Center | BORE

A new chapter of the book on the application of the circular economy to cultural tourism has been published

Dragana Markanović — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 07:58:14 +0000

As part of the research of the Center for Sustainable Development through Culture, IRMO researcher Daniela Angelina Jelinčić published a new book chapter entitled Circular Cultural Tourism: Concept and Benefits Through Theory and Practice. The chapter is part of a larger publishing project that resulted in the book Cultural Heritage Tourism and Circular Economy: Enhancing Identity, Visibility and Sustainability, published by Springer Nature. The chapter deals with the application of the theme of the circular economy in all phases of the cultural-tourism product management, entailing a broader concept of using a human-centered approach, improving lesser-known cultural and natural resources, improving human capital and human rights, reducing tourist pressure, reducing the consumption of waste and natural resources by encouraging clean energy, green traffic, recycling and reuse, and improving local food and craft production (Be.CULTOUR. https://becultour.eu/). At the same time, it empowers local communities to take advantage of sustainable tourism. In this way, the chapter reveals aspects of the circular economy that are applied in cultural tourism and investigates how tourism operators understand it. The applied methodology is desk research and case study. The results show that the principles of the circular economy can be applied in all phases of the cultural tourism product management, but it is not easy to distinguish between individual principles of the circular economy, as they often overlap. In this sense, the author concludes that the concept of the circular economy is yet another name for sustainability.

More about the book chapter: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-032-14082-1_8

Study on Zagreb’s nightlife published based on TripAdvisor reviews

Dragana Markanović — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:38:56 +0000

Marko Raič and Dr Daniela Angelina Jelinčić from the Institute for Development and International Relations have published an article titled “Tourist assessment of nightlife in Zagreb through TripAdvisor reviews”. The article was published in the Polish Scopus-indexed journal Turyzm/Tourism and is the result of work carried out within the IRMO Centre for Sustainable Development through Culture (CORK) and the BORE project. The study is based on sentiment analysis of TripAdvisor reviews of clubs and bars over the 2022-2024 period. The findings show that tourists most frequently describe Zagreb’s nightlife through social and sensory dimensions, while generally perceiving it as friendly, affordable and vibrant. The authors note that Zagreb’s nightlife has not previously been studied in a systematic way, and that the findings can serve as a basis for improving tourism policy and developing Zagreb’s night-time economy. Article link: https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/tourism/article/view/27766

Marta Šveb Dragija at the ENCATC Academy in Bilbao

Dragana Markanović — Mon, 25 May 2026 10:10:37 +0000

Marta Šveb Dragija, assistant within the BORE project team and the Centre for Sustainable Development through Culture, together with her colleagues Barbara Lovrinić Higgins, PhD, and Sunčana Franić, participated in the ENCATC Academy in Bilbao, an international programme dedicated to cultural management and cultural policy, with a special focus on sustainability, innovation, and the role of culture in societal development. Through a series of expert lectures, case studies, and discussions with participants from various countries, the participants explored ways in which cultural organisations can adapt to contemporary challenges while creating long-term social impact. The programme provided practical tools and new insights into the development of the cultural and creative sectors, as well as a valuable opportunity to exchange experiences and ideas with professionals from across the world.

Heritage on Stage

Dragana Markanović — Fri, 22 May 2026 07:35:06 +0000

IRMO researcher, Head of the Center for Sustainable Development through Culture Daniela Angelina Jelinčić participated in the Heritage on Stage conference, where she coordinated a workshop entitled Possible Uses of Museums and Heritage Sites. The conference was organized by ICOM Croatia, ICOM SEE, INTERCOM, ICOM Hungary, ICOM B&H, ICOM Slovenia and ICOM Latvia with the support of ICOM Paris, the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia and the Archaeological Museum of Istria. The conference is part of a broader project that addresses the ways in which museums, as guardians of heritage, balance their needs when they become venues for events from other (cultural) fields, as well as for commercial activities. In addition to their social roles, museums often face financial pressures and seek to expand their audience and income. In this context, the use of museums and heritage sites as venues for events, performances and commercial activities has become an increasingly relevant practice, opening up space for extensive discussion. In addition to interesting lectures, participants had the opportunity to work on simulated projects and, through a guided discussion, determine the appropriate purpose of individual museums/sites. Previously, Dr. Jelinčić presented contemporary ways of achieving institutional competitiveness through the experience economy and provided inspiring examples of practice, highlighting the challenges that heritage managers must deal with in an increasingly demanding environment. The lecture and workshop attracted significant interest.

IRMO researcher participated as an invited speaker Izmir Talks Culture

Dragana Markanović — Mon, 11 May 2026 08:26:31 +0000

IRMO researcher Daniela Angelina Jelinčić participated as an invited speaker in Turkey at the Izmir Cultural Policies Summit and Workshop (Izmir Talks Culture) where she shared her experiences in developing the Cultural Development Plan for the City of Zagreb. The summit brought together high-level domestic and international experts in cultural policies discussed in the context of sustainable development. Our researcher explained the process of strategic cultural planning used in the example of the City of Zagreb, as well as some experiences in implementing the Plan itself. This generated significant interest given the similarity of the approach used in developing the cultural strategy of the City of Izmir, and the research approach used in preparing the current state analysis was of particular interest, which is why further cooperation was agreed.

IRMO aktualno “Museums in Croatia: accessible, but not for everyone”

Dragana Markanović — Mon, 04 May 2026 07:01:47 +0000

IRMO aktualno 66 (croatian)

The scientific paper “Sustainable Public Libraries in Croatia: Reactive and Proactive Approaches to Sustainability” by Daniela Angelina Jelinčić (IRMO) and Maja Pranić (Zagreb City Libraries) has been published in the journal Vjesnik bibliotekara Hrvatsk

Dragana Markanović — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 08:43:51 +0000

The paper examines the role of public libraries in Croatia within the framework of sustainable development through two complementary dimensions: internal (reactive) sustainability, referring to institutional operations, and external (proactive) sustainability, referring to their broader societal role. The study is based on a mixed-methods approach, including a survey conducted among 99 public libraries.

The findings show that Croatian public libraries implement sustainability practices to some extent, but mostly in an unsystematic manner and without a clear strategic framework. Social sustainability is the most developed dimension, particularly through inclusion programmes, lifelong learning, and access to knowledge, while economic sustainability remains the least developed. The paper highlights libraries as key actors in local sustainable development and introduces an integrated conceptual framework that, for the first time in the Croatian context, systematically distinguishes between internal and external dimensions of sustainability.

The research was conducted within the framework of the Center for Sustainable Development through Culture as part of the project The Essence and Colors of Sustainable Regional Development in the Republic of Croatia. Full paper is available at: https://doi.org/10.30754/vbh.69.1.1820

The scientific paper “Leadership Mindset and Skills for Wellbeing in Museums” has been published

Dragana Markanović — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 07:55:08 +0000

Marta Šveb Dragija and Dr. Daniela Angelina Jelinčić have published the scientific paper “Leadership Mindset and Skills for Wellbeing in Museums” in the journal Muzeológia a kultúrne dedičstvo, through CORK – the Center for Sustainable Development through Culture, as part of the BORE project.

The paper explores how museums can become important promoters of wellbeing and which leadership skills and mindsets are needed to develop wellbeing-oriented initiatives in museums. Based on interviews and research conducted with the leadership of Croatian museums, the authors identify nine key leadership skills and highlight museums as important places that support community wellbeing. The paper also provides recommendations for fostering a growth mindset and strengthening leadership competencies.

Link to the paper: https://muzeologia.sk/index_htm_files/MKD_4_25_dragija.pdf

New guidebook in the series – Manual for Greening Cultural Heritage

Dragana Markanović — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 09:15:46 +0000

The new “Guidebook for Greening Cultural Heritage” authored by IRMO researchers Daniela Angelina Jelinčić, Sanja Tišma and Marko Raič has been published by Jesenski and Turk. The guidebook is the result of the research performed by the Center for Sustainable Development through Culture within the framework of the BORE project and published as the 4th book in the series “Cultural Heritage in Practice” (the first book was ” Cultural Sustainability Guide”, 2022, the second “Comprehensive Assessment of the Impacts of Interventions in the Field of Cultural Heritage”, 2023, and the third “Guidebook for Participatory Planning and Management of Cultural Heritage”, 2024). Its goal is to provide inspiration for action so that cultural heritage is recognized not only as a remnant from the past, but also as an active resource in facing the challenges of climate change and shaping a more resilient future. It provides practical information on possible ways of greening cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible, with inspiring practical examples, through its reactive, but also proactive role: reactive refers to activities to preserve and ensure the sustainability of cultural assets themselves in response to the negative impacts of climate change (heritage as an object) while proactive implies activities and initiatives by which cultural heritage contributes to preventing and reducing the consequences of climate change (heritage as a subject).

The guidebook first introduces the initial concepts related to greening cultural heritage, or green cultural heritage. It then presents international, European and national policies related to the interrelationship between cultural heritage, the environment and climate change, and in the central part presents examples of good practice in greening cultural heritage through three thematic areas: monitoring and mitigating the effects of climate change on cultural heritage itself; shaping ecological behavior through cultural heritage; and the concept of green heritage, which implies heritage associated with plants and the plant environment. This is followed by a chapter on cultural ecosystem services and green infrastructure, followed by practical steps to be taken for success in one’s own projects. Finally, the main challenges of greening cultural heritage are described, indicating the direction of future research and concrete activities.

It is intended for everyone involved in cultural heritage, environment and sustainable development: experts in the field of heritage protection and management, conservation specialists, urban planners, decision-makers, cultural workers, architects, researchers, academics as well as representatives of civil society and everyone interested in the link between cultural heritage and climate change. It is particularly useful for those working on climate change adaptation projects, green infrastructure development and public policy development.

The guidebook can be obtained here: https://www.jesenski-turk.hr/hr/prirucnik-za-ozelenjavanje-kulturne-bastine

Scientific Article “Graffiti Vandalism at Cultural Heritage Assets: Review and Effectiveness of Prevention and Removal Methods„

Dragana Markanović — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 18:00:36 +0000

Cultural Heritage Conservation

Biodiversity Conservation

Environmental Science and Engineering

IJCS is indexed in:

Web of Science – ESCI &Scopus
DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals)
EBSCO & Chemical Abstracts
IndexCopernicus  & Ulrich’s Database
Academic Google & Genamics JournalSeek
WikiArc  & A-Z e-Journals List
Journal Seek & Smithsonian Libraries
Forum UNESCO & OAKList Records

Summary:

Graffiti vandalism poses a huge issue for many cities globally, while heritage sites and individual cultural goods are not spared. The usual methods applied in the fight against graffiti vandalism relate to prevention and removal methods. This study has been undertakenwith the aim of reviewing the existing scientific literature on this topic with the purpose of detecting types of methods used in solving this problem as well as evaluating their effectiveness/efficiency.The findings revealed that among prevention/removal methods, fourtypes dominate: (a) chemical, (b) physical-mechanical, (c) biological (bioremediation), and (d) social methods. While all of them are effective, the selection of the method may vary depending on a number of factors (e.g., type of spray paint, substrate, cost, environmentaleffects, etc.). The pros and cons for each method are provided, which may serve heritage managers in the selection of a method as well as decision makers in creating an efficient policy framework related to the analyzed issue.

The article is availabe in open access: https://ijcs.ro/public/IJCS-25-04_13_Jelincic.pdf