Andean Cultural Landscapes in Danger: The never-ending battle between developmentalism and heritage conservation in the Cusco Region

Abstract

The Chinchero International Airport, set to become Peru's second-largest airport, will directly connect Chinchero and the Cusco to major American cities. This unique cultural and ecological region was once the capital of the Incan Empire and is now recognized as Peru's tourism capital. The thesis explores how tourism has driven explosive informal and illegal urbanization and analyzes how this economy has influenced the Peruvian government's decision to develop aerial infrastructure to promote decentralization and regional economic growth. The research explores the detrimental effects of the airport on the social and ecological systems of Chinchero, raising questions about how the inadequate development of the airport's surrounding area could further exacerbate the challenging living conditions of the local communities. It will propose an urban and landscape design intervention to create an alternate passive economy, channeling the massive influxes of capital from tourism, addressing and revindicating the spatial, socioeconomic, and racial exclusion these communities face.