Within the Mediterranean region, historical studies as well as realities on the ground testify to the presence of a substantial 19th and 20th centuries’ heritage, which is the product of inter-cultural exchanges and the sharing of technical know-how during that period. The modernisation of the urban fabrics of the south Mediterranean was the outcome of local processes compounded by external inputs from Ottoman and European colonisation. The protection of this heritage is an essential prerequisite for the valorisation of this heritage and its integration to development planning at both the global and local levels. This project aims at implementing activities that would help train various professionals and heighten awareness among the populations; these include training, workshops, targeted activities, and info days. The actors within this project will be responsible for the preparation of technical documents for the authorities of Casablanca which would be used in their application to UNESCO for the title of « Deco » for the city centre. It also aims to produce a series of publications to heighten awareness of this heritage which is generally unknown. Also, five exhibitions will be organized around the core of the project, its objectives and activities, and these will contribute to make this heritage better known to the larger public. The project consortium, which includes Citeres (France), Casamémoire and ENA (Morocco), ASM Tunis (Tunisia), Riwaq (Palestinian Authority) and Oikos (Italie), aim to integrate this recent heritage in the day-to-day reality of life in partner cities through processes that are respectful of their heritage value, both tangible and intangible.
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