Assessing the Aga Khan Conservation and Urban Revitalization Projects (The Case Studies of Al-Darb Al-Ahmar in Cairo, and the Humayun’S Tomb - Nizamuddin Basti in Delhi)

Abstract

The two remarkable Aga Khan Conservation and Urban Revitalization Projects took place respectively in Cairo and Delhi. In the1980’s Cairo was gifted a green heart, which was later in the 1990th formulated into the Azhar park project. Similarly, in 1997 the Humayun’s Tomb Garden restoration was announced as a gift to India on the 50th anniversary of Independence. The two projects continued in the 2000s with a conservation and urban revitalization schemas, which included historical building restoration, housing improvement and socioeconomic development programs. This paper analyzes the two projects and assesses the situation of the historical conservation, the housing and socio-economic programs in 2016 and 2017. The methodology adapted in this research is based on literature review, and site visits to the projects in both Egypt and India. The paper argues that in Egypt the project has declined and deteriorated after 2011 political event and the district suffered from the construction of informal buildings, while in India, the project has succeeded to continue successfully. This paper raises public awareness toward historical districts, and ensures the importance to find a mechanism to guarantee the continuity of the conservation and urban revitalization of the historical sites. The paper concludes with findings and recommendations.