Multicriteria analysis of the landscape as cultural heritage: sustainability and influence on the city of Cuenca-Ecuador

Abstract

Introduction. Around the world there are places that are characterized or identified by their landscapes, among other attributes. However, over the years, certain sectors of the population have shown little interest or knowledge of the importance of landscape for the development of a community, town, or city, as well as the impact that it could have on society if effectively managed. There are many cities that have transformed their economy through tourism, both landscape and heritage, hence the need to maintain the integrity of iconic and emblematic places in the city of Cuenca. Objective. This study establishes the importance of the concept of landscape and its influence on the sustainability of tourism in Cuenca society. Objective. Establish the importance of the concept of landscape and its influence on the sustainability of tourism in Cuenca's society. Methodology. The research is of a documentary and descriptive type, based on a detailed systematic reading of articles, doctoral theses and management manuals published in the last 10 years that allow the establishment of clear concepts on landscape, sustainability, and cultural heritage; after the bibliographic review, surveys and interviews are applied to obtain the perception of the society of Cuenca and the relationship between landscape, cultural heritage and its management. In the case of the interview, it is conducted with experts from different branches or areas of expertise, who have or have had a link and relationship with the subject, from different approaches, which allows us to determine the degree of influence on society. Subsequently, surveys are applied to residents of the Barranco area, an emblematic place in the city. Results. In the first stage, a few 127 bibliographic sources were handled, of which more than 50% present similarity in concepts and terms; as for the experts' judgement, five (5) professionals from different branches were interviewed, whose perception is the existence of limiting regulations, the need for more interdisciplinary work, or simply the non-existence of adequate regulations regarding landscape interventions and heritage management. The results of the surveys show that 90% of the respondents believe that the influence of the landscape focuses on the growth of tourism and therefore economic growth, on the other hand only 10% believe that it improves social welfare and security. Conclusion. The study determines the imperative need for a public policy, together with regulations that allow an orderly territorial planning to preserve the cultural heritage of the city, and that allows a sustainable architectural development of the city, working in an integral and interdisciplinary way with the direct and indirect actors, to maintain and disseminate the preservation of the landscape of Cuenca in a sustainable way.