Intervening in the architectural heritage towards its universal accessibility

Challenges in assets with cultural functions in Mar del Plata

Abstract

Accessibility to architectural and urban heritage, understood within the framework of Human Rights, constitutes a field where material interventions are of singular importance to promote the enjoyment of goods by the entire society. In this sense, those affected with cultural functions, particularly heritage buildings that emerged in other social and technological times, usually require specific modifications to achieve universal access. Therefore, it is interesting to reflect on the challenges that this type of legacies present in Mar del Plata. In this dynamic coastal city, the definitions adopted at the intersection of heritage and accessibility exhibit tensions that require analysis. Through a mainly qualitative research, with the contribution of linked primary and secondary sources, this article investigates the interrelationship raised to recognize problems, reflect on their causes and, thus, begin to enable responses to optimize the treatment of accessibility to the local goods with cultural uses. In this way, they hope to illuminate new paths in the Mar del Plata framework and, in parallel, in other cities with similar unresolved conflicts.