Social Values of Public Spaces for Heritage Restoration in the Middle East

Abstract

In recent years, many Middle East countries have experienced unprecedented urban development and growth in infrastructure and transport, thanks to the discovery and exportation of oil. In these areas, the construction booming has produced a heated debate about the directions to follow for the growth of many countries. The intent is to balance two opposite trends: from one side the innovative construction of new buildings and from the other side the restoration of historical heritage to keep the identity of the nation alive. Simultaneously to such debate, while cities are growing, public space is shrinking and declining worldwide. The paper discusses some significant examples of recently completed heritage restoration projects and shows the growing need to strengthen the value of local traditions and culture also through the enhancement of public places linked to the heritage. In particular, the social value linked to public places is significant for the historical growth of urban centres, as collective places for social recognition and union, for the country's identity, for the collective development of a society. The analyses of some completed restoration projects in the Middle East show that heritage conservation is linked to preserving the place identity of the together with the values of a public, social, and cultural space.