It is a prerequisite for the realization of the historical environmental protection and the sustainable development of cities implementing the listing buildings of the cultural heritage, as well as making effective management and protection of the urban heritage. This paper focuses on an investigation of the features of the listed buildings in the UK, Japan and South Korea. Through a literature review and a case analysis, the similarities and differences are examined for the three countries of introducing the background, registration criterion, the management mechanisms and the sustainability patterns. We propose that a comprehensive protection system should be built for the listed building protection and the sustainable development in China, including a coordinated management platform led by the government with multi-parties involved, and a sustainable development strategy system based on the cultural heritage protection and utilization.

heritage  /  sustainable development  /  listed buildings  /  UK  /  Japan  /  South Korea