Gentrificación transnacional en el área patrimonial de Cuenca (Ecuador): percepción de su población

The research addresses a recurring urban phenomenon in historic Latin American cities: their material and symbolic reconfiguration with the purpose of preserving heritage and promoting tourism, with the aim of dimensioning this transformation and analyzing the perception of population involved. The heritage area of Cuenca in Ecuador is chosen as the field of study, a representative case for its successful urban marketing campaign deployed since its declaration as Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 1999, which led to it achieving important international tourism rankings, especially among foreign retirees. The urban transformation process is analyzed, including its effects on certain groups and the perception of the population, through the study of regeneration projects implemented from 1999 to 2019 and the application of a survey to four segments. It is verified that the reconfiguration has been significant and has caused negative effects such as excessive indebtedness, displacement of vulnerable groups and struggle for public space, mainly next to popular markets. Finally, it is argued that this phenomenon finds a favorable context for its implementation in historical exclusion of the indigenous and popular, common in the region.