Global Arab Network | Medina in MENA region - a rich cultural heritage suffering a steady decay

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Medina in MENA region - a rich cultural heritage suffering a steady decay

Tuesday, 20 July 2010 14:40

Medinas carry a unique significance for the countries of the region and the world, but such significance is not always reflected in urban policies . Medinas can play a significant role in expanding local revenues by attracting small businesses.

Many cities in the Middle East and North Africa feature historic cores that are at the heart of Arab civilization and generally date their origin back to medieval times.

For the past fifty years, they have been experiencing rapid physical and social decay due to a combination of abandonment by part of their original population and rapid urban growth of modern neighborhoods.

Medinas got pauperized by the influx of poorer segments of the population which found refuge and cheap accommodation where wealthier families had previously lived.

As governments concentrate their efforts on managing urban growth, providing infrastructure and services to agglomerations, medinas lag behind in terms of access to services and basic infrastructure.

The nature of their urban fabric, where vehicular circulation is most of the time excluded, is perceived as a stumbling block for their servicing.

Medinas are among the poorest settlements in the urban agglomerations, and rehabilitation should include specific actions to improve the housing conditions of the residents and their access to welfare.

In 2001, the World Bank’s Middle East and North Africa region became the first region to produce a dedicated regional strategy: Cultural Heritage and Development: A Framework for Action in the Middle East and North Africa (pdf).

The strategy spelled out how cultural heritage was relevant to economic development, significant for community and national identities, and carried opportunities for social development. The strategy also recognized the special significance of historic cities, which are an essential repository of the history, traditions and memories of the region.

In the Middle East and North Africa region, the World Bank has been active since the early eighties, with both lending operations and advisory work in medina rehabilitation. Most World Bank-financed operations pursue three objectives for medina rehabilitation: ensuring the conservation of key cultural heritage assets; fostering local economic development; and addressing the basic needs of the resident population.

"Investing in the cultural heritage of poor and marginal social groups can bring profound change in their self-reliance and energies, which can then be supplemented by assisting them in finding innovative ways to improve their livelihoods" said Anna Bjerde, Sector Manager of the World Bank Urban and Social Development Unit for Middle East and North Africa.

Roles of the public, private, and non-profit sectors

Public policy will be needed to affirm the collective importance of medina rehabilitation as a public good by strengthening the institutional framework and providing the appropriate level of urban management of the medinas.

Identifying key monuments and significant buildings as cultural heritage components, and ensuring their legal protection should be amongst the most important functions of governments.

The private sector’s role is to invest again in the medina’s real estate market and economic activities.

Community associations, created around cultural or social interests, often provide the social capital and the political pressure leading to public initiatives in favor of medina rehabilitation and of its residents.

They are also at the origin of festivals, cultural events, and public entertainment opportunities which increase the attractiveness of medinas to residents and visitors alike.

Medinas can play a significant role in expanding local revenues

The World Bank pursues multiple objectives for medina rehabilitation, including the conservation of key cultural assets, local economic development, and addressing the needs of the residents.

In terms of local economic development, cultural tourism is the most promising market segment. Not all medinas however have the required characteristics to tap into that market segment, and governments should carefully consider which are the characteristics required for a medina to be considered a promising cultural tourism destination, and design consequently the rehabilitation process.

The World Bank has recently elaborated an index with the objective of analyzing and ranking those medinas in which blending urban rehabilitation and tourism development can lead to economic growth. (World Bank)

Global Arab Network

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