Listening to local voices in historic preservation and heritage tourism: The case of Emancipation Square, Spanish Town Historic District, Jamaica

This study gives voice to local residents who are faced with heritage tourism development within their community and examines the potential and problems of involving local youth in community research. It achieves this by utilizing the resources of local high school students who developed a resident survey, administered the survey, analyzed the data and produced a report that has become a key element for informing the redevelopment plans for the historic town. The study drew upon theories of place attachment, culture, place identity, historic preservation, community participation and participatory research in developing its concepts and methods. The case of the Spanish Town Historic District, Jamaica, was used to identify the relevance and impact of these theories as they relate to locals' attitudes towards the historic preservation of the central square (Emancipation Square) and its "architectural artifacts" as a national heritage tourism product.; The primary data includes 103 resident surveys and 30 interviews, student project evaluations and field notes. The findings revealed that while a great majority of the residents exhibited strong social, cultural and emotional attachments to the square and have very specific ideas about why they want to see it "uplifted," they also show concern over the fact that they know very little about development plans for their community.; The findings also demonstrate the importance for the field of preservation planning to recognize that local residents within historic environments have very complex relationships with the place/space and artifacts within their community.; Additionally, the involvement of the local students through community service proved to be beneficial in numerous ways. While providing the study with very good access and insights into the community their involvement also provided much personal gratification for the students themselves who have decided that they want to establish an ongoing research program that will focus on community research within the STHD.