Heritage values protection, from the monument to the urban dimension. Case study: the historic centre of Santa Ana de los Ríos de Cuenca, Ecuador

Abstract

The notion of Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) has brought to discussion some of the principles established in early international agreements such as the 1972 Convention, where importance is attributed to a larger ample of assets and values. The HUL approach has been applied to the World Heritage Site Cuenca in Ecuador. It is recognised by values revealed on its settlement, buildings and culture but adequate protection is reduced to the second. This research aims to develop a strategy to integrate components beyond buildings including values that involve a wider scope of stakeholders. The research aims to identify eight elements; geomorphology, environment, hydrology, urban planning, historical cartographic review, land uses, symbolic and iconic images of the city, and finally intangible aspects. Those elements are then mapped as layers of information. This creates a supporting graphical tool to visualise studies which use information gathered from several sources and existing databases. The studies are combined and managed with ArcMap facilitating the combination (overlapping) of the different information layers. The objective is to develop an integrated tool that can be used by all stakeholders and facilitate social participation in heritage conservation at the urban level.