The role of cultural heritage conservation has proven beneficial for the development of cities and communities. However, a lack of systematic assessment methodologies for adequate consideration of the gap between sustainable urban development and the conservation of cultural heritage, has been long noted by academia. This paper contributes to bridge this knowledge gap, by discussing the state of the practice from the urban perspective on the integration of cultural heritage as mean for sustainable development (SD). With a mixed-methodology, 19 reports on urban development, management and competitiveness were analyzed. The research identified three levels of inclusion: (1) at the strategic level; (2) at the operational level; (3) at the monitoring level. From the urban development perspective, two main approaches to heritage were identified: as cultural capital and as an urban phenomena requiring tailored urban management. Current links to the sustainability pillars and correlations of cultural heritage with wider urban factors are discussed. Conclusions highlight that a more thorough conceptualization and clearer correlation between cultural heritage management with wider urban phenomena is yet to be developed. Therefore, more efficient tools and more appropriate methodologies to correlate cultural heritage protection as an urban resource are still lacking. •Urban monitoring tools acknowledge cultural heritage at the strategic, operational and monitoring level.•Cultural heritage bridges with sustainability dimensions are widely discussed but seldom proven.•Cultural heritage is understood as a competitive resource in the global urban market requiring a tailored management.•Existing indicators target the availability of heritage resources rather than the sustainability of its management.