4th Workshop on Urban Heritage and Traditional Building Skills
Transport et développement urbain
9-10 May 2024, Nouakchott, Mauritania. The UfM has been organising, in cooperation with UNESCO Regional Office for Maghreb Countries and with the financial support of the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), a series of workshops entitled “Urban Heritage and Traditional Building Skills in the Southern Mediterranean Region”. The objective is to identify and promote good practices in raising awareness, preserving and promoting vernacular architecture and traditional construction techniques. In addition, it aims to strengthen the cultural embeddedness of traditional solutions and their capacity to adapt to the climate, to promote a sustainable local economy and to create useful and qualified jobs linked to traditional materials and techniques, as well as to protect urban heritage.
On 6 July 2023, the inaugural meeting of the project was held in Barcelona, Spain, with the participation of representatives of the national governments of the countries participating in the project (Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia), as well as experts from national and international organizations. Following this first meeting, a series of workshops are being organised in each of the participating countries. The first three workshops took place in Tunis, Tunisia on 5-7 December 2023, in Ouarzazate, Morocco on 28 February-1 March 2024, and in Timimoun and Adrar, Algeria on 16-18 April 2024.
The fourth workshop will take place in Nouakchott, Mauritania on 9-10 May 2024. National and international experts will come together to closely examine the use of traditional construction. During two days, participants will explore innovative solutions that take advantage of traditional construction, with particular emphasis on the use of local materials and vernacular techniques. This is part of an approach aimed at strengthening the resilience of local heritage. Examining this question will help direct discussions toward specific approaches intended to rebuild the country sustainably and adapt to climate challenges.
