Living in a heritage: Sense of pride and inconvenience

Oxford, a city having a long development history, is full of monuments, listed buildings and conservation areas. The City of Oxford had approximately 9.5 million visitors and drew £770 million income in 2010. How do the residents perceive the heritage in Oxford? Living in a heritage can be a pride of and/or inconvenience to the residents. This study explores the perception of the residents of Oxford on the value of their heritage, in particular whether living in a heritage brings a sense of pride and/or inconvenience. The study therefore includes (1) defining heritage, (2) investigating the relationship between heritage value and knowledge of the heritage buildings and (3) collecting residents’ views on sense of pride and/or inconvenience. Questionnaire survey was conducted to collect data from residents of Oxford. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for data analysis. The findings show that (1) the heritage value of Oxford is highly rated despite the residents’ knowledge in the historical and architectural background of heritage is not rich; (2) the residents are proud of living in Oxford; (3) they are also fairly satisfied despite the convenience arising from the restrictions on the heritage. Heritage of Oxford provides important cultural attachments to the residents. The findings also highlight the importance of preserving the distinct cultural atmosphere whilst allowing appropriate development of the city.