The book Cultural Sustainability: Preservation Heritage in a Modern World reimagines heritage conservation as a dynamic, forward-looking practice essential for addressing contemporary global challenges. Moving beyond traditional preservation models that seek to freeze the past, this interdisciplinary volume presents heritage as a living resource capable of fostering empowerment, resilience, and social justice.

Bringing together diverse case studies from across the globe, the book explores how indigenous games in developing countries serve as tools for community empowerment, how ethnic minority communities in Vietnam leverage traditional knowledge for environmental sustainability, and how historic buildings in Germany are being strengthened against the impacts of climate change. Contributors examine the adaptive reuse of historic schools in Washington, D.C., the role of digital technologies such as 3D scanning in sustaining fashion heritage, and the complex interplay between law, politics, and preservation in Vietnam and the United States. From pilgrim perspectives in Varanasi to safeguarding Indigenous Musical Practices in the Vhembe district, from intergenerational knowledge transmission to visitor engagement in the digital age, this collection demonstrates that cultural sustainability is intrinsically linked to environmental resilience, political stability, and human dignity. Essential reading for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers, this book makes a compelling case for heritage as a transformative force in building equitable and sustainable Futures.

Walter Leal Filho is a Senior Professor and Head of the Research and Transfer Centre "Sustainable Development and Climate Change Management”  at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences in Germany, and Chair of Environment and Technology at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. He  is the initiator of the Word Sustainable Development Symposia (WSSD-U) series, and chairs the Inter-University Sustainable Development Research Programme. Professor Leal Filho has written, co-written, edited or  co-edited more than 800 publications, including books, book chapters and papers in refereed journals.

Rudi Pretorius, Ph.D., has been an Associate Professor in Geography at Unisa up to 2024, and is appointed as a Honorary Professor at the same institution from 2025. Rudi does research on education for sustainability, sustainability in higher education, sustainable development, and sustainability applications of Open Distance e-Learning. He is a section editor of the journal Discover Sustainability, and a deputy editor of the International Journal of of Sustainability in Higher Education.

Bruno Borsari, Ph.D., is Emeritus Professor in the Biology Department at Winona State University, where he taught for the last 20 years a variety of environmental studies courses.  He is a 'seasoned' agroecologist with field experience gained in various world regions. His research focuses on studying agroecosystems and connecting this knowledge to curricula for various levels of instruction. His publication record includes about 150 scholarly contributions".