Old Cities, New Assets: Preserving Latin America's Urban Heritage (Inter-American Development Bank)

In the short span of 50 years, starting with the founding of Santo Domingo at the end of the 15th century, the Spanish and Portuguese conquistadors established most of the cities that today are the cornerstone of urban Latin America. The monuments, buildings and plazas that make up this vast urban heritage continue to define the region's cultural identity and constitute a valuable asset for socioeconomic development.

Old Cities, New Assets explores ways to bring private investors, developers and urban residents into the preservation process, which is beyond the scope of government alone. Complete with photographs, maps and diagrams, the book describes the different approaches being used to involve these various stakeholders, including interventions by public and private stakeholders in Cartagena, Colombia; operation of a mixed-capital corporation in Quito, Ecuador; and a government-promoted private investment program in Recife, Brazil.

The experiences of these three historic Latin American cities provide significant clues about conditions that attract investment, and show why sustained private involvement is the key to furthering heritage preservation in the region.

Eduardo Rojas is an architect and the Principal Urban Development Specialist with the IDB.