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

Elrawy, Sara Mamdouh

doi:10.21608/jesaun.2025.370736.1462

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	Leverage Cultural Heritage as a Tool of Urban Agendas. Focus on Greater Cairo, Egypt
Article 12, Volume 53, Issue 4, July and August 2025, Page 495-536 PDF (3.21 MB)
Document Type: Research Paper
DOI: 10.21608/jesaun.2025.370736.1462
View on SCiNiTO
Author
Sara Mamdouh Elrawy
Architecture, Fine arts, Helwan university, Cairo, Egypt
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
Cultural heritage; Virtual Technologies; Cultural Routes; Preservation; Urban Regeneration
Main Subjects
Architecture Engineering and the Engineering Architectural Interior Design.


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