Thinking heritage places in Latin America: frameworks and reflections on historic urban areas

Abstract

Theories and ideas about built heritage produced in Latin America and the Caribbean are rich and revealing. This article lays out and compares the most relevant authors and works to critically appraise them and their influence. By reviewing the literature on theories within the region, as well as practical cases across the continent, three main frameworks are discussed and compared: positivist frameworks (i.e. planning and valorisation), critical theories and imaginaries. The type of heritage researched is built heritage, specifically historic urban areas as they have been extensively studied, and disputed, across the region. Some ground-level practices are also exposed, as they reveal gaps and dissonances among urban planning laws, conservation rules, heritage-based tourism development and the social usage of heritage. The conclusions reveal an extent of common ground among these three different streams of thought, albeit only a few of their ideas are echoed in development plans; so good practices are still hard to find in the region.