Ghent Mapped : linking heritage to places and histories of Ghent

In this long paper, we introduce Ghent Mapped (2020-2023), a public history pilot project that (re)connects Ghent’s cultural heritage, its histories and historical maps with the city’s urban landscape and inhabitants. The project's premise is that cultural heritage has a spatial context that can be organised using the concept of place (Agnew, 2011; Tuan, 2002). A map-based history platform is being developed that provides users access to georeferenced historical maps, geotagged collection items and place information. Through this, the project investigates the intricacies and relations between the notions of space, place and heritage.