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Heritage values: towards a holistic and participatory management approach

Veronica Cristina Heras (Architecture Faculty, Universidad de Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador) (Design, Architecture and Art Faculty, Universidad del Azuay, Cuenca, Ecuador)
María Soledad Moscoso Cordero (Architecture Faculty, Universidad de Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador)
Anja Wijffels (Architecture Faculty, Universidad de Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador)
Alicia Tenze (Universidad de Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador)
Diego Esteban Jaramillo Paredes (Architecture Faculty, Universidad de Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador) (Design, Architecture and Art Faculty, Universidad del Azuay, Cuenca, Ecuador)

Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development

ISSN: 2044-1266

Article publication date: 6 September 2018

Issue publication date: 23 April 2019

834

Abstract

Purpose

In other fields, like natural resources, a wide range of participatory methods have been applied, criticized and adapted trough practice. Areas such as anthropology, history or architecture have contributed to the identification of heritage values. Semi-structured interviews and cultural mapping are examples of qualitative and participative methods that have been applied already in the conservation field. Nevertheless, no framework exists to assess the effectiveness of such methods and little experience has been built up in actor’s integration within the heritage value identification process. The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework to recognize heritage values incorporating multidisciplinary and multi-actor perspectives.

Design/methodology/approach

The socio-praxis approach, which is the outcome of an articulation of diverse methodologies that aim to support social processes from a bottom-up approach as a tool for decision making and community planning, was implemented in the present research. In this context, it supported the identification of heritage values incorporating multidisciplinary and multi-actor perspectives of two traditional neighborhoods of the city of Cuenca in Ecuador.

Findings

The results show that the identification of heritage values from multidisciplinary and multi-actor perspectives allows a more comprehensive vision of the existing values and the process reveals a greater involvement of the neighbors in heritage issues. The importance of structuring organized group of neighbors and positioning them as living experts has showed the complexity of cultural heritage conservation process but at the same time the significance for heritage management has been demonstrated. Therefore, this experience can be considered as an invaluable tool for heritage sites managers.

Originality/value

Stakeholder involvement in heritage conservation management has been widely discussed on international forums in the ultimate decades. While the importance of actor perceptions and priorities for sustainable heritage conservation is recognized, little has been said about the ways to reveal – non-expert – heritage values in such a way that people get involved in the heritage value assessment. In this perspective, the present research represents an invaluable tool for heritage sites that aim to implement a long-term management plans.

Keywords

Citation

Heras, V.C., Moscoso Cordero, M.S., Wijffels, A., Tenze, A. and Jaramillo Paredes, D.E. (2019), "Heritage values: towards a holistic and participatory management approach", Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, Vol. 9 No. 2, pp. 199-211. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCHMSD-10-2017-0070

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited

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