Sustainable environmental development and the urban heritage preservation (Old Aleppo city)

Old Aleppo is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is a city inside city. Five thousand years of urban history and development of social and cultural transformation have made it an exciting place in the Near East . It has been ruled by many civilizations. In 1986 UNESCO has classified the Old City as World Cultural Heritage, primarily for its unique dense urban fabric which was entirely intact and mirrored by an authentic mixture of functions, land uses, and lifestyle displaying traditional oriental culture and vitality. An impressive sight, the old city occupies 400 hectares packed with courtyard houses, souks, Khans, Hamam, mosques, churches and Schools, with its tenth-century monumental Citadel rising at its center, which pose with the Citadel the most prominent historic architectural site in Aleppo. Also Aleppo has been an important crossroad for trade which links East and West as it has the longest covered market in the world with a total area of 16 hectares. Aleppo is famous for its environmental green architecture which is not less important than its historical significance; and therefore Aleppo’s sets an example for sustainable architecture; which in the same time reflects originality, identity and environmental solutions of sustainable architecture. However, for about 80 years Old Aleppo has experienced a loss of its sheltering function, because of several mistakes and causes. The city-administration has not been quick enough to recognize socio-economic changes going on outside its walled entities. The incompatibility with the orientations of modernity such as negligence of the urban fabric and traditional architecture approach in turn has led to various forms of pollutions and deterioration such as visual and environmental pollutions and social and economic deterioration that is accompanied by the weakness of the market potentials and tourism, which also led to the migration of many residents. However it is now known that this architectural and urban legacy obtained over the periods of history must gain extensive attention as it is standard now that such historical and archaeological buildings have a great cultural value and not considered the property of specific category or class but rather the property of all humanity; and that’s why it must be restored. Therefore Adoption of environment sustainable development shall enhance the strong relation between the environment and economy; and social security, improving economic conditions and raise the level of social life in way that fits the preservation of the basic components of a natural life. The study has focused on the particularities of the historical city of Aleppo of the urban social and economic fabric and its climatic conditions and it has evaluated it current status. The proposed research will apply the principles and concepts of green architecture environment, sustainable design, the entries of the modern concepts with its positive and negative parts to the city of Aleppo. This can already be seen in the principles of the environmental design which corresponds to the hot arid zone of the city. The study concentrates as well on the historical and architectural significance of the old city of Aleppo; while examining the environmental architecture of it and assessing its past status and the patterns of its traditional houses, covered markets and its fabric. The research is also examining comprehensive problems and mistakes and their causes which face the city. The study finally presents its goals, recommendations and solutions, with benefiting of all the experiences and studies and projects that have been applied on the old city, in order to raise and enhance the environmental and general awareness, with the aim of maintaining the "Old City" alive and well preserved for the future generations and to avoid to make it a ‘dead museum’.Aim Preserve the historic fabric of the old city of Aleppo, which lies within the World Heritage site, re-revive its historic center by sustainable development and its important environmental dimension is within the futuristic vision can be exchanged and discussed so that it can be a positive point for turning the entire City Sustainable Development Defined as “meeting the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. Sustainable development entails three interrelated dimensions (environmental, economic and social). There are no dividing lines between environment, Socially and Economy since the emergence and spread of the concept of sustainable development, which confirmed beyond any doubt that the sustainability of economic growth can not be achieved under the threat of environmental contaminants.