Together with the UNESCO Regional Office for Maghreb countries, and with the support of the German Development Cooperation GIZ and the Spanish AECID, the UfM launched a series of workshops as part of the programme “Traditional Building Skills in the Southern Mediterranean Region: Know-How in the South Mediterranean.”
Urban heritage and traditional building skills play a crucial role in mitigating the impacts of climate change. By incorporating sustainable materials and climate-adaptive designs in buildings and cities, these practices enhance environmental resilience while fostering cultural identity and community cohesion.
The use of traditional techniques for renovation and retrofitting reduces carbon emissions, stimulates local economies, and encourages adaptive reuse and smart growth. By lowering energy consumption and promoting a circular economy, traditional building skills support more sustainable and resilient cities.
Held in Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia, among others, these workshops aimed to:
- Identify and promote best practices for raising awareness, preserving, and revitalising vernacular architecture and traditional construction techniques.
- Strengthen the cultural embeddedness of traditional solutions and their capacity to adapt to the climate.
- Support a sustainable local economy by fostering employment opportunities linked to traditional materials and techniques, and sustainable tourism.
- Protect urban heritage and reinforce its role in sustainable development.
