Makina/Medina

On Cultural Heritage and Urban Development in the Historic City of Fez

Edited by Aziza Chaouni

Edited by Hashim Sarkis

    How can a cultural event help ameliorate the conditions of a historic city? Through a series of essays by urban historians, economists, and designers, Makina/Medina examines the potential impact of cultural events on the revitalization of historic cities. The book focuses on the Bab el Makina Square located in the old medina (city) of Fez, Morocco. Rediscovered by the world-renowned Sacred Music Festival, which uses it as its main concert venue for one week every summer, Bab el Makina Square and its surroundings otherwise remain abandoned despite their strategic location between the three main districts of the city: Fez Jdid, Fez Bali, and la Ville Nouvelle. The aim of this volume is to explore how the urban design set up for a cultural event could help improve access and legibility in this medieval city and to positively affect its economic and social development. The book also includes a series of hypothetical design projects for the Makina Square by Harvard Graduate School of Design students.

Aziza Chaouni is Assistant Professor of Architecture at the University of Toronto.

Hashim Sarkis is Aga Khan Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism in Muslim Societies at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.