The historic city of Hermoupolis is rich in architectural heritage, much of which is endangered or decaying. The 100 Building=100stories project aims to restore the architectural and cultural value of heritage buildings. Beyond the technical conservation of a building, the local community can help keep heritage alive by recognising and sharing its qualitative value - the stories it tells.

The key objectives of the project are:

• to repurpose the conservation management plan into an active, creative and participatory process, instead of a sterile procedure implemented by experts and public authorities only.
• strengthen the relationship of residents with their city and promote the history of Hermoupolis to tourists.

The city integrated the participatory digital tool 100 stories=100 buildings into its local digital heritage system, HERMeS (HERitage Management e-System). HERMeS facilitates the management and preservation of Hermoupolis’ built heritage, and the added tool allows citizens to submit their own stories and memories relating to a particular building.

Through the online portal, users are asked to (a) share a story, (b) propose a building that is worth mentioning in the list, or (c) both. Users can also upload photos, audio and videos. The stories are registered and hosted on an online page. Then a QR sign is placed in front of the associated building. Via their mobile phones, visitors can scan the sign and discover the story of the building through the eyes of the community.

A new outreach strategy makes citizens aware of their contribution to the collective memory of the city, together with public events and participatory workshops to learn about, evaluate and improve the initiative.

The initiative is ongoing and being evaluated. It won’t be limited to 100 buildings and the digital tool will be improved through the lessons learned. New proposals to extend the tool are being discussed with the municipality.

The total budget of 9,950€ was used for human resources (design, installation) and services (publication, translation, printing). The idea was made possible and 90% funded by the European Heritage Days Stories call of the European Union and the Council of Europe. HERMES NGO finances 10% of the project (hosting, updates and new activities) through donations.

HERMES designed and implements the initiative, with the support and input of the Syros Institute.

From 2010 to 2015, the HERMeS system was funded and updated by the Municipality of Hermoupolis and Region of Cyclades.

The Municipality of Hermoupolis actively supports the project.

The Municipality and the South Aegean region supported the organisation of a cultural event to promote the initiative.

Cultural organisations such as the Institute Kyveli, Plagma and Anima Syros contributed by creating stories, disseminating the initiative and developing related projects.

The Department of Product and Systems Design Engineering of the University of Aegean contributed through research and development of educational digital tools.

Public schools organised educational activities to inform students how they could participate.

Citizens contributed by creating and submitting their own stories.

• Boosts citizens’ curiosity to know the stories behind the buildings of Hermoupolis.
• Allows the community to acknowledge their heritage and raises awareness of its fragility.
• Develops a feeling of collective heritage ownership and raises the sense of belonging to a place.
• Enables the community to shape their own opinion for the conservation management plan in the future.
• Promotes collaboration among individuals, public schools, the university and cultural organisations.
• Became an umbrella for other local heritage activities by different stakeholders.

The challenge of 100 buildings=100 stories was to make citizens aware of the vulnerability of their built heritage and encourage them to engage in its preservation.

Everyone can write, tell or draw a story about their city and heritage. For those citizens that are less keen on technology, alternatives should be provided.

With little budget, digital preservation and management systems for built heritage can be opened to community involvement.

Cooperation with local authorities is key. It is important to develop a common understanding of what heritage and heritage protection means.

Heritage restoration initiatives often require the project team to be flexible in their planning and implementation -depending on the resources that are available to them.

This initiative can inspire other community-oriented heritage services that encourage digitally creating and sharing stories about buildings.

HERMeS uses open-source software that can be transferred to other locations. It is already being applied in cities in Greece, Albania and North Macedonia.

HERitage Management e System (HER.M.eS) video Heritage Management e-Society NGO

Hermoupolis Digital Heritage Management website

Cultural heritage in action | Sharing solutions in european cities and regions: http://www.culturalheritageinaction.eu/culture/Good_practices