ABSTRACT:The rehabilitation of heritage sites, as well as the implementation of monitoring and control strategies is fundamental for its conservation. In the case of Cuenca, a World Heritage City, a maintenance campaign in the traditional neighborhood of San Roque was carried out in 2014. The objective was to undertake maintenance actions on roofs and façades as well as on elements at risk. The campaign process was developed keeping in mind the cycle or phases of preventive conservation: anamnesis, diagnosis, therapy and control (ICOMOS, 2003). At the end of the maintenance campaign an impact assessment was undertaken and monitoring tools were handed out to the community in order to strengthen the citizen participation in the preservation of built heritage. The experience of the maintenance campaign unveiled a series of lessons that have been evaluated in the present investigation, being the main objective the strengthening of the processes of governance and documentation through the formulation of strategies inherent to the maintenance of heritage buildings. In this process it is shown that the participation of citizens is a strategic factor for the sustainable development of maintenance campaigns, which allow for the preservation of historical sites for future generations.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present tools to support the preventive conservation of heritage buildings as part of the results of the vlirCPM research project. The tools presented are inventory systems, damage registration system, monitoring and control system, which include preventive conservation manuals and maintenance booklets. Design/methodology/approach The methodology proposes the design of tools that support the preventive conservation of heritage buildings, which have been designed, tested and applied in the south of Ecuador through the use of maintenance campaigns in rural and urban areas. Findings The project developed and tested some important analysis methodologies that are now part of the research and documentation activities of the monuments of Cuenca, which have been addressed in this paper, such as the damage registration system of heritage buildings (SISREDA), the monitoring and control system, the preventive conservation manuals, the maintenance booklets and its application in the maintenance campaigns. Originality/value The city of Cuenca, recognized as Cultural Heritage of Humanity (UNESCO, 1999), has a wealth of heritage buildings which are susceptible to several threats that cause its deterioration. The vlirCPM (World Heritage City) research project of the faculty of architecture of the University of Cuenca has contributed to the development of tools to improve the management of world heritage sites in southern Ecuador. These tools are the result of ten years of research.

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> The Latin-American cities declared by UNESCO World Heritage Sites display a problem of generalized deterioration of its vernacular or environmental architecture due to, among others, a lack of maintenance. This is aggravated by the existing legal vacuum in planning for its historical centers, resulting in irreversible losses in their heritage buildings. It is proposed to involve the community in the maintenance interventions to counteract the lack of maintenance and at the same time contribute to improve the level of livability and to create a collective awareness in the community about the care of its heritage. To achieve this goal, the university of Cuenca, has implemented the so-called “maintenance campaigns”, through which the preventive conservation phases proposed by ICOMOS (2003) are supported methodologically from a perspective that combines varied techniques (quantitative, qualitative), giving priority to operational workshops and collective construction of knowledge and action. The experience in the traditional ‘Las Herrerías’ street (case study), evidenced in a short period of time an improvement of the physical conditions of the buildings and of the quality of life of its residents, and furthermore motivated the long-term activation of comprehensive and inclusive conservation processes that lead to the valuation and preservation of heritage by all involved. The participation of the community in the whole process through a “minga” of multiple actors guarantees a successful intervention. This initiative could be successfully adapted to other heritage sites of similar characteristics. </p>

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Resumen n el cantón Oña, existe una considerable diversidad de pigmentos minerales, conocidos como "tierras de colores", con los cuales se puede preparar pinturas de manera artesanal. Esta investigación presenta los resultados de la primera etapa del proyecto "Tierras de Colores" que tiene como objetivo principal contribuir al conocimiento de producción, aplicación y uso de las pinturas de tierra en el Azuay, tanto para la conservación del patrimonio como para su aplicación en arquitectura contemporánea. Para cumplir este objetivo se recogieron los testimonios de personas y constructores que utilizan la tierra en forma empírica para la preparación de pintura artesanal, rescatando materiales y técnicas tradicionales. La identificación de las tonalidades presentes en la arquitectura de Oña y Susudel, se realizó a través de prospecciones en una muestra estratégica, obteniendo una paleta de colores históricos correspondientes a muros de las edificaciones patrimoniales. La investigación propone además, un proceso de emprendimiento territorial que permita tener una incidencia directa en los sectores que históricamente han estado vinculados productivamente con el uso de la tierra y que de manera inherente permita articularse con otras actividades económicas del territorio.Palabras clave: desarrollo territorial, emprendimientos culturales, Oña, pigmentos minerales, pintura artesanal, tierras de colores. Abstract:In the canton of Oña exist a considerable diversity of mineral pigments, known as "earth pigments ", with which paints can be made in an artisan way. This research presents the results of the first stage of the "earth pigments" project, whose main objective is to contribute to the knowledge of the production, application and use of earth-based paints in the province of Azuay, for its application in the conservation of heritage as well as in contemporary architecture. To fulfill this objective, testimonies were collected of people and building contractors who use soils in an empirical way for the preparation of artisan paint, and thereby rescuing traditional materials and techniques. The identification of the tones present in the architecture of Oña and Susudel was carried out through the prospecting of a strategicsample, obtaining a palette of historical colors corresponding to the walls of its heritage buildings. This research furthermore proposes a process of territorial entrepreneurship that will have a direct impact on the sectors that historically have been interconnected productively with the use of its soils and that can be linked inherently with other economic activities of the region.