Development of an automated urban heritage monitoring tool: Between a techno-fix and fallacy

The preservation of urban heritage is one of the main challenges for contemporary society and an important task for governments. The administration of urban heritage preservation (UHP) requires effective methods, as well as sufficient material and human resources. The administrative practice of UHP is embedded in the relevant regulatory framework, which comprises legislative and normative acts at municipal, national, and international levels. The scale and range of heritage objects to be monitored, the complex statutory basis of the regulatory framework, and the traditionally low human and material resources of city administrations all contribute to the ineffectiveness of UHP practice in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Vilnius. Advances in technologies such as 3D spatial scanning and AI-based image processing offer the promise of a technological fix to the ineffective administrative practice. In this paper, we present a grounded design study aimed at developing a technology prototype for an automated urban heritage risk monitoring tool. Originally conceived as a techno-fix to the inefficiency of administrative practice, the prototype development reveals tensions and stumbling blocks within digitalisation efforts. Using the analytical lens of the Trifecta model of IT-based regulation, the case study examines the interaction between technological and administrative domains in shaping technology design choices. Based on this case study, we critique the notion that IT is perceived as capable of providing “techno-fix” solutions to tasks requiring reflective human decision-making, especially when such solutions are expected to be effective without first redesigning the entire organisational system. The paper concludes with a discussion on the limits of automating administrative practices and identifies specific avenues for further research into the digitalisation of urban heritage preservation.