville et ses environs face aux processus d'urbanisation. Dans la recherche, nous avons également l'ambition de proposer ce qu'il faudrait mettre en œuvre pour un développement respectueux de l'environnement écologique, de la qualité de vie et du bien-être des habitants, des potentiels de l'économie locale, et de même que des valeurs caractéristiques de la ville de Hué et des villages avoisinants. / This research focuses on the issues of the respectful development of Hue City and its surroundings, with a specific emphasis on the conservation and the regeneration of qualities, which constitute the peculiarity of this city and surrounding villages. The research is built in the context where the urbanization and the proliferation of new urban areas and new residential neighborhoods led to numerous threats and hazards to the city and resulted in the loss of characteristic values of this area. The hypotheses of the research concern the relationship between conservation, regeneration and sustainable management of heritage, water system and characteristics values of the traditional villages with the environmental development, the economic development, the social and cultural development of this territory. The main corpus used in this thesis is the data mapping GIS 2010 Hue and the ancient maps , these documents, historical works for Hue city and study villages, and interviews, survey questionnaires, photographic records collected during our field survey in Hue. Thanks to the analytical methodology, especially the cartographic analysis and the onsite survey methodology, we can define the specific characteristics of this area and demonstrate the main threats and hazards to the city and the surroundings caused by the urbanization. In this research, we also aim at offering what to do in order to reach a friendly development of the ecological environment, the quality of life and the comfort of local citizens, the potential of the local economy as well as the characteristic values of Hue City and surrounding villages.