Adopting food as a strategy for urban reconnection in heritage sites : the old city of Baalbek

Abstract

Baalbek presents the typical urban problematic of a vernacular city in proximity to a world heritage site. Throughout distant periods of the history up to the twenty-first century, four spatial entities defined the urban structure of Baalbek, while being constantly reshaped by various socio-economic factors: the archeological site; the dense residential fabric extending mainly along Ras Al-Ain road; the Ras Al-Ain site with its water source and natural landscape; and the vast agricultural fields surrounding the city. Each of these entities operates according to different spatial, economic and sociocultural modes, constituting settings that are weakly connected. This thesis exposes the problematic of disconnection between the archeological site, the old city, Marjet Ras- Al-Ain and the agricultural fields on three levels: space, heritage and economies. First, the disconnection of heritage layers, forms and practices; Second, the disconnection and lack of spatial integration between the old city, its green open space and the archeological site, as well as the disconnection of open public spaces due to an imposing vehicular infrastructure, Ras Al-Ain Street among others; Third, the disjointed cycles of food production and consumption; and Fourth, the disconnection between the tourist and community's economy; is the urban condition and problematique I aim to tackle in this thesis. The hypothesis is that a greater spatial and economic integration and connection between the different entities of the city will lead to a viable and sustainable development. This physical, economic and socio-cultural connection based on a viable economic tool -the local food production and consumption- would reactivate the old city, while increasing its livability and enhancing its economy. The thesis aims to achieve that by proposing a comprehensive connection between the four entities, spatially, economically and culturally through a series of linkages along Ras Al-Ain Street, based on the theme of food. In this thesis, Heritage is the