Leverage Cultural Heritage as a Tool of Urban Agendas. Focus on Greater Cairo, Egypt

Elrawy, Sara Mamdouh

doi:10.21608/jesaun.2025.370736.1462

Leverage Cultural Heritage as a Tool of Urban Agendas. Focus on Greater Cairo, Egypt

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Sara Mamdouh Elrawy

Architecture, Fine arts, Helwan university, Cairo, Egypt

10.21608/jesaun.2025.370736.1462

Abstract

Cities around the world strategically employ culture and cultural heritage to achieve a variety of objectives, such as promoting tourism, fostering social cohesion, enhancing quality of life, driving innovation, and strengthening local pride. Cultural heritage plays a critical role in shaping urban identities, preserving historical assets, supporting sustainable development, empowering communities, and enhancing competitiveness.
A contemporary perspective highlights the role of cultural heritage in urban regeneration, particularly in preserving the urban fabric, promoting economic competitiveness, and supporting the tourism and creative sectors. These efforts generate employment, attract investment, improve infrastructure, and reinforce social cohesion. Additionally, Cultural Routes serve as an effective tool to engage residents and visitors by showcasing historical landmarks, thereby strengthening local identity. Emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR), are also recognized for their potential to enhance the preservation and revitalization of cultural heritage.
This research provides a comprehensive analysis of the strategies global cities use to preserve, revitalize, and regenerate cultural heritage, examining the balance between conservation efforts, modern innovation, and the integration of advanced technologies. Drawing on national case studies, the study demonstrates the wide-ranging benefits of culture and heritage for urban environments. It concludes by proposing a conceptual framework specific to Egypt, which identifies key indicators for balancing heritage preservation, community engagement, infrastructure development, economic growth through cultural tourism, creative and knowledge sharing, and identity building, alongside the use of modern technology. The study also calls for further research to explore these dynamics in greater depth.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Architecture Engineering and the Engineering Architectural Interior Design.

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