Ensamblaje e intervención del espacio en zonas patrimoniales: un estudio de caso de la Plaza de San Francisco, Cuenca -Ecuador

Abstract

The Theory of the Network Actor proposes to understand reality as a coproduction of the human and non-human, where an assembly process takes place, because reality is being assembled through heterogeneous networks. We intend to use this perspective taking as a case study the Plaza San Francisco, which is located in a heritage area of Cuenca and is characterized by being a commercial space. Before the intervention carried out by the municipality in 2019, an assembly process took place where the physical materiality and distribution of space made possible a gear around popular commerce for approximately 50 years. However, when executing the intervention project, there is a reassembly because all the materiality was transformed, which implies a change in social reality. Thus, in this research we analyze the socio-material assembly process in the intervention process. The study is based on a qualitative methodological design, based on the review of documents about the project, and an information gathering through non-participant observation and interviews. In which it was found that the material elements were determining factors at the time of establishing the new design of the square, this is how the intervention revolved around giving the space a patrimonial character, where commerce was put in the background, what triggered that at the time of intervening the space generates results in reality that had not been expected