Themes of the Forum

1. The notion of culture of Omran (Baukultur) or, the culture of the built environments:

  • How can the culture of built environment be defined? How do we identify and know the characteristics of the living-built environment and its origins in Arab Culture and Heritage?
  • What distinguishes the culture of built environment in the Arab region? What are the factors affecting the use and preservation of built environments?
  • What are the determinants of the built environment hierarchy? How do they contribute to the creation of a clearly built environment/landscape layers for the region?
  • What is the role of the culture of built environment in the growth and prosperity of human civilization? How is it related to the social system?

2. The importance of culture of built environment in enhancing the role of communities to sustain cultural heritage:

  • What is the role of the culture of built environment in building and leveraging community’s knowledge for the production of sustainable urban and territorial policies? What is the role of the community in shaping and enhancing the built environment culture?
  • What is the importance of cultural heritage to the community? What role does the community play in preserving and promoting cultural heritage?
  • How does cultural heritage contribute to community development? What role does it play in creating job opportunities and economic growth at local and regional levels?
  • How have heritage and its values inherent in cultural traditions contributed to inspiring and building tomorrow’s societies? What are its implications in today’s world?
  • What are the examples of community’s traditional practices that promote and sustain cultural heritage?

3. Cultural preparedness as a tool for the resilience of heritage:

  • What is the importance of connecting tangible and intangible heritage in order to preserve the identity of a community and its historic place and territory?
  • How to connect heritage and community to promote peace and resilience during disasters and conflicts?
  • Can cultural heritage be considered a source of psycho-social support, as well as a coping mechanism in times of conflict?

4. Community-based adaptation and culture-based resilience:

Examples of community-based adaptation to address natural hazards and/or climate change.
Examples of community-based adaptation during wars and conflicts.
  • What is the role of community-based adaptation in heritage conservation? What is its role in building community resilience?
  • What are the similarities and differences between disaster risk reduction in times of conflict and following natural hazards in climate change adaptation?
  • What is the role of youth and women in achieving community-based adaptation to address risks and achieve heritage resilience?

5. Integrating socio-cultural dimensions into cultural heritage policies, as an approach to achieve community cohesion, inclusiveness, and equality for sustaining and preserving historic environments:

  • How does heritage contribute to a community’s cohesion? What role does it play in fostering the sense of belonging in a community and a common identity?
  • Does heritage help communities inherit and consolidate their values and beliefs for future generations?
  • What is the importance of promoting cultural diversity in alleviating in addressing issues of social and economic marginalization?
  • How do international organizations and institutions contribute to directing their programmes to achieve community cohesion to preserve cultural and heritage values, thereby achieving inclusiveness and equality among social groups?