Forgetting intangible values and community: The case of heritage conservation policies in Cuenca, Ecuador

Therelationshipbetweenheritage,conservationandtourismhasdeterminedcountlessactionson thehistoriccentersofseveralcitiesintheworld.InLatinAmerica,governmentalentitieshaveset guidelines forurbanheritage interventions throughplans, programs andavarietyof projects implemented inrecentdecades.Thepredominant emphasisof theseactionshasbeenonsafeguarding tangible aspects of heritage, adhering to international conservationguidelines, and promoting tourismasameans tostimulatesustainable local development.However, acritical pointoftheseeffortsliesintheneglectofadversesocialconsequencesimposedonlocalresidents andcommunities. Inthispaperweconsiderarepresentativecase: theheritageareaofCuencain Ecuador,whereaninterventiontookplacestartingwiththeUNESCODeclarationofthecasestudy in1999until2019.Wecharacterizetheprocess,analyzetheincidenceofplanninginstruments andidentifytheattributes thatwereenhancedaswellas thosethatweresuppressedthrougha historical reviewofcurrentplansandexecutedprojects.Theresults reveal thepersistenceofa conservationistandorthodoxvisionofheritage,whichleads tothedisplacementofvulnerable groups.Hence,itisimperativetoreevaluateinterventionpoliciesintheurbanheritagecontextof LatinAmericancitieslikeCuenca.