Understand how our historic environment can help current and future generations to live well and our local places to thrive.
Our approach to achieve our outcomes is to facilitate and coordinate a wide range of actions, development, and dissemination activities that move us forward. You can find more information on our current work underway to achieve each outcome on these pages.
All progress is reported against our original Baseline Assessment (2024), Baseline Refresh (2026) and our Strategic Insight Statements.
The historic environment contributes to regeneration, Community Wealth Building, tourism, investment and local economic development across Scotland. However, the evidence also suggests that heritage is not yet consistently recognised within wider economic, housing, education, health and investment agendas, and stronger evidence and partnerships will be needed to increase its influence and impact.
For success by 2028:
What needs to continue: Heritage-led regeneration, Community Wealth Building activity; tourism partnerships; heritage and place approaches.
What needs to grow: Economic development partnerships; building reuse and adaptation; place-based investment; early involvement in regeneration, housing and investment discussions.
What needs to improve: Economic impact evidence; recognition of value; evaluation and reporting; policy influence; communication of heritage’s wider contribution.
Fair Work supports workforce wellbeing, sustainability and organisational resilience. Evidence suggests that progress to implement the priorities of Fair Work is being made within the historic environment sector, but greater consistency of implementation is needed.
For success by 2028:
What needs to continue: Workforce development activity; Fair Work awareness; leadership development; organisational support.
What needs to grow: Fair Work implementation; workforce wellbeing activity; good practice sharing; workforce engagement.
What needs to improve: Workforce evidence; consistency of practice; understanding of impacts; monitoring and reporting.
Evidence increasingly suggests that heritage can contribute positively to learning, social connection, wellbeing and quality of life. However, current activity can be developed through strengthening of partnerships and an increased understanding of impact.
For success by 2028:
What needs to continue: Learning programmes; community engagement; volunteering; public participation activity.
What needs to grow: Wellbeing partnerships; health sector engagement; participation opportunities; wellbeing-focused programmes; cross-sector delivery partnerships.
What needs to improve: Wellbeing evidence; evaluation; impact measurement; cross-sector collaboration.
Engagement with Scotland's historic environment can deliver benefits that extend well beyond heritage itself. Across Scotland, participation in heritage activities is helping to improve wellbeing, strengthen community connections and foster a greater sense of belonging.
Credit: Archaeology Scotland
Alongside local volunteer, engagement or visiting initiatives, national programmes such as Doors Open Days and Scottish Archaeology Month, connect Scotland’s heritage into international networks of activity while encouraging people to discover and engage with the places around them. Doors Open Days, for example, provides opportunities for free visits to buildings and sites across Scotland breaking down barriers to visiting heritage spaces. In 2025, more than 950 venues and events took part, with 97% of visitors surveyed reporting improved wellbeing following their visit and 91% that it helped them to connect with their local community.
Activity is also often supported by national partnerships such as the Make Your Mark in Volunteering campaign which brings together organisations from across the built, natural and cultural heritage sectors to support heritage volunteering. As part of this campaign, Make Your Mark has facilitated volunteer taster sessions co-designed by heritage organisations and marginalised or underrepresented groups. In one such partnership between Archaeology Scotland and the Scottish Refugee Council, 75% of participants reported that the session helped them feel more connected to local places.
Through exploration, learning and shared experiences, activities and opportunities like these help to improve individual wellbeing and strengthen connections between people, places and local heritage.