The Project for the Rehabilitation of the Old City of Aleppo is a Syrian-German cooperation program co- funded by GIZ (GTZ then) and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development.  The project focuses on the development of Old Aleppo; a 355-hectares World Heritage Site. 

Our experts’ services (pre-LUGARIT) to the Project included: 

• Co-producing the Development Plan for the Old City of Aleppo, a long-term planning program to upgrade and preserve the historic city and develop adequate urban management systems.  Work included: 

  • Co-editing the Plan. 

  • Development of the historical research, the development of the chapters related to urban land use and historic buildings, as well as working with all the other sections to ensure the coherence of strategies and mainstream outcomes. 

  • Intensive engagement of stakeholders 

  • Negotiating the formal adoption procedures by national authorities, and coordinating the approval and adoption procedures with line ministries and the UNESCO world Heritage Center. 

• Developing a housing upgrading program based on revolving loans and micro credits.  Work included: identifying needs, organizing participatory meetings with stakeholders (ensuring the participation of women in the process), financial modelling, feasibility studies, institutional design, preparing post occupancy evaluations and strategies for long-term programs. 

• Developing the general land use plan and the building code for the Old City of Aleppo.  This included: perimeter zones (the first such regulations in the region), developing municipal regulatory and compliance procedures to ensure proper oversight of the implementation of the codes. 

• Preparing Action Area Plans for two pilot historic neighborhoods.  Work included developing detailed land use plans and building regulations, action programs, documentation of historic structures, rehabilitating and adaptive re-use of historic buildings for social infrastructure, preparing urban design projects, developing house-rehabilitation schemes and planning tourist routes. 

• Facilitating public and town hall meetings to engage stakeholders (ensuring strong women participation in the process) to deepen public participation.

• Supervising and trained 9 local architects and engineers, half of which were women.

• Serving as independent international experts on the Project Progress Review Mission for the 2000 – 2003 phase of the Project.