Assessment of the Role of International Organizations in the Rehabilitation of Historic Districts: Case of Darb Alahmar

Abstract

This study began by raising the question of whether international organizations have effectively contributed to the revitalization of the old historic districts, and whether the community participation approaches they implemented succeeded in sustaining the development and in preserving the heritage, or just resulting in attractive, temporary, exterior treatments that are not a part of the local identity. The paper answers these questions through an analytical and statistical assessment for the role of the Aga Khan Project in the rehabilitation of Darb Alahmar in Cairo. It deduces statistical correlations between the role of international organizations in the revitalization of historic districts and the community participation with the physical, social, and economic development aspects of the areas. The study then plots the correlations between the role of these organizations and community participation. The paper concludes with the fact that rehabilitation plans managed by these organizations have led to the internationalization of heritage, resulting in packaged icons for the tourist industry, and the nationalization of heritage has translated into contemporary political construction. Interntional organizations have hindered the total development and have caused gentrification problems. Consequently, this paper highlights the strengths and limitations of the role of these organizations in the rehabilitation of historic districts, and presents a statistical model for the precise assessment of these agencies’ role. This model will enable their performance to be compared in future research.