Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme: Exposición en la Agencia de Apoyo de la Arquitectura de Barcelona

Abstract

At the end of the 1970s, the need for leaving modern architecturebehind and the blind faith in progress gave wayto different forms of articulating our relation with history andreligion, especially in Muslim countries. Under these circumstancespostmodernism emerged, allowing the use ofhistoric architecture, once more, as a tool for defining theidentities of the different communities of the planet.

Historic cities in the Islamic world host more than one third ofthe World Heritage, as defined by UNESCO. Unfortunately,is some cases these cities correspond to the world’s poorestcommunities, where the built heritage keeps deteriorating.Under such conditions, how can these historic cities, all ofthem of great inspirational value for future generations, berecovered without transforming them into uninhabited museums?How can the process of nullifying the authenticityof these urban settlements be avoided? The projects presentedat this exhibition illustrate different approaches foranswering all these questions, all of them situated undera global perspective that goes beyond the simple materialconservation of the built heritage. For all these projects, cultureworks as the main structural axis of socio-economicdevelopment. Sharing strategies and tools, both private andpublic, becomes the main goal in order to preserve the legacyfrom the past, the cultural diversity and the livability ofhistoric cities.