The HUL Approach to Create Heritage Management Tools in the Latin American City of Cuenca-Ecuador

The HUL approach to create heritage management tools in the Latin American city of Cuenca-Ecuador 1 Chapter xx THE HUL APPROACH TO CREATE HERITAGE MANAGEMENT TOOLS IN THE LATIN AMERICAN CITY OF CUENCA-ECUADOR Julia Rey-Pérez 1 , Sebastián Astudillo Cordero 2 and María Eugenia Siguencia Ávila 3 Abstract: The implementation of the Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape for the city of Cuenca (Ecuador) pursues an understanding of the complexity of the city’s heritage. Cuenca was inscribed on the World Heritage List (1999) and there is currently an attempt to condition the urban development of the city for the future. For two years, natural, cultural and human resources in Cuenca have been studied, mapped by the universities and a consensus, through participatory planning and stakeholder consultations, has been built. This process accomplishes the goal of protecting the attributes in which the city values are embedded and at the same time can be related to step 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 from the six-step action plan for the HUL implementation, provided by the 2011 UNESCO Recommendation (UNESCO, 2011; Veldpaus & Pereira Roders, 2013). These steps have led to a vulnerability assessment of the city related to socioeconomic stresses as well as the drafting of different recommendations for action for the ongoing city development in Cuenca. Finally, after the University-driven initiative, the last steps are expected to be implemented and led by the Municipality of Cuenca. The project itself serves as a good practices manual on how to apply the 6 steps of the Recommendation approach. This paper outlines the processes involved in implementing the steps while also reflecting on the wider significance of the case of Cuenca in the Historic Urban Landscape Discourse. Keywords: citizen participation, cultural mapping, urban development, management, urban heritage, environment, urban governance. 1. INTRODUCTION 1 Julia Rey-Pérez Higher Technical School of Architecture, University of Seville, Spain, [email protected] 2 Sebastián Astudillo Cordero Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, University of Cuenca, Ecuador, sebast[email protected] 3 María Eugenia Siguencia Ávila Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, University of Cuenca, Ecuador, marysiguencia[email protected] 2 Julia Rey Pérez, Sebastián Astudillo, M. Eugenia Siguencia The academy-driven project departed from two key situations. On one hand, the research line "Historic Urban Landscape" (HUL), launched in 2012 by the vlirCPM 4 research project at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of Universidad de Cuenca in Ecuador, was conducting studies based on the ongoing discussion about HUL around the world. On the other hand, a complementary research project was formulated and awarded funding in November 2014 by the Research Department of Universidad de Cuenca (DIUC). The entitled Reassessment of the Cultural and Natural Heritage of the city of Cuenca based on strategies for sustainable development supported by the Recommendation on Historic Urban Landscape will henceforth be called PUH_C (by its initials in Spanish) (DIUC, 2016; Rey-Pérez, Astudillo, Siguencia, Forero, & Auquilla, 2017). The aim of the project was to implement the Recommendation on HUL based on the six-step action plan proposed by UNESCO in its guidance document (UNESCO, 2011; Veldpaus & Pereira Roders, 2013). The Recommendation document defines the concept of HUL within articles 8 and 9. This notion was crucial at the beginning of the project so as to have a common understanding of HUL at the global level and its potential development in Cuenca. The backbone of the project is defined by three characteristics: 1) the concern for heritage in an integral and holistic way, where the study area consists of the whole city, 2) the commitment to work in a multidisciplinary environment with professionals eager to contribute, and 3) the citizen as the main protagonist of the research project. In this light, the objectives defined were the following: 1) evaluate the state of conservation of the city; 2) outline cultural heritage values beyond those identified in the nomination file of Cuenca as World Heritage Site (WHS); 3) identify the urban, architectural, touristic, landscape, economic, social and spatial impacts on the cultural heritage values; 4) Involve stakeholders, academics, and experts but especially citizens, for a collective value assessment, and; 5) draft a series of recommendations for the urban development of the city. This final goal intends to -based on heritage valuesprovide tools for decision-makers to define policies at the level of the Municipality of Cuenca. Among the different tools developed throughout the methodology, these recommendations collect detailed information from different homogeneous areas in the city to be further used in urban growth planning strategies, guidelines for contemporary interventions, or to prioritize budget investment assignment considering an ample range of assets and disciplines involved. According to the concept of HUL, the involvement of disciplines avoids previous approaches of heritage management in Cuenca that exclusively focused on buildings, and moves towards a holistic approach, even beyond the ensemble. For this reason, as part of the methodology, the data collected by plots were grouped in images of density spots and converted into raster images showing the areas of low and high-density concentrations. Thus, through ArcMap, over 20 information maps were overlaid and analysed to define, according to a series of characteristics, 14 units or study areas more or less homogeneous (Siguencia Ávila & Rey-Pérez, 2016; Rey-Perez & Siguencia Ávila, 2017). This study is, therefore, an innovative way of thinking, protecting, intervening and managing the WHS of Cuenca, harmonizing cultural values preservation with future urban growth. It consists of an involvement strategy of stakeholders from public bodies and institutions such as the Municipality of Cuenca and the INPC (National Institute of Cultural Heritage), driven and reinforced by academics (universities). This strategy allows trans-disciplinarity and trans-institutionality integration as well as an active participation of social actors, including those who inhabit the Historic City Centre. Undoubtedly, the adoption of the proposed HUL approach in the case of an intermediate city such as Cuenca can become a crucial step, since it would imply value-based future development of Management Planning guidelines for the whole city. 4 The vlirCPM research project “World Heritage City Preservation Management" is part of an Inter-University Cooperation Program between the University of Cuenca in Ecuador and the VLIR-IUC Flemish Universities (Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad) in Belgium. The specific counterpart is the RLICC (Raymond Lemaire International Center for Conservation) of the KU Leuven in Belgium. The HUL approach to create heritage management tools in the Latin American city of Cuenca-Ecuador 3 The highlights of the research process are presented below and its results aim to contribute to the commonly shared knowledge experiences for cities implementing the UNESCO Recommendation on HUL. Firstly, we will refer to the methodology adopted and how the different stages of this process correspond to the steps established by UNESCO for the implementation of the Recommendation. Then, we will go through the reflections and lessons learned, the social and academic implications, to finally display the current state and future directions of the project. 2. THE HUL APPROACH IN PRACTICE The relatively recent discussion around the concept of HUL, from its origins at the 2005 Vienna Memorandum and the UNESCO Recommendation in 2011, implies that there are relatively few case studies. These experiences are the result of initiatives to understand the Historic City Centre in its wider context and to involve different disciplines and stakeholders during the process. The reviewed bibliography shows several approaches for analysis which are taken as reference to adopt a methodology characterized by an important interdisciplinary component and by an active citizen participation (Anderson, 2010; Direction de L’Architecture et du Patrimoine, 2002; IAPH, 2016; Martini, 2013; Miglioni & Pini, 2012). The Historic City Centre of Cuenca, was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1999 based on criteria (ii), (iv) and (v). These criteria are closely linked to the Spanish urban planning outstanding implantation, the successful cultural fusion and the territorial landscape harmony of the city and its geographic location (UNESCO, 1999). The importance of these elements, already considered in the nomination file, support the recognition that the main attributes and values of Cuenca extend from its Historic City Centre and can work in a wider territory for the studies developed during the diagnosis phase for the application of the Recommendation on HUL. The methodology adopted for Cuenca (see Figure 1) has a first phase of Diagnosis and state-of-the-art, analysing the HUL in Cuenca from three scales of study, territorial, heritage and perception. Within the territorial, the following seven topics are involved: geomorphology, environment, normative, historiccartography, mobility, occupation density and land use. The heritage study covers four disciplines for analysis, anthropology, archaeology, economic activities and architectural typologies. Lastly, the perception studies, developed the two activities referred to, an historical-critical review of images and 16 citizen workshops in different areas of the city (Rey-Pérez & Astudillo, 2016). [Fig. 1 Methodology used for the implementation of the Recommendation on HUL in Cuenca – Ecuador. Source: Authors] The first phase demonstrated the possibility to match the results of the diagnosis with the first steps from the action plan proposed by UNESCO for the implementation of the Recommendation. The information obtained from the three scales of study mentioned in previous paragraphs enables identifying, through mapping, values and attributes of the HUL in Cuenca, corresponding to action plan step 1, mapping natural, cultural and human resources. Likewise, this information allowed the obtaining of relevant data for step 3, assessing vulnerability to change and development. Once all this information was ordered and synthesized, the process moved on to Phase II titled Identification of cultural values and attributes. The results obtained from the diagnosis were validated through a method used in sociology named "Sociopraxis", which is a participatory methodology based on the basic principles 4 Julia Rey Pérez, Sebastián Astudillo, M. Eugenia Siguencia of active listening, feedback 5 , reflection and joint action, framed in an integral, participatory, synergistic and continuous process. This process, which consisted of a participatory planning diagnostic workshop, took place during the “Visionary Conference” event where all stakeholders involved in the first phase, gathered to discuss and reach a consensual agreement on five thematic tables (design and built heritage, culture, environment, socioeconomic and regulations table). Experts in different disciplines, public heritage entities members, researchers, students and citizens from the previous sixteen workshops, were engaged on a two day-workshop which started with lectures from international experiences and was followed by group work and a general plenary supported by thematic maps and Multilemas 6 combined. This academy-driven process resembles step 2 from the Action Plan where reaching consensus on what to protect: values and attributes is the main goal. At the same time, through the construction of strong ideas in every thematic table, lines of action for future interventions in the city were delineated. These actions strongly contributed to achieving step 4 of the action plan which involves integrating the steps above in an urban development framework. The process of the Visionary Conference confronted the citizens, who are not always aware of the heritage character of the city, with technical information from specialists. After the plenary, the event concluded with a vote from all stakeholders on proposals that the Municipality should execute for a correct implementation of the Recommendation, following step 5 which proposes prioritizing actions for conservation and development. The following are among the most voted proposals: ! promoting the pedestrianization of the Historic City Centre, ! improving the quality of public transport, ! establishing comprehensive, inclusive, interdisciplinary, continually evaluated, updated and massively disseminated regulation, ! encouraging housing in the Historic City Centre, ! creation of policies for heritage education, ! revitalization of public spaces, ! construction of integrated environmental planning. Despite the fact that the objective of this phase is to identify what to protect between all the stakeholders, citizen participation was more extensive. In fact, it was possible to define actions for the development in Cuenca and even establish a prioritization of actions through voting. Through this process, it was possible to verify how the information obtained by the three groups of actors, in relation to the values and cultural attributes of the city, reinforced the criteria that inscribed Cuenca on the WHL, . Spanish urban planning, fusion cultures and landscape. And these ideas have been the ones that have marked the development guidelines of step 4 and 5. Finally, Phase 3 of the project, -identification of landscape units and elaboration of landscape files assessmentis intended to facilitate the management of information obtained in the previous phases. The information obtained from studies of phase 1 was adopted to identify and characterize homogeneous areas/units within the city (landscape units), and then to select two of them for specific analyses. The collection of all information by unit in a model data file designed as a monitoring tool will allow quick 5 The feedback is known as "Return of information" and consists of, once collected the information provided by citizens, this information is crossed with information from other areas or disciplines, to re-discuss this new information generated and validate it which consists of, once collected the information provided by citizens, this information is crossed with information from other areas or disciplines, to re-discuss this new information generated and validate it (Tenze, 2015). 6 It is a way of grouping the phrases to prepare the return, in this case, according to the positions that were collected on each theme of the workshops, placing them along the axes, and highlighting those phrases that best represent each positioning (Tenze, 2015). The HUL approach to create heritage management tools in the Latin American city of Cuenca-Ecuador 5 access to the data of each unit, which greatly facilitates the use of the information generated in the project. This file is not conceived as an end, but as an instrument to systematize cultural values and enhance heritage management in Cuenca. Applying in-depth studies to the whole city was not possible due to the project execution time and the human resources available, hence the idea of continuing with the implementation of the Recommendation but in a specific area. For this reason, based on the level of citizen participation during the 16 workshops and the Visionary Conference, the two units selected were San Francisco Square neighbourhood and Las Herrerías Street district (see Figure 2). [Fig. 2 Orthophoto of the location of the areas of study in Cuenca – Ecuador. Source: PUH_C research project, 2015] The management of urban heritage is a complex issue and demands tools, practices and instruments that, in addition to being constantly evolving, must adapt to local circumstances (WHITRAP & Ballarat, 2016). Throughout the methodology, special importance was given to one of four tools suggested in the Recommendation, Knowledge and planning. Meanwhile, the mapping during the diagnosis fulfilled the action plan steps 1 and 3. Community engagement tools were employed during the workshops and the Visionary Conference. These tools enabled the development of 2, 4 and 5 action plan steps for the implementation of the Recommendation. Despite the effort displayed during the execution of the project, the lack of continuity from the Municipality, as well as the scarce follow-up actions, constitutes the main risks. The Municipality, as the institution in charge of heritage management in Cuenca, should guarantee the application of the Recommendation and, in specific, the implementation of the required actions identified during the Visionary Conference as the result of the participatory process. Likewise, it would be more than appropriate to create a management document that combines the information regarding these actions together with the monitoring and regulation actions issued by UNESCO, since Cuenca is a site inscribed on the WHL. Therefore, Regulatory systems tools are fundamental to empower and encourage local management bodies for suitable decisionmaking methods. Likewise, it is the Municipality’s responsibility to use the fourth tool proposed by UNESCO -Financial- in order to implement step 6 of the action plan, establishing local partnerships and management frameworks. It is also up to the Municipality to define a working team within the internal structure so that the application of the Recommendation is not considered as a specific issue, but as a process to be adopted in the developing of the city of Cuenca itself. The PUH-C Project itself constitutes a good practices manual on how to implement the approach of the Recommendation on HUL, as it shows the process of applying the 6 steps suggested by UNESCO. The intention is that this document can serve as a guide to any institution or organisation that wants to implement the Recommendation in its city, neighbourhood or area. 3. LEARNING AND REFLECTIONS The development of the PUH_C research project together with previous experiences has been illustrated in the previous section. In this section, a subsequent phase where insights and lessons are extracted from the experience of each step is expanded on. The methodology established for the project was based on preceding practices and has taken the most relevant steps in order to achieve the critical six-step approach suggested in the preparatory documents of the Recommendation. However, during the study phases, series of problems arose in the course of decisions being gradually made in agreement with the different 6 Julia Rey Pérez, Sebastián Astudillo, M. Eugenia Siguencia participators. These conditions might be reflected in cities around the world, where similar issues are being faced; therefore, the way in which they have been solved in Cuenca can contribute to common knowledge. Within step 1 - throughout the three scale studies carried outit was possible to map data and consolidate a GIS database. This process required substantial time and human resources, which involved both desk and on-site work. For the interest of the methodology implemented, it was necessary to contrast and analyze different types of information. Most difficulties lie in the collection of data since there is a lack of integration between information from the local government, national institutions and the work established at the academy through research projects. The cause of this lies in the lack of interest and the insufficient background information in order to facilitate data analysis that, due to administrative procedures, delayed the planned schedule. Despite the relevance of data obtained from the Municipality, a failure to update also weakened the analysis since recent data could not be accurately compared. Therefore, there is a need to establish systematic checks on data accuracy as well as promoting initiatives to share information among institutions. By means of desk and on-site work, experts in several disciplines were required to submit a report after a training workshop session regarding the notion and application of HUL. The insights of this process are clearly visible in the reports of each expert since there is a clear link made between their own knowledge and the concepts discussed in the workshop. However, the results obtained among disciplines differ and they influence the time needed for the subsequent analysis. Due to the diversity in each field, in some cases it was easy to analyze the results; geography, for example, allowed an in-depth analysis and simplification of data, through a GIS file, as well as its combination with the existing architectural heritage databases. This is not the case for anthropology where a much more subjective reflection was completed but the possibilities for mapping these resources were scarce. Dissimilar circumstances should be considered at the beginning of the project, presented at the training sessions and clear objectives should be established as to optimize further data analysis in terms of time and available resources. The extension of the territory and areas of study stalled the on-site data mapping (see Figure 3, 4 and 5). Out of the 14 landscape units, 10 contain all the information projected in the planning, while the remaining ones have not been explored in terms of economy, architectural typology and heritage value assessment. Besides, the on-site surveys were only based on visual checks from the ground; this implies that relevant information may be missing. For example, identification of parking lots could have been complemented by the use of aerial resources to locate them at the centre of block buildings. [Fig. 3 San Francisco neighbourhood, an aerial view. This neighbourhood is located in the City Centre of Cuenca within the orthogonal urban pattern. Source: vlirCPM research project, 2015] [Fig. 4 San Francisco neighbourhood, the square. One of the most historically relevant public spaces in the city. Source: Sebastián Astudillo, 2015] [Fig. 5 Las Herrerías Street district, a view from El Herrero square. There is a clear relation between the public space and the houses fostering traditional gastronomy. Source: María Eugenia Siguencia, 2014] Following Step 2 and 3, in the Visionary Conference consensus was sought and the vulnerability was assessed in a participatory environment. For the development of this initiative, a key and at the same time difficult point was the prior announcement and the acceptance among people convened, especially community members. Although integration is perceived among stakeholders when assembled in workshops, trust is only verified when people show interest in active participation and continuous practices. From the three groups called, institutions, experts (Universities) and population, the lowest percentage was that of the institutions, limited to the Municipality. Innovative means for identifying social implications can guarantee a sustainable conservation and development in the city. These means should consider, as The HUL approach to create heritage management tools in the Latin American city of Cuenca-Ecuador 7 essential, education regarding civil commitment in schools, the appointment of representatives in the decision-making of the city and the recovery of citizen confidence in the role of politicians. After a significant amount of data was obtained both from the three-scaled studies and the consensus reached at the Visionary Conference, the next step involved the analysis and incorporation of the wideranging set of information into a file for every landscape unit in the city. This practice matches Step 4 in regards to integration of the three previous steps into an urban development framework. The main goal consisted of providing tools to governmental institutions to integrate and implement the results expected by the community in current management systems. Nevertheless, the research project results have not been provided to community or governmental entities. The major problematic detected is, therefore, the lack of follow-up on participatory processes, which requires improved effort from authorities when establishing management frameworks. The final point relates to the last two steps, Steps 5 and 6, the prioritization of actions for conservation and development as well as the establishment of local partnerships and management frameworks. Clearly, future opportunities seem to depict plenty of possibility to integrate the compiled data and update the existing information. The challenge lies in promoting a real collaborative commitment among implicated parts of the process. The main constraint faced at the end of the project has been the failure to execute any of the proposals suggested at the Visionary Conference as a protocol established during this event. This fact depicts the need for compliance of the parties as well as the importance of follow-up measures to promote the execution of the remaining signed resolutions. Following international experiences, a HUL observatory (GOHUL, 2016) should be connected to existing local government in charge of heritage management to receive and promote the accomplishment of proposed resolutions and a prioritized investment of financial resources. 4. PROJECT IMPACT. Social, governmental and research impact. In contrast to traditional notions of conservation, the notion of Historic Urban Landscape, as a way to approach heritage management, in the case of Cuenca depicts the evolution from narrow management processes towards integrated practices. It has incorporated and confronted diverse visions to reach consensus. A key component in the methodological process has been the input received from not only experts but also the locals. This implies a potential for further collaboration between the groups of stakeholders identified in the three following categories, the social, governmental and the academic group. The social implication entails the search for a sustainable accomplishment of development goals with a dynamic participation and a continuous growth of confidence. During the experience driven by the research group, different social groups were not only identified but in certain cases adapted from the workshops carried out in the preparation stage of the Visionary Conference. The case of the main square Parque Calderon is a clear example of the effort made to involve citizens in participatory processes. The strong presence of commercial land use in the vicinity of this square does not provide the space for living activities and therefore no community association exists in the area. However, the singular, traditional activity of reading the newspaper persists among retirees, who actively contributed in the workshop conducted by students in this particular zone. In general, during the partial workshops, several actors have been encouraged to understand heritage matters as part of their own identity, through activities challenging the identification of collective valued assets, threats perceived in their territory as well as notions to delimitate their area of influence (Rey-Pérez & Astudillo, 2016). During the process of the workshops, participants were asked about those elements of their city that could not disappear, because, if these elements were not present, they would stop identifying with their city. The attributes mentioned were gastronomy, city squares, the sound of the rivers and the perspective of the 8 Julia Rey Pérez, Sebastián Astudillo, M. Eugenia Siguencia mountains, as well as the valuation of assets outside of the declared heritage area (streets, parks, houses …) (J. Rey Pérez & González Martínez, 2017, 109). They were also asked about those elements that should disappear so that their city remains a place to live with a high quality of life, and they identified threats such as public safety, pollution and hygiene, which could endanger the construction of identity and the authenticity of the city (J. Rey Pérez & González Martínez, 2017, 109).Then, during the Visionary Conference, awareness about not only cultural and heritage matters but also several fields such as nature, regulation, archaeology and economy, have been raised. These processes hold insights for initiatives for education through workshops developed with the community, students and experts who were embedded in the system for understanding and conducting actions for heritage conservation. The bond created through the academy and with the collaboration of experts raises an increasing interest from local government entities to include a broader vision for heritage conservation considering landscape management. The generation of spaces like workshops supports the understanding and the creation of a common work framework among the three groups mentioned. The government plays a substantial role since they are responsible for short and long-term cultural and development management and should, therefore, be involved in measuring the impact that specific proposals may have on the significance of cultural heritage assets (Tarrafa Silva & Pereira Roders, 2012). The understanding of the HUL approach through multiple perspectives in the context of Cuenca depicts the feasibility for the implementation of the Recommendation. Protecting and safeguarding the continuity of the most significant heritage attributes is critical. However, finding ways to address development needs and potentials in a way that is compatible with the heritage is equally important in the HUL approach (Hosagrahar, 2015). The methodology presented for the research project allowed, through academic exploration, the compiling of tools and instruments adapted to the local context. Digital and non-digital technologies were used to tailor every step and, depending on the availability of resources from different studies and the empowerment of groups of stakeholders, this combined work has consequently resulted in a strong academic impact. The main outcome lies in the diversity of the assets obtained from mapping in different fields and the relation of the information within the assorted groups of stakeholders. The creation of a GIS database with all of the information is the first step in the construction of relevant data with the possibility to make it available for the local community in the future. This is remarkable practice that should be considered so as to improve other experiences, since information that makes up the GIS database should be strengthened, via multiple expert disciplines, and consensual among stakeholders. The results of this consensual practice are published by the Research Center of the Faculty of Architecture CINA in the proceedings of the Visionary Conference, a document financed by the Faculty of Architecture of Universidad de Cuenca, acknowledging the joint work demonstrated during the event. 500 copies were distributed among the participants in the event, government participants, academics and the main representatives of community groups (Cuenca, 2015). Besides the local results, the research project has been presented at national and international Conferences (Rey-Pérez & Auquilla, 2015; UNESCO, 2015a, 2015b), as well as the main results structured in articles submitted to scientific journals (J. Rey Pérez & González Martínez, 2017; Rey-Perez & Siguencia Ávila, 2017; Siguencia Avila & Rey Pérez, 2016). Last but not least, at the international level, Cuenca has been placed on the list of pilot cities implementing the HUL notion, an initiative of the World Heritage Institute of Training and Research for the Asia and the Pacific Region WHITRAP (WHITRAP, n.d.). In addition, in the framework of the Global Observatory on the Historic Urban Landscape (GOHUL, 2016), Cuenca is one of the practice cases presented in an international network, sharing experiences and improving methodologies in a collective way. This collaboration has had a big impact on the diffusion of the project and funds have been assigned for a publication funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science The HUL approach to create heritage management tools in the Latin American city of Cuenca-Ecuador 9 of the Netherlands (in trust with UNESCO) and the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism at Universidad de Cuenca (FAUC) (Rey-Pérez et al., 2017). 5. CURRENT STATE AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS The application of the HUL approach suggests the inclusion of multiple aspects in the area of conservation and heritage management of historic centres and/or sites where assets and practices of high cultural significance are registered. The Recommendation on Historic Urban Landscapes issued in 2011 has been the stimulus for the application of concepts defined within the document approved in Paris. The challenge for cities immersed in extreme urban development processes is to recognize valuable elements worth preserving and integrate them harmoniously into urban and territorial planning. It is a way of planning the heritage city, considering both values and the global pressures to which it is subjected. Cities around the world, including Cuenca, try to outline their own models to implement the Recommendation, in order to suit their contexts and particularities. The study in Cuenca is an attempt to understand the complexity, on the one hand, of the historic background by which the city has been recognized as World Heritage, and on the other hand, the current circumstances outlining the future. In Cuenca, heritage management traces back to the 1970s, recognizing that conservation efforts have resulted in a number of protection, control and management tools. However, they are focused on purely object, material and aesthetic protection, recognized in care of built goods. The process developed highlights the need for strategies that exceed the existing level of protection and that integrate different disciplines and actors in the conservation and planning of the city. From this, a series of tools and strategies are suggested that allow the current diagnosis, and also suggest actions, for the proper management of the historic centre, linked to its extensive territory and under the vision of multiple actors and experts from various disciplines. This will deliver guidelines of application of the Recommendation, to both the Academy and to the management entities, which reinforce and give continuity and validity to the work undertaken in the quest to preserve the heritage of Cuenca. In the academic field, the results show a very close relationship between the criteria for which Cuenca was inscribed in the World Heritage List and the values identified through citizen participation. The applied methodology collects information not only from the field of architecture and urbanism but also from the interdisciplinary work and from the community. Integrating these diverse voices was one of the biggest challenges that had to be faced but at the same time one of the most important results of the process. Contributions from the fields of geology, biology, economics, archeology and anthropology, added with the architectural-urban vision, have provided a significant contribution to the understanding of the link between their expertise and the conservation of the heritage of the city, putting on the table the need to develop a good practices manual at territorial level as a key to understand the heritage issue from a holistic perspective. Citizen participation facilitated the identification of tangible and intangible heritage, which is not necessarily part of the current heritage system, recognizing representative symbols and observation points that have been considered as characteristics - natural and intangible - that strengthen the sense of ownership and the identity of the city. Citizen workshops were able to involve experts, technicians, neighbours, students, etc., in the heritage management system, but also met the goal of disseminating knowledge and educating citizens. The formation of a heritage information system (GIS) with all the alphanumeric and geospatial information generated, which must be articulated and complemented with the existing one, is a first step in making the information accessible and diffusing it, laying the foundations for urban development in the city.