Experiences of Social Participation in the Recovery of Vernacular Heritage in Southern Ecuador

A significant evolution in social participation and technical approaches was observed in the recovery of vernacular heritage in southern Ecuador between 2011 and 2018. The study, conducted by Tenze et al., demonstrated that proactive community involvement, through participatory methodologies, led to more structured and effective conservation solutions compared to earlier intuitive processes. This shift was evident across four preventive conservation experiences in Susudel and Cuenca, where communities were engaged in decision-making and problem-solving throughout the interventions. The research highlights the importance of sustained collaboration between academic institutions (University of Cuenca and KU Leuven) and local stakeholders in preserving built cultural assets, particularly those constructed with earth-based materials like adobe or bahareque.

Tenze, A., Cardoso, F., & Achig, M. C. (2020). EXPERIENCES OF SOCIAL PARTICIPATION IN THE RECOVERY OF VERNACULAR HERITAGE IN SOUTHERN ECUADOR. The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, XLIV-M-1-2020, 603–610. https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-xliv-m-1-2020-603-2020