Speaker
Description
As cities worldwide grapple with the pressures of rapid urbanization and cultural heritage preservation, Ramallah’s case study offers a compelling case to understand these challenges within the context of geopolitically constrained urban landscapes. While cities like Jerusalem, Nablus, Bethlehem, and Hebron hold rich cultural heritage and thus significance in the Palestinian context, Ramallah’s historic center is less renowned. However, it encapsulates transformative impacts compounded by demographic changes, geopolitical pressures, and growth pressures, making it a unique lens through which to examine the tensions between urban development and heritage preservation.
Once a small village, Ramallah underwent significant transformation following the 1948 Nakba, which displaced waves of refugees from coastal Palestinian towns like Lod, Ramla, and Jaffa. This influx spurred rapid urban growth and renewal to accommodate refugees which did changes in the city’s historic fabric, including the loss of numerous historic buildings. Another pivotal moment was the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in 1994, positioning Ramallah as the administrative hub and de facto capital of Palestine. The resulting population growth and economic expansion placed unprecedented pressures on the city’s historic center, leading to its neglect and, in some cases, its demolition to accommodate new development and capital.
In addition to these internal pressures, Ramallah’s geographic location is quite sensitive as its growth has been restricted by surrounding Israeli settlements, which limit access to land for urban expansion as well as the fact that 21% of its area is Area C which represents areas that are restricted for Palestinians to build at because they are fully Israeli-controlled. These geopolitical constraints have exacerbated the risks to the city’s cultural heritage – both tangible and intangible – threatening its erosion and loss.
This article explores how such transformative changes have shaped Ramallah’s historic center, emphasizing the risks posed by rapid urbanization and occupation. Using a mixed-methods approach, including observations, document analysis, and in-depth interviews with stakeholders and community members, it highlights the role of authorities and community-driven initiatives in safeguarding cultural heritage and reviving it. It emphasizes the role of grassroots efforts, such as festivals and cultural activities in reconnecting intangible cultural heritage with the city’s tangible landscape and landmarks successfully, fostering social cohesion and resilience despite external pressures.
The study underscores how contested social relations, local resilience, and public awareness have shaped efforts to revitalize the historic center, even in the absence of formal regeneration and revitalization plans. Ramallah now stands as a powerful example of how cities in constrained environments can balance urban growth with heritage preservation and revitalization through innovative, community-driven approaches. The findings offer practical insights for urban planners, policymakers, and cultural heritage advocates working in similarly pressured contexts, demonstrating how heritage can serve as both a tool for resilience and a foundation for sustainable urban development. However, the study also identifies potential risks, such as gentrification due to uncontrolled and unmitigated urban development, which might displace long-standing communities and alter the area’s cultural identity in the future.
References
al-Houdalieh, S. H. and Sauders, R. R. (2009) ‘Building Destruction: The Consequences of Rising Urbanization on Cultural Heritage in the Ramallah Province’, International Journal of Cultural Property, 16 (1), pp. 1–23. doi: 10.1017/S0940739109090043.
Amiry, S. and Bshara, K. (2005) ‘Political Conflict and Recovery of Cultural Heritage in Palestine, Cultural Heritage in Postwar Recovery’, in Stanley-Price, N. (ed.) ICCROM FORUM, Rome: ICCROM, pp. 68–74.
Bleibleh, S. and Awad, J. (2020) ‘Preserving Cultural Heritage: Shifting Paradigms in the Face of War, Occupation, and Identity’, Journal of Cultural Heritage, 44, pp. 196–203. doi: 10.1016/j.culher.2020.02.013.
Bosredon, P., Gravereau, S., Grégoris, M.-T. and Habane, A. (2014) ‘Art et culture à Ramallah dans les Territoires palestiniens occupés (TPO): Entre patrimoine, revendications politiques et développement territorial’, Belgeo, (3). doi: 10.4000/belgeo.13392.
De Cesari, C. (2010) ‘Creative Heritage: Palestinian Heritage NGOs and Defiant Arts of Government’, American Anthropologist, 112 (4), pp. 625–637. doi: 10.1111/j.1548-1433.2010.01280.x.
Issa, I. and Joudeh, L. (2014) The Manual for the Rehabilitation of the Historic Centre of Ramallah. RIWAQ.
Raddad, S. and Samat, N. (2016) ‘Urban development and expansion trends under the political instability in Palestine: Jerusalem-Ramallah case study’, International Journal of Development Research, 6 (8), pp. 8940–8947.
| Keywords | Historic Centers; Cultural Heritage Preservation; Rapid Urbanization; Geopolitical constraints; Revitalization |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | No |
