“Economy of Historic Preservation” in Erbil, Kurdistan, Report for Strengthening Urban & Regional Planning (SURP), UN-HABITAT, 2014

Abstract

Dr. Mona Serageldin directed a report series titled “Economy of Historic Preservation” in 2014, in collaboration with the Ministry of Municipalities and Tourism (MOMT) and the Iraqi-Kurdistan Erbil Governorate. The project fulfilled a UN-Habitat programme, “Strengthening Urban and Regional Planning” (SURP) with support from Dr. François Vigier and Barbara Summers.

The report examines the interrelationship of cultural heritage preservation and urban development – in light of globalization, urbanization shifts and technological innovation. The analysis aligned with the SURP program goals, which support the capacity of officials in Erbil, a Kurdistan region of Iraq to stimulate financing for local infrastructure, and promote land value capture and community participatory processes.

Documents include the main report in two sections, an outline, slides for the full presentation, and supporting presentations with photographs. Case studies cover cultural heritage sites in the Medina of Tunis, Tunisia; Icheri Sheher in Baku, Azerbaijan, and in Quito, Ecuador.

See also: “National Urban Strategy for Governorates in Iraq,” UN-HABITAT (UNDP) and Iraq Ministry of Planning (LADP II), 2014-2018

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Project Year:	2014
Project Type:	Capacity Building Project
Geographic Regions:	Erbil, Southern Kurdistan, Iraq / Medina of Tunis, Tunisia / Icherisheher, Baku, Azerbaijan / Quito, Ecuador
Reports:	Economy of Historic Preservation: Part 1 Overview: “Heritage Preservation and Urban Development” Economy of Historic Preservation: Part 2 Case Studies Economy of Historic Preservation: Full Presentation Economy of Historic Preservation: Municipal Finance Presentation (March 2015): “Overview of Municipal Finance” Economy of Historic Preservation: Cultural Heritage Presentation “What is Culture? Categories of Economic Values Attributed to Cultural Heritage Assets”
Authors:	^{Mona Serageldin; François Vigier; Barbara Summers; David Jones}
Sponsors:	^{Ministry of Municipalities and Tourism (MoMT); Erbil Governorate; UN HABITAT (United Nations Human Settlements Programme)}
Categories:	Historic Districts

ID:	2014_06_002

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Related by – Historic District Preservation

Design Studio 1981: “Housing Design in Islamic Cultures” in Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, Seminar Curriculum

“Economy of Historic Preservation” in Erbil, Kurdistan, Report for Strengthening Urban & Regional Planning (SURP), UN-HABITAT, 2014

“Comprehensive Plan for Makkah, Madinah and Mashaer,” Urban Development Strategy for Ancient Holy Sites in Saudi Arabia, 2009

“Sustainable Development Based on Valorizing the Historic Urban Fabric,” Paper by Dr. Mona Serageldin, 9th World Congress of the Organization of World Heritage Cities in Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia, 2007

“Integrated Area Management Action Plan,” Urban Management Plan for the Ancient Walled City Icheri Sheher, Baku, Azerbaijan, 2006

“Revitalization of Kars Historic Center” & “Strategies for Sustainable Development,” Technical Assistance and Capacity-Building for Kars, Turkey, 2004-2008

“Cooperation and Capacity Building for Promoting Cultural, Natural and Built Heritage in Transylvania,” Technical Assistance Report for Brașov, Sibiu, Sighișoara and Târgu Mureș, Romania, 2004

“Continuity and Change” by Dr. Mona Serageldin, Topic Paper for 48th World Congress, International Federation for Housing and Planning (IFHP), 2004

“Historic Center of Mexico City” Diagnostic Summary, Technical Assistance for Mexico City, Mexico, 2003

“Master Plan for the Revitalization of the Older Urban Fabric,” Preservation in the Old City of Al Qusair, Egypt, 2000

“St. Petersburg Center City Rehabilitation Project,” Urban Planning Network for St. Petersburg, Russia, 2000

“Preserving the Historic Urban Fabric in a Context of Fast Paced Change,” Research Essay by Dr. Mona Serageldin, 1998

“Lublin Local Initiatives Program” & “Lublin Old Town Rehabilitation Project,” Technical Assistance for Urban Upgrading in Lublin, Poland, 1994-2000

“Samarkand, Uzbekistan: Revitalization and Rehabilitation of the Historic District,” Technical Assistance for the City of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, 1994

“Upgrading and Conservation of the Walled City of Lahore,” Regional Report on the Preservation of Historic Lahore, Pakistan, 1988

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May 1993June 2024

“The Use of Land and Infrastructure in the Self-Improvement Strategies of Urban Lower Income Families,” Paper by Dr. Mona Serageldin, UN Habitat Fourteenth Commission Report, May 1993

Abstract

A landmark paper by Dr. Mona Serageldin, “The Use of Land and Infrastructure in the Self-Improvement Strategies of Urban Lower Income Families,” was included in the The Fourteenth Commission UNCHS/Habitat Report and presented to the Commission in Nairobi, Kenya in May 1993.

This work presented the self-improvement strategies of families dealing with challenging living conditions as an ‘intricate and dynamic’ part of urban development, conditions which planners should respect. Dr. Serageldin’s report drew on her long history of research on urban development in cities globally, using short narrative examples and photos to illustrate specific households in: Abidjan, Amman, Cairo, Jakarta, Karachi, Kinshasa, Quito, Mexico City, Rabat, Surabaya, Tunis, and Boston. The report was sponsored by the Family and Development Program and the Office of Housing and Urban Programs of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Additionally, another essay (Excerpts below) on the same topic was published as USAID Seminar Brief No. 4: “How Urban Families use Infrastructure and Housing in their own Development,” (June 1992). This document summarized Dr. Serageldin’s seminar presentation for the USAID Family and Development Initiative Series on April 24, 1992, relaying her presentation of trends toward informal housing developments emerging in reaction to rapid urbanization in city populations – making housing shortages a dire problem for low income families.

Excerpts

[Excerpt: USAID Seminar No. 4. “How Urban Families use Infrastructure and Housing in their own Development,” June 1992.]

“Keeping Families Together: Dr. Serageldin’s longitudinal research in Cairo illustrated the importance of a house as an asset that keeps families together. Vertical expansion of buildings provides space which can be used to house less fortunate family members, such as the elderly, at advantageous terms to all parties. In one case, the rental income saved by a widowed mother living on a relative’s top floor was spent on her children’s school fees while the income generated by this family member from a ground floor shop covered the family’s living expenses.”

Project Year:	1993, 1992
Project Type:	Research Paper
Geographic Regions:	^{Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire / Amman, Jordan / Cairo, Egypt / Jakarta and Surabaya, Indonesia / Karachi, Pakistan / Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo / Quito, Ecuador / Mexico City, Mexico / Rabat, Morocco / Tunis, Tunisia / Boston, Massachusetts, USA}
Reports:	“The Use of Land and Infrastructure in the Self-Improvement Strategies of Urban Lower Income Families,” Fourteenth Commission UN Habitat Report (May 1993) — USAID Seminar Brief No. 4: “How Urban Families use Infrastructure and Housing in their own Development” (June 1992)
Authors:	^{John Driscoll; María-Luisa Fernández; Mona Serageldin}
Sponsors:	^{USAID Family and Development Program; USAID Office of Housing and Urban Programs}
Categories:	Informal Settlements and Urban Upgrading

ID:	1993_05_001

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Related I2UD Photography Galleries

Gallery 2 – Côte d’Ivoire: Adjamé, Abidjan, 1990-1995

Gallery 5 – Congo: Kinshasa, 1989

Galleries 6-7 – Egypt: Cairo and Helwan, 1986, 1990

Gallery 13 – Tunisia: Tunis, 1978-1990

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July 1991January 2024

ITP 1991: “Development Strategies for Urban Regeneration of Old Urban Fabric,” Case Studies and Seminar Curriculum, International Training Programs, 1991

Abstract

The 1991 ITP addressed strategies of re-manipulating old urban fabric, including plans to restructure central zones, recapture the development potential of strategically located parcels, and preserve valued urban and architectural heritage.

Case Studies address a range of old urban zones needing restructure: Redeveloping obsolete and dilapidated zones (London Docklands); Reshaping deteriorating central zones (Boston’s Waterfront); Halting the degradation of the physical environment (The Hafsia district in Tunis, Tunisia); and Preserving the distinctive character of historical areas (The Vieux Carré in New Orleans).

Documents represent curriculum components from the 1991 ITP, including case studies, project summaries, newspaper and journal articles, and module overviews. Some materials may be replicated in other years of the ITP programs.

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Project Year:	1991
Project Type:	ITP; Education
Geographic Regions:	^{Waterfront, Boston, USA / London Docklands, UK / Hafsia, Tunis, Tunisia / Vieux Carré, New Orleans, USA / Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany / Maarouf, Cairo, Egypt / Walled City of Lahore, Pakistan / Ij Waterfront, Amsterdam, Netherlands}
Reports:	ITP 1991: Module IV Development Strategies for Urban Regeneration ITP 1991: Case 1 The Docklands, London ITP 1991: Case 2 Waterfront Area, Boston ITP 1991: Case 4 The Vieux Carre, New Orleans ITP 1991: (Group Exercise)
Authors:	^{François Vigier; Mr Victor Karen; Barry Shaw;}
Sponsors:	^{Unit for Housing and Urbanization of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design}
Categories:	International Training Program; Education;

ID:	1991_07_001

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A History of ITP and IEP Seminars

The International Training Programs (ITP) began in 1982, as 2-4 week long summer seminars held by the Unit for Housing and Urbanization (Harvard University) in Cambridge, MA. ITP curriculums were designed to strengthen the decision-making skills of senior professionals in public and private agencies responsible for urban development.

The I2UD Digital Library holds curriculum materials for ITPs from 1988, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997 and 1998:

The tradition of ITPs continued after 2000, when CUDS (a re-organization of the Unit) continued training seminars as “International Education Programs” (IEP) from 2000-2004:

Programs included inter-linked modules, lectures, case studies, interactive computer simulation models, site visits to urban projects, discussion groups and networking with professional counterparts from international metropolitan regions. Sessions had a modular format and structured team teaching, taught by a team of senior faculty and guest lecturers. Programs ended with a synthesis presented through a project evaluation exercise. Participants used case projects to examine strategies from the viewpoint of both public and private partners — to assess the feasibility and potential impacts of policies and projects on the community and the city. Presentations by guest speakers representing U.S. and international agencies, NGOs, and community groups were also integrated within the pedagogic framework of each module.

Related I2UD Photography Galleries

Galleries 6-7 – Egypt: Cairo and Helwan, 1986, 1990

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September 1990June 2024

“The Abidjan Experience”- Four Research Reports on Community-Based Urban Development in Adjamé, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, 1990-1995

Abstract

Between 1990 and 1995, the Unit for Housing and Urban Development (later CUDS) prepared four research reports on the commune district of Adjamé in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast). As a collection, these materials present a detailed analysis of urban housing trends in Côte d’Ivoire from the 1990s, covering economic, historical, architectural, financial and socio-geographical elements.

First, in September 1990 the Unit produced a major research endeavor, “Urban Infrastructure on Municipal Revenues and the Integration of Informal Sector Activities: The Abidjan Experience.” The report was produced for the Office of Housing and Urban Programs, U.S. Agency for International Development, in Washington D.C.

Second, in January 1994 Drs. Mona Serageldin and Francois Vigier wrote “Designing for Urban Growth, Abidjan Ivory Coast,” covering the socio-geography of Abidjan/Côte d’Ivoire in 5 detailed sections on National Context, Landscape, The Urban Landscape, Housing Typologies, and a detailed condition analysis of the Commune of Adjamé.

Third, in September 1994 the Unit presented “Community Based Development Lessons from Experience Across Cities” for a forum on “Enabling Sustainable Community Development” at the 2nd World Bank Conference. The presentation built on the Unit’s previous research on Adjamé among other cities, sponsored by the USAID,’s Office of Environment and Urban Programs.

Fourth, in October 1995 Dr. Mona Serageldin and CUDS wrote a Working Paper: “Successful Institutionalization of Community Based Development of Adjamé, Abidjan.” The paper built off all previous research on Abidjan, covering six international case studies from Abidjan, Boston, Cairo, Lima, Lublin and Tunis, selected because of their innovative character. (See footnote 1 on cover page).

Excerpt

[Excerpt: “Community Based Development: Lessons from Experience Across Cities,” for the 2nd World Bank Conference, September 1994, Introduction, by Mona Serageldin for the Unit, 09/1994]/

“The ESD Conference, just completed yesterday, saw a remarkable unnamity on two points of relevance, to a discussion of cross-cutting lessons.

First, that community involvement is paramount for any meaningful action to reduce poverty and improve the urban environment; and Second, that there is no single formula to do it. The diversity of cities and their local context entail that concepts be adapted to the particularities of the local context.

Yet, there is a lot to be learned from the sharing of experiences. In spite of the diversity, there are common threads. The issue of empowerment was eloquently discussed this morning. Other issues have been discussed by the previous speakers. My presentation will highlight principles which structure interfaces between communities and municipalities in order to foster community based development approaches.”

Project Year:	1990-1995
Project Type:	Urban Development Research
Geographic Regions:	^{Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire / Boston, United States / Cairo, Egypt / Lima, Perú / Lublin, Poland / Tunis, Tunisia}
Reports:	“The Impact of Investments in Urban Infrastructure on Municipal Revenues and the Integration of Informal Sector Activities: The Abidjan Experience,” Full Report (September 1990) “Designing for Urban Growth, Abidjan, Ivory Coast,” Mona Serageldin, Francois C.D, Vigier (January 1994) “Community Based Development: Lessons from Experience Across Cities,” Forum on “Enabling Sustainable Community Development,” 2nd World Bank Conference (September 1994) Working Paper on “Successful Institutionalization of Community Based Development in the Commune of Adjamé,” from Community-Based Development: Experiences Across Cities. Working Paper Series, Office of Environment and Urban Programs, Center for Environment, USAID, pp. 18-31, September 1994. PN-ABU-443 (October 1995)
Authors:	^{Samir Abdulac; Mona Serageldin; Howard Trett; François Vigier; Wafaa Abdalla; Jeanine Anderson; Nader El Bizri; Janne Corneil; John Driscoll; Denis Lesage; Sherif Lotfi; David Neilson; Tarek Sweilim}
Sponsors:	^{Unit for Housing and Urbanization at the Harvard Graduate School of Design; World Bank Conference, USAID Office of Environment and Urban Programs}
Categories:	Urban Planning

ID:	1990_09_001

Related I2UD Projects

Related I2UD Photography Galleries

Gallery 2 – Côte d’Ivoire: Adjamé, Abidjan, 1990-1995

Galleries 6-7 – Egypt: Cairo and Helwan, 1986, 1990

Gallery 12 – Poland: Gdansk and Lublin, 1994–1995

Gallery 13 – Tunisia: Tunis, 1978-1990

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January 1990January 2024

Design Studio 1990: “The Medina of Tunis,” Urban Regeneration for the Historic Hafsia District, Tunis, Tunisia, Seminar Curriculum

Abstract

The Design Studio from Spring 1990, led by Professors François Vigier and Mona Serageldin, focused on urban regeneration in the Medina of Tunis, in Tunis, Tunisia. This studio addressed issues of revitalization of older urban districts of Tunis.

Documents include an overview of urban development, urban housing conditions, institutional frameworks and government housing policies to outline the urban context of Tunisia. Reports detail the development site of the Hafsia District, and outline phases and plans for the revitalization project, including graphics and maps.

Excerpt

[Excerpt: “Urban and Housing Conditions,” Design Studio 1990]

Urban and Housing Conditions
“Rapid urbanization has generated a large demand for housing and add to intensive unregulated construction activity. As a result, housing stock has increased at an annual average rate of 4 percent, and conditions improved somewhat during the 80’s. However, throughout the decade, the demand for housing and urban services has outpaced the public sector’s ability to keep up with urban growth. Almost half of all dwellings built since 1975 have bypassed urban development regulations and were instead undertaken by the informal sector in areas lacking adequate utilities and relying on low-cost construction methods. To alleviate this problem, the supply of suitably located serviced land at prices affordable to the poorest segments of the population must be expanded.”
….

The Hafsia Revitalization Project
The objective of the project sponsored by the World Bank is to revitalize and renovate the area, and demonstrate the feasibility of upgrading medinas without dividing populations and by involving the private sector in the development process. The specific objectives are:

1. To revitalize the economic base with a look to the future while promoting employment opportunities for its present residents.

2. To upgrade the urban environment with minimum disruption of social cohesion and community life.

3. To structure a replicable self-financing, revitalization process given the lack of public resources. In other words, components of the proposal whose capital cost are not likely to be fully recovered (eg., housing for poorer households, infrastructure improvements, new community facilities) will have to be cross-subsidized by other revenue producing components.

4. To reverse development trends destructive to the character of the medina.”

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Project Year:	1990
Project Type:	Urban Design Studio
Geographic Regions:	Medina of Tunis, Tunisia
Reports:	1990 Design Studio: Tunisia Urban Development
Authors:	^{François Vigier; Mona Serageldin;}
Sponsors:	_{The Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University}
Categories:	Design Studios; Education;

ID:	1990_00_002

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Related by – Design Studio Seminars, 1981-2003

Related I2UD Photography Galleries

Gallery 13 – Tunisia: Tunis, 1978-1990

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September 1988June 2024

“The Development and Morphology of Informal Housing,” Research Paper, Published with Aga Khan Award for Architecture Seminar Proceedings, Dr. Mona Serageldin, 1988.

Abstract

Dr. Mona Serageldin authored this research paper in 1988 for the Unit for Housing and Urbanization at Harvard University, published as part of the proceedings of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture Seminar on the “Architecture of Housing” held in Zanzibar, Tanzania in October 1988.

The paper relates the history of housing development processes (1950s-1980s) in the Middle East, North Africa and East African regions, in cities including Tunis (Tunisia,), Damascus (Syria), Cairo (Egypt), Zanzibar (Tanzania), and Sana’a (Yemen). It compares the makeup of circumstances and populations, and describes housing units in each location — covering design and construction, with requirements for designing suitable housing units.

Excerpt

[Excerpt: I. Background: Mona Serageldin]

“The involvement of architects and planners with housing for lower income groups began in the 50’s and 60’s when national governments in the post colonial era embarked on slum eradication programs. Slum dwellers were to be rehoused in public housing estates. To the designers of these first projects, the overriding concern was decent shelter and sanitary conditions and not affordability. That their vision was influenced by prevailing international norms was the natural outcome of their professional training. Their failure to foresee the implications of demographic and economic trends over the next 2 decades invalidated their approach. Their efforts were overwhelmed by population growth, surplus labor, and an influx of rural migrants which could not be checked.

“Throughout the 60’s housing shortages increased and slums proliferated. Frustrated authorities turned to legislative controls, a politically expedient short-term remedy. The longer term impacts were devastating. Stringent controls accelerated the deterioration of the regulated stock, distorted private production, undermined the tax base, hampered residential mobility and warped occupancy patterns.

“The low cost shelter solutions advocated in the 60’s and 70’s produced a variety of expandable core housing prototypes to meet the needs of the urban poor. They were valid models in parts of Africa and Asia where the process happened to coincide with local practices as in Khartoum and Dakar. Elsewhere, the lack of enthusiasm among housing authorities for these approaches stemmed from an accurate perception of their unsuitability as a housing solution for the middle classes, the only client group of political consequence. Leverage and funding from international agencies launched projects in many countries which otherwise might have never experimented with minimal shelter programs. The improvements provided were on a scale too small to be meaningful in relation to the magnitude of the problem or noticeable in the midst of sprawling chaotic cities. By the mid 70’s their demonstration effect had lost its significance.”

“The shock waves in world economics and the resultant movements of labor and capital transformed the character of urban growth throughout the third world. By 1981, 15 million expatriate workers funneled between 25 and 35 billion dollars of foreign exchange back to their home countries. As the bulk of these remittances found their way into real estate, the urbanized area of cities doubled or tripled in extent shaped by uncontrolled housing construction on an unprecedented scale. Functionally defective and aesthetically chaotic environments became the dominant feature of cities, those annual rate of expansion of 4% to 7% outstripped the capacities of municipalities to provide urban services. As a result, their efficiency was impaired and there has been a sharp deterioration in the quality of life.”

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Project Year:	1988
Project Type:	Research Paper
Geographic Regions:	^{Cairo, Egypt / Damascus, Syria / Tunis, Tunisia / Sana’a, Yemen / Zanzibar, Tanzania}
Reports:	The Development and Morphology of Informal Housing: (Mona Serageldin, September 1988)
Authors:	^{Mona Serageldin; Samir Abdulac; Oussama Kabbani; Richard Khan;}
Sponsors:	^{Aga Khan Award for Architecture}
Categories:	Urban Planning

ID:	1988_09_001