The Future of the Past: Paths Towards Participatory Governance for Cultural Heritage

The Future of the Past is a biennial conference generally carried out during the commemoration date of the incorporation of Santa Ana de Los Ríos de Cuenca Ecuador as a World Heritage Site (WHS). It initiated in 2014, organized by the City Preservation Management research project (CPM) of the University of Cuenca, to create a space for dialoguing among interested actors in the cultural heritage field. Since then, this space has served to exchange initiatives and to promote coordinated actions based on shared responsibility, in the local context. The third edition of this conference took place in the context of the 20th anniversary of being listed as WHS and a decade of CPM as the Southern host of the PRECOM³OS UNESCO Chair (Preventive Conservation, Maintenance and Monitoring of Monuments and Sites). For the very first time, and thanks to the collaboration with the Raymond Lemaire International Centre for Conservation of the University of Leuven (Belgium), the conference expanded its local scope. On this occasion, contributions reflected round a worldwide challenge in the cultural field: revealing the paths towards participatory governance of cultural heritage. Participatory governance is understood as institutional decision-making structures supported by shared responsibilities and rights among diverse actors.

Dr. Gabriela Garcia in Civil Engineering by the KU Leuven 2018. Architect by Universidad de Cuenca in 2008, she obtained her Master's degree in Education from Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Ecuador in 2011, and the same year, developed her postgrad studies on Cultural Heritage Management by Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina. She works in close collaboration with Raymond Lemaire International as a researcher of international projects funded by European organizations. Her research interests and publications lie in the field of architectural heritage management and vernacular architecture.

Dr. Aziliz Vandesande obtained her post-initial Master in Science of Conservation of Monuments and Sites in 2012 at the KU Leuven. She assisted in the development of a Risk Assessment methodology in collaboration with the UNESCO office in Amman (Jordan). In 2017, following 4 years of research on preventive conservation for built heritage, she obtained her degree of Doctor in Civil Engineering. At present, Aziliz is the Scientific Coordinator of the H2020 project ILUCIDARE and is involved in several other international research and development projects. She coordinates the course "Documentation techniques for built heritage" at the KU Leuven, presented her results at different international conferences, and published several articles and co-edited books on built heritage.

Dr. Fausto Cardoso in Restoration of Monuments and Sites from the University of Rome; Architect from the University of Cuenca. At present, he works as Professor at the Facultad de Arquitectura de la Universidad de Cuenca and Director of the World Heritage City Preservation research project since 2007. His research activity boosts the Preventive Conservation of built heritage. He has actively participated in international academic events in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Member of the PRO TERRA, ICOMOS, and PRECOMOS network. He has worked with communities in the southern region of Ecuador in the recovery of earthen heritage, developing, in conjunction with his team of researchers, the Collaborative Model of the Maintenance Campaigns in favor of the vernacular architecture in urban and rural areas.

Dr. Koen Van Balen holds the UNESCO chair on Preventive Conservation, Monitoring and Maintenance and is an renowned expert in technical aspects of conservation and their embedment in conservation philosophy and practice. He is also member of various national and international organizations and scientific committees in the field of conservation. He coordinates the course "Building Materials and Conservation Techniques" of the Master of Conservation of Monuments and Sites at the Raymond Lemaire International Centre for Conservation at the KU Leuven.