On 27 and 28 May, the former convent of Santo Domingo will host a new day of debate and reflection promoted by the Economic and Social Forum of La Laguna, in collaboration with the CICOP Foundation, which will focus on the role of heritage in historic cities, addressing the tensions between the conservation of the historic legacy and the needs of urban transformation.
This seminar proposes a critical reflection on the role of heritage in cities, addressing the tensions between the conservation of the historical legacy and the needs of urban transformation. The event is free to attend, with prior registration at www.cicop.com until the capacity of 120 people is reached. It can also be followed live on the city council’s website: www.aytolalaguna.es.
The mayor of the municipality and president of the Economic and Social Forum, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, stressed that ‘La Laguna has become an international benchmark in the management of its historic centre and its cultural legacy, and with this conference we continue to reinforce our commitment to knowledge, critical thinking and interdisciplinary dialogue as tools for planning the future’.
The mayor added that ‘it is essential to open up this type of space, where academia, institutions and citizens converge around a shared vision of what we must conserve’.
For his part, the technical director of the FES, Jordi Bercedo, stresses that ‘the programme of this second edition represents a qualitative leap in the way we understand our urban and symbolic legacy, not only as something that is maintained, but also as something that is inhabited, interpreted and transformed. We have brought together very relevant voices to propose an open and contemporary view of heritage’.
A high-level international programme:
The first day will begin on Tuesday 27 May and will focus on the restoration of historic spaces and the revaluation of landscape in current regulatory frameworks. At 17:00 the opening ceremony will be held by Mayor Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, followed by the intervention of architect and sociologist Karsen Feucht (Berlin Centre for Industrial Heritage), who will address the challenges between conservation and reuse of culturally valuable built environments.
Next, the architect Roberto Terradas Muntañola, a key figure in the recovery of the Barcelona Shipyards and executive president of the Salle Cátedra Barcelona, will speak about the processes of intervention in the 20th century. Finally, to close the day, the Ecuadorian jurist Joaquín Moscoso Novillo, Director of Culture of the Prefecture of Azuay, will give a talk on territorial planning and conservation policies.
The seminar will continue on Wednesday 28 May with a focus on the social and economic dynamics of historic urban environments. Professor Johan Swinnen, professor at the Sorbonne-Paris III and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, will open the seminar with a talk on Inhabiting the Legacy. He will be followed by the architect Carmen Chacón Guerrero, head of the Cordoba Town Planning Department, with a reflection on historic centres as nodes of cultural and economic activity.
The last intervention will be given by the geographer Jesús Hernández Hernández, former director of the Geography Department of the University of La Laguna, who will analyse the role of tourism in the configuration of the city. Finally, the conference will be brought to a close by the president of the CICOP Foundation, Francisco Aznar Vallejo, and the vice-president of the Economic and Social Forum, Josefina Suárez Paz.
These meetings are open to professionals, students, researchers, cultural managers and anyone interested in the processes of reinterpretation and sustainability of urban and cultural heritage.