Assessing lost cultural heritage. A case study of the eastern coast of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria city (Spain)

Land use changes have caused important losses of cultural elements around the world. While sometimes due to the impact of natural disasters, in recent decades urban sprawl invading coastal areas has intensified these losses. This process is one of the main factors responsible for the globalization of urban spaces worldwide, which implies a loss of cultural elements with heritage value. This is the case of the eastern coast of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria city (Canary Islands, Spain), which underwent major transformations from the late XIX century to the 1960s. This study evaluates the historical and cultural heritage lost along this stretch of coast. Historical sources were used to identify lost heritage elements, which were divided into four categories (military, industrial, commercial/services, and public infrastructure) and evaluated by 56 experts for six clearly defined intrinsic variables: uniqueness, identity, scientific, historical-cultural, aesthetic and social. Overall, the lost elements were given a medium heritage value score, with the highest valued elements tending to be associated with commerce/services. A link was also established between elements with the highest heritage value and the willingness to pay for them. The results of this work are of academic, social and educational interest, and can have a positive effect on the cultural sustainability of future urban planning.