This PhD dissertation compares the patrimonialization process in the peri-central neighbourhoods of three heritage cities: Basel, Strasbourg and Valparaiso. Built on two paradigms, the social transaction and the joint regulation, patrimonialization is a dynamic process which produces conflicts, stakes and negotiations in a multipolar actors involvement. This conflicting relationship structures co-operations between three levels of expertises: official, scholar and popular. These actors’ interactions give birth to a patrimonial community whilst the force relationship between the materiality and the immateriality of the patrimonial properties trigger conflicts. The comparative methodology combines an ethnographical analysis including interviews with key resource persons, questionnaires among residents and socio-graphic quantitative data.
