The Studio and Cusco, Peru

Map of Cusco

This fall 2008, a team of students led by Professor Miriam Chion traveled to Cusco, Peru to address the development challenges of the city. We are in the process of producing a final report outlining and analyzing what we experienced there to help guide the efforts of future development.

As the former capital of the Incan Empire, Cusco carries major historical significance for the local population as well as international visitors. The increasing volume of tourists worldwide and Machu Picchu’s recent designation as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World has only increased the volume of tourist activity. This tourist activity has created economic and social pressures for local residents. The studio focused on the San Blas historic neighborhood, renown for its artists and crafts people. This neighborhood is comprised of diverse activities. Old time residents live in their traditional houses, new residents from Lima or other countries build new housing, traditional artists produce paintings and sculptures, gays open bars and clubs, tourists walk around and search for entertainment, grocery stores add souvenirs to their shops, and churches recreate their religious festivities.

The purpose of the studio was to understand how the various urban actors negotiate the use of space for their diverse activities, and how local governments address this diversity and the global pressures of tourism. The studio has served and continues to serve as a creative and safe space to challenge our thinking and explore new tools to address development. We as the studio team have contributed on many levels: academically, emotionally, physically and financially, and it is these intense efforts and contributions that define our work within the studio.