Architectural heritage as a source for development. The need for indicators to recognize its contribution

Abstract

The international cooperation for development has been reducing inequalities between individuals and peoples for five decades. In this context, the architectural heritage has a great potential for the development of communities. However, cooperation projects related to architectural heritage present sometimes a problem, which is the evaluation of their results, because, in many cases, the degree in which the objectives have been achieved is hard to assess. This handicap contributes significantly to question the effectiveness of this type of projects over others. This difficulty in assessment is due to the lack of indicators that should quantify how the intervention contributes to the development and promotes economic growth but also helping individuals and communities to expand their life choices and adapt to change. In short, to demonstrate how the architectural heritage is integrated into the sustainable human development.