The Norms of Quito: About the Preservation of Historic Centers in the Face of the Impoverishment of Cities

Abstract

"Las Normas de Quito" is a document prepared with a content of guidelines in the international field where a series of multiple considerations related basically to recommendations aimed at the protection and conservation of urban heritage are developed. The geographical area focused on is the context of Latin America, which has collections that are too vulnerable and exposed to accelerated deterioration due to the prevailing social and economic conditions in the region. This is, so to speak, a call for awareness of a joint participation between different sectors involved. The main purpose of this consensus between different countries of the region with a common interest is to gather and expose criteria for the preservation of cultural elements and especially architectural representations that stand out for their special historical characteristics, as well as for their combination with the remarkable natural conditions of its surroundings in the direction of an objective in combination of these spaces in use as tourist attractions and residential use. This text is likewise a conciliatory effort with the productive private sectors of service providers and the social sector of these cities that interact. At the time, "Las Normas de Quito" articulated an original instrument to link different international organizations with the participation of Spain in the aforementioned legal measures and technical measures. In its conclusions, a decision of Historical Centers and a brief diagnosis of the conditions of the historical heritage of Latin America are formulated, ending with a call for a policy of integral conservation of the historical centers.