Journal Article

The coloniality of UNESCO’s heritage urban landscapes

Hayes, Matthew

2020

Overview

The article analyses heritage conservation and urban upgrading in Cuenca, Ecuador, in order to reflect on global inequality and rights to the city at the crossroads of transnational lifestyle mobilities and the globalisation of real estate markets. Processes of gentrification in Cuenca reproduce colonial social relations and marginalise the popular economic activities of informal vendors. Under the auspices of UNESCO World Heritage designation, the Inter-American Development Bank and successive municipal governments have sought to increase property values in the historic El Centro neighbourhood. Rather than relying on a local middle-class return to the city, heritage urban upgrading in Cuenca is dependent on higher-income global middle classes attracted to the city’s historic urbanism. The subsequent higher-income appropriation of urban improvements takes the form of dispossession of use and exchange values of lower-income groups, especially of informal vendors. 本文对厄瓜多尔昆卡 (Cuenca) 的遗产保护和城市升级进行了分析，以反思处于跨国生活方式流动和房地产市场全球化十字路口的全球不平等和城市权利。昆卡的绅士化过程再现了殖民社会关系，并排斥了非正规商贩的大众经济活动。挟联合国教科文组织世界遗产指定之威，美洲开发银行和历届市政府都在努力提高埃尔森托 (El Centro) 历史街区的物业价格。昆卡的文化遗产城市升级不依赖当地中产阶级回归城市，而是依赖被这座城市的历史遗产城市化吸引的全球高收入中产阶级。随后，高收入阶层对城市改造成果的攫取所采取的方式是剥夺低收入群体，特别是非正规商贩的使用和交换价值。

• Publisher: Sage Publications, Ltd,SAGE Publications,Sage Publications Ltd
• Subject: Appropriation / Cities / Colonialism / Cultural heritage / Cultural property / Economic activity / Gentrification / Globalization / Historic buildings & sites / Historic preservation / Historic sites / Income / Inequality / Interpersonal relations / Landscape / Local government / Low income groups / Middle class / Neighborhoods / Property values / Real estate / Social exclusion / Social relations / Special issue article: Transnational gentrification / Transnationalism / Urban areas / Urban environments / Urban renewal / Urbanism / Vendors