The study of memory, architecture, and urban space has been the interest of researchers from the diverse fields around the world due to, the significance of dealing with memories especially after the tragedy of the Second World War. Nations in Europe has chosen not to neglect their past, moreover, overcoming it by strengthening the national identity. An approach was clear in the literature, art, further in the way of rebuilding their cities; that mainly has reflected on the value of urban spaces and their role in narrating the country’s national memory. Thanks to this approach, which has supported the post-war European nations to invite to an act of forgiveness rather than to forget.
On the contrary, memory, in relation to architecture is a form of knowledge has been neglected in Egypt, especially during the previous decades after the declaration of independence from the colonial power, and since 1952 revolution. Recently, a rising debate about Egypt national history and the need to renationalize the Egyptian historical consciousness has rapidly grown up, due to the political transformation has occurred because of the 25th uprising, 2011, which unveiled the power of public spaces in constituting the nation thoughts, especially Tahrir square. At the same time, this has unveiled the results of neglecting the past instead of overcoming it; unveiled a present carries the danger of conflict and repeating previous mistakes.
Researchers, historians, politicians, governmental organization, have worked in the purpose of revisiting the historical information, and have tried to document the current transformation of the 25th uprising. There was a public demand for redesigning Tahrir square to reflect the memory of the uprising as a symbol of the power of the public. However, after eight years, those memories have faded as if the 25th uprising has never happened.
Those circumstances are very relevant to the gap between urban design and the art of memory-work, in the scientific field. Few studies in Egypt conducted the concept of memory in relation to urban spaces, however, the matter requires more attention, to associate the need for renationalizing Egypt memory, with viewing urban space as a mean of narrating the country’s national memory and reflecting the citizens' current thoughts, as a try of nearing the distances between competing narratives.
Therefore, the research aims at developing a methodological framework that should contribute to renationalizing memory through urban space. Further, benefiting from the German experience by investigating lessons to learn. That is based on the hypothesis that, although there is no fixed formula for all countries to renationalize the historical consciousness of memory through urban spaces, lessons to be learned from Germany experience could be a driving dimension when designing Egyptian urban spaces with a concept of memory as an essential factor.
To guide the validity of the study’s hypothesis, a set of research questions are thus formulated: Starting from why memory is an essential factor when designing urban spaces? Regarding Egypt national memory, how it was constituted through history and how to read its representation on urban spaces? Also, the study quests the means of nationalizing memory through urban spaces? And What are the learned lessons from the German experience?
The study tries to answer those questions. Via an inductive analytical methodology which moves from the gap of knowledge and from a particular situation in Egypt, to study the German experience in renationalizing the concept of memory through urban spaces.
Within the scope of the study, exploring Egypt prevailing narratives and the inherited concepts which influenced the national memory is essential. Moreover, the research develops analytical political psychosocial model that could help reading memories in urban spaces, memory’s actors, and memory influences. To validate this model, case studies are analysed in light of the concluded aspects. Consequently, the expected result is to infer broad general learned lessons for the Egyptian case.
Research findings and conclusions answer the research questions, interpret literature review, recommend some guide points to three target groups: first, practice field; to encourage designers to value the national and collective memories when designing urban spaces. Second, to ask policymakers to take the public participation into consideration, when taking decisions related to urban development. Third, the thesis recommends future researches of urban memory that connect theoretical information with the practice field.
Finally, enhancing the memory-work in relation to the national narrative, conveying a meaningful message, when designing urban spaces could encourage citizens to learn, to interact, and to dissolve boundaries between the competing narratives in post-conflict societies.
The conservation of living heritage sites is a highly complex process. Two factors need careful consideration in order to achieve a balance in the management of such sites: the conservation demands of conservation experts for built heritage and the needs of local people for development of their heritage living space. The complexity of factors involved make for an interesting study of living heritage, taken up by this research in its main case study of the town of Nan in Thailand.
Research into the historical background of Nan and its cultural heritage reveals a living heritage site, which is both unique and diverse. Present day Nan was examined using a variety of analysis tools, which were applied to data from interviews, empirical data, field surveys, and documents, in order to better understand the nature of the living heritage site and changing trends over time. Luang Prabang in Lao PDR, a World Heritage site since 1995, was also selected as a further case study with which to compare Nan’s potential World Heritage status from a point of view of changes to living heritage attributes.
The outcomes of the research indicate the importance of the management of the sites, which can be at risk of losing balance by focusing on one aspect of heritage to the detriment of the other. The conservation perspective, if allowed to dominate, as in Luang Prabang, can cause irreparable damage to the social fabric, where the development needs of the town are not met. This research concludes that a balance of power amongst stakeholders in the collaborative networks managing such sites is vital to sustaining a balance of living heritage attributes.