On September 18 and 19, 2025, Amsterdam hosted the 3^rd CityLab of the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC), dedicated to a crucial thematic: rethinking tourism to restore balance in historic centers. The event is part of the New Urban Project (NUP)’s Cordoba Path program, which is preparing for the collective adoption of local strategies to regenerate the habitability of historic centers at the World Congress in Marrakesh in 2026.

The workshop brought together tourism and heritage specialists from OWHC cities and the European Alliance for Balanced Urban Tourism – Luxembourg, Krakow, Brussels, Paris, San Sebastian, Porto, and Amsterdam. Faced with growing tourism pressure, the workshop discussions explored new ways of thinking tourism and seeing heritage as a resource for balanced urban tourism strategies. Discussions focused in particular on “monoculturalization,” the importance of Iconic shops, and the role of narratives that can influence the marketing of heritage and historic cities.

Through presentations and roundtable discussions, participants were also introduced to the concept of Habitability as it is being defined by the OWHC, and to the five Operational Objectives defined by the Community of Practice. They identified many ways in which balanced tourism could contribute to the implementation of these objectives, or how these objectives could contribute to the affirmation of balanced tourism, thus potentially feeding into the New Urban Project.

The Amsterdam CityLab concluded with prospects for closer and more concrete collaboration in the coming months, and the possibility of organizing a second meeting with the Alliance cities before Marrakech. Stay tuned, the CityLab report will be published in the coming weeks!