Zoya MASOUD
(TU Berlin, Berlin, Germany)

Keywords: Aleppo, rebuilding, map

Abstract:
Aleppo is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.  Due to the on-going war, followed by unmanaged reconstruction procedures, Aleppo suffers from systematic destruction within its historic center, which is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site. Despite the continuing armed conflict in other Syrian territories, reconstruction plans for Aleppo are under intensive discussion. It is anticipated that such plans could bring about a second wave of destruction and demographic change. The research intends to examine the variables influencing the re-building process from urban planning aspects. To this end, three layers of maps will be produced: different values of the Suqs before the civil war, their destruction after 2017 and a memory map of Aleppians inside and outside Aleppo in order to evaluate losses the city had and still suffers from. The dissertation intends to provide a thorough examination through deep qualitative questionnaires with various categories of actors and stakeholders (Aleppians: visitors or shop tenants/owners in the Bazaar, academics, actors and institutional representatives … etc), the social context of the Bazaar before the war, the interests in rebuilding the Suq and the potential role such heavily charged and shared historic site can play in the national social reconciliation through urban planning.

Relevance conference / Relevance session:
Rebuilding the Bazaar in post-conflict Aleppo have to responce to the needs of Aleppo and at the 21st century.

Innovation:
Investigating the potential role such heavily charged and shared historic site can play in the national social reconciliation through urban planning.

References:

  1. Mansel, Philip, 2016. “Aleppo, the rise and fall of Syrian’s great merchant city.
  2. Meier, Patrik.”People of the suq : identity, practice and place-making in Aleppo’s Old City market”