Conservation Policies to Achieve Sustainability of the Architecturally Distinguished Zones of Sohag, as an Egyptian city

Abstract

            Almost all the cities of Egypt and the Arab have old neighborhoods, which dates back to early last century, characterized by distinctive architectural style, and a visual reference , that reflects the thought and culture of the community. However, with population growth and consequent increased demand for housing and services, those neighborhoods and areas are threatened with extinction. Building of modern style and high-rise towers began to creep on those neighborhoods, especially because they represent the best locations in cities, and they did not enjoy the protection of the Law 117 of 1983, which does not consider these buildings as heritage unless they are 100 years old. It is then necessary to have mechanisms to protect and preserve these areas and prevent their demolition, to preserve the cultural values and heritage of the community.

         This research aims to shed light on policies to maintain the neighborhood of distinctive architectural style in Egyptian cities, and the most important problems related to urban conservation policies, while highlighting the role of preservation of those neighborhoods in achieving sustainability.

          The Search is based on the inductive approach, undertaking observation and study of urban conservation policies as applied to the case study city of Sohag, as well as monitoring the most important problems out there through the available field data, to come up with results to achieve sustainability in the development of those neighborhoods.

          The research consists of three parts. Part I: To identify areas of architectural character and the most important values inherent in the cities of Egypt, through the study of conservation policies for urban areas with a distinctive architectural style. The second: Study one preservation project of buildings and neighborhoods with distinctive architectural character in the city of Sohag, and the most important problems that impede the process of urban conservation in the city. The third part constitutes findings and recommendations of the search.