Casco Viejo, Panama
Every year, Travel and Leisure Magazine analyzes and recognizes through their Global Vision Awards companies around the world that are making significant change through their responsible practice or their innovative ideas regarding preservation and sustainability.
This year, the panel of judges included people like Bonnie Burnham, President and CEO of the World`s Monument Fund and Dr. Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Prize winning economist and co chair of Columbia University`s Committee on Global Thought.
It was an honor for Casco Viejo developer Conservatorio S.A. to be nominated for this award and even more to win under the category of Preservation, Urban Renewal. This is what Kate Stohr and Cameron Sinclair, Founders of Architecture for Humanity, had to say about Conservatorio`s work in Panama`s historic district: “Conservatorio’s approach—using tourism to revitalize an inner-city historic district—is so rarely done and so often needed.”
Since 2005, Conservatorio`s vision for an eclectic, vibrant and mixed Casco Viejo hasn´t changed, as a matter of fact, it has only deepened. Since then, they`ve developed not only high end luxury historic buildings, but also low income housing and even a community center that today hosts NGO`s that do outstanding work in rescuing the social fiber of the historic town. Has built not only hotels, but also helped create training programs in order to employ people from the area to grow as opportunities open. From the technical details of restoring 300 year old stone walls to the delicate work of helping re socialize gangs and provide space for business incubators, they take the grassroots approach but keep looking at the big picture: urban renewal at its best.
For such a small company, “doing its thing” quietly but surely in a small town like CascoViejo, to be shoulder to shoulder with companies like Luftansa, a Rosewood Resort or better known places like Punta Cana in Dominican Republic was simply amazing. If you would like to learn more about Conservatorio, their work and its affiliates, click here.
