Archaeological Site of Panamá Viejo and Historic District of Panamá

• Severe deterioration of historic buildings
• Conflicting interests of different stakeholders with regard to the use, management and conservation of the historic centre
• Limited capacity for the rehabilitation and maintenance of historic structures
• Deficiencies in the implementation of the legislative framework for protection
• Lack of implementation of clear conservation and management policies for the property
• Demolition of urban ensembles and buildings 
• Forced displacement of occupants and squatters 
• Urban development projects within the protected area (i.e. Cinta Costera)
• Visual impact of the Cinta Costera project Maritime Viaduct
• Inadequate long-term financial sustainability of conservation and management efforts
• Financial resources
• Housing
• Human resources
• Identity, social cohesion, changes in local population and community
• Legal framework

In 2019, the State Party of Panamá submitted a significant boundary modification of the property "Archaeological Site of Panamá Viejo and Historic District of Panamá" (C 790bis), with the aim to transform it, by including several other sites and excluding the component of the Historic District of Panamá, into a serial property under the name of “Colonial Transisthmian Route of Panamá”. The World Heritage Committee (Decision 43 COM 8B.40) deferred the request and asked for a resubmission for its examination in 2022.

On 1 December 2020, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/790/documents/ and addresses the inscribed World Heritage property, taking as the baseline for the analysis, the current Retrospective Statement of Outstanding Universal Value (Decision 37 COM 8E). Progress in a number of measures requested by the Committee at its previous sessions is presented, as follows:

• The State Party adopted a new General Law on Culture (2020) and created the Ministry of Culture (MiCultura), thus renovating the national legal and institutional framework for the protection of cultural heritage. Since 15 August 2019, MiCultura is responsible for Panamanian cultural heritage (Act No. 90). The Ministry acts through its National Directorate of Cultural Heritage (DNPC). The entities in charge of the management of the property are, as before, the Oficina del Casco Antiguo (OCA) for the Historic District component, and the Patronato de Panamá Viejo for the Archaeological Site of Panamá Viejo component;
• Only one (the Panama Viejo Business Centre) of the two development projects planned inside the buffer zone of Panamá Viejo is currently active. It is being monitored closely by the national authorities, and collaboration with the developers has avoided negative impacts. Reported changes to the drainage system of the Panama Viejo Business Centre are said to protect the remains of the King's Bridge (Puente del Rey);
• A review and evaluation of the Plan for the Sustainable Recovery of the Cultural Landscape of the Archaeological Site of Panama Viejo is foreseen within the framework of a new Panama Viejo Landscape Action Plan;
• Development of a study of the view sheds and a visual corridor analysis for Panama Viejo is proposed;
• In response to the recommendation by the World Heritage Committee concerning the significant boundary modification (43 COM 8B.40), the Patronato of Panama Viejo has planned a Natural Disaster and Risk Management Plan and a Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Plan for the Panama Viejo component. For this, and the above-mentioned plans and studies, the terms of reference are included in the annexes of the state of conservation report, but no timeframe for their termination is set;
• A new Land Use Plan of the District of Panama recognizes the property’s protection measures, includes them within the planning framework of the metropolitan city, and proposes new protection codes for the immediate surroundings of the components of the property;
• The Archaeological Site Management Plan of Panamá Viejo (2014-2019) is being updated, but no further details are given.
• An Economic Reactivation Plan for Panama City's Casco Antiguo was developed and executed as an inter-institutional effort led by the Ministry of Culture seeking the economic improvement of local business associations, in the interest/in favor of local communities.
• Diverse social initiatives and heritage educational activities were implemented through the Oficina del Casco Antiguo (OCA), ensuring the social participation of young people, women, ethnic groups and vulnerable populations.

The new General Law of Culture (approved by Act 175 of 3 November 2020) establishes, among others, principles, regulations, attributions and commitments of the State. It defines the concepts of the Historic Urban Landscape and lays the legal foundation for the protection of the landscape surrounding historic sites or monuments. In order to better understand the dimension of these changes, it is recommended that the Committee request the submission of the text of the new law, and a detailed explanation of the impact of the institutional and legislative change on the property’s protection.

In response to previous Committee requests, the State Party has initiated preliminary work on three-dimensional viewshed and view corridor analysis and concluded that the existing zoning within the buffer zone of Panama Viejo is effective. The elements having a visual impact on the component’s integrity are found to be outside the established buffer zone. While the State Party’s report shows some photos of the visually discordant elements, it is not always clear what and where they are, since they are not accompanied by a map. This also makes it difficult to assess the reported progress in mitigating the discordant elements of the Archaeological Site environment with the use of strategically located vegetation screens. However, in this context it is noted that the Patronato de Panama Viejo has planned the review and evaluation of the Plan for the Sustainable Recovery of the Cultural Landscape of the Archaeological Site of Panama Viejo, implemented since 2014, and to strengthen the plan by developing a Panama Viejo Landscape Action Plan.

The proposed Land Use Plan of the District of Panama aims at including the property’s components within the planning structures of the metropolitan city, proposes new protection codes for the components’ immediate surroundings, and protects elements of natural value. Such a planning tool can be very important for the protection of the integrity of the property and its wider setting. However, it is still pending approval by the municipal authorities. No consideration has been given to the possibility of extending the buffer zone of the Panama Viejo component, as suggested by the Committee. At this point, it is unclear if the plan is a valid substitute for the recommended buffer zone extension since no detailed information on the plan was made available.

While the reported advances indicate the efforts of the State Party to develop a more integral concept of protection, no detailed information was offered regarding ongoing development projects that have the potential to impact on the property values, both inside the buffer zone of Panama Viejo (Panama Viejo Business Centre) and outside (Costa del Mar ocean front development).

It is noted with regret that the Committee’s recommendation to develop and fully implement a Heritage Impact Assessment approach into the management systemwas not taken up by the State Party. Neither was the extension of the Historic District buffer zone, an initiative proposed by the Oficina del Casco Antiguo (OCA), the Dirección Nacional de Patrimonio Histórico (DNPH) and the Municipality, and welcomed by the Committee.

In conclusion, the State Party should be commended for the very positive advances it has made in a year complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic. It should be encouraged to continue the implementation of social and economic initiatives, such as the Economic Reactivation Plan for Panama City's Casco Antiguo in order to support the local communities facing the present context. Nevertheless, many reported activities and planning tools have no clear timeframe. The State Party should urgently start to approve and apply the more integral concept of heritage protection, expressed through many of the new planning tools, for which the legal bases are being created with the new General Law of Culture and the Land Use Plan for the District of Panamá.