🗺️ Mapping Workshop: A multidisciplinary encounter that sparked dialogue between hospitality & tourism and architecture & urbanism 🗺️✨

Last week, a mapping and data collection workshop brought together students from Hospitality and Tourism and Architecture and Urbanism, guided by professors Gabriela García and Freddy Espinoza. The activity was part of the project “Balance Between Tourism and Heritage: Glocal Indicators for Urban Sustainability in Cuenca’s Historic Center,” carried out by PREIT-tour and Ciudad Patrimonio Mundial 🌍📊.

The session blended mixed groups from both disciplines, creating a truly multidisciplinary working environment 🤝✨. While students began by sharing quantitative data collected during the November 2024 holiday, they quickly moved further, diving into discussions on cartographic, social, and perceptual contexts, which are essential for deeper urban interpretation.

Together, they sketched and analyzed various representations of issues related to tourism and cultural heritage in Cuenca’s Historic Center. The maps became starting points for meaningful and, at times, eye-opening conversations 🗣️💬.

The combination of perspectives—from a tourism lens to an urban design viewpoint—made the workshop an enriching experience. Discussions flowed naturally and sparked valuable learning, showing how strong ideas emerge when disciplines interact and complement each other ✨🎓.

Without a doubt, it was a day that ignited new ideas, strengthened critical thinking, and added fresh insights into the challenges surrounding tourism and heritage conservation in the city 💡🏛️.

Photos: F. Espinoza