VIRTUAL: Livable Cities – New York

Abstract

Heritage has become a commonplace when talking about preserving a collective history in cities, more so if we focus on distinguishing classifications mainly at a human scale. Therefore we face the following dichotomy: preserve or demolish. Demolition makes way to new typologies and through them, come new inhabitants and uses. Preservation allows people to keep certain elements the way they were, however this does not guarantee the survival of former dynamics in the future. In fact, it creates gentrified neighborhoods where its original inhabitants are pushed out and become tourist-focused urban centers. Enter touristification. This research aims to review Latin-American historical centers, focusing on cases where gentrification has clearly taken over urban/built heritage and creating new ways to sell the notion of History. For this study, data was lifted from three different historic centers, taking into consideration constructive features, antiquity and said centers’ deteriorative state. The proposed goal is to create a Gentrification Index of Historical Centers through the collected data. It is observed that the most run-down centers are those that present greater levels of gentrification, which in turn means a greater concentration of tourists throughout the year.