The values embodied in cultural heritage[2] are identified in order to assess significance, prioritize resources, and inform conservative-restorative decision-making.
Alois Riegl is credited with developing Ruskin's concept of 'voicefulness' into a systematic categorization of the different values of a monument.
[3] The UNESCO World Heritage Convention addresses cultural sites of outstanding universal value, from a historical, aesthetic, scientific, ethnological or anthropological perspective, and highlights the need for authenticity.
Cultural significance is said to be 'embodied' in the fabric, setting, use, associations, and meanings of a place, and includes aesthetic, historic, scientific, social and spiritual values for past, present and future generations.
[5][6][7] Significance assessment typically includes consideration of the rarity, representativeness, and communicative power of assets and their values.