Historic centres of Syrian towns ruined by the war: restoration through urban planning

• Main Authors: Elena V. Shcherbina, Ali A. Belal, Ali Salmo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow State University of Civil Engineering (MGSU) 2020-05-01
• Series: Vestnik MGSU
• Subjects: items of cultural and historic heritage; sustainable development; urban identity; reconstruction; restoration; recovery; consequences of military actions; urban design
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.22227/1997-0935.2020.5.632-640

Introduction. Urban development of historic centres of towns, destroyed by man-induced disasters, means finding the balance between the preservation of the cultural environment and development of a new medium capable of meeting present-day challenges. These problems can be effectively tackled in respect of architectural ensembles, monuments of history and architecture having the status of world heritage sites, as they are restored through the efforts of the world community. This problem is particularly acute in the historic cities of Syria that suffered from warlike operations at the outset of the 21st century. Materials and methods. The system approach was employed by the co-authors to develop and present a historic and genetic model and to set the borders of territories that can be qualified as historic landmarks. Processed aerial imagery and on-site examination of buildings have enabled the co-authors to assess the extent of destruction of buildings and structures, located within the borders of urban historic centres, identified by means of urban zoning techniques. Results. The co-authors have ranked the buildings and structures in the districts of Homs, Syria, using the extent of destruction as a criterion. They also propose a definition for the notion of cultural heritage sites (“CHS”), as well as the typology of CHS or “landmarks” in the Syrian Arab Republic. The co-authors offer a methodology for the examination of localities, destroyed during the war, needed to develop their restoration roadmaps. They have also substantiated the need to regenerate the urban environment in the Bani Sibhaa community, to restore the historic centre of Homs to its initial appearance due to its status of a special cultural heritage site, as it has fragments of historic urban planning and ancient buildings. Conclusions. The damage assessment of buildings, structures, and items of historic and cultural heritage, performed using qualitative values, helps to assess the condition of the cultural environment, resources and valuables available in the historic centre; it also serves as the basis for urban zoning and setting boundaries of historical sites. The approach, developed by the co-authors, encompasses prerequisites and a set of instruments to be used to develop reconstruction strategies for the areas previously exposed to military operations, as well as urban development programmes, that will boost cultural processes capable of producing positive impact on urban and regional economies through job generation, travel industry development, and revival of folk crafts. The findings will be contributed to the conceptual design of multiscale cultural policy events that can boost the development of local areas.