The Editorial

Historic Houses Makeovers: Improving the Living Conditions of Residents of Historic Centers

Historic Houses Makeovers: Improving the Living Conditions of Residents of Historic Centers A 15-minute Documentary – 10 February 2011 – Birzeit University

19th and 20th Century Architecture and Spaces in Between: from the central highlands to the Jordan Valley path

The main aim of this project is to highlight both the values and potentials of the most significant elements in the 19th and 20th century rural architecture, the surrounding landscape (the spaces in between), as well as the local cultural activities and services.

This will be accomplished through creating a trail (a path) that connects towns, villages and refugee camps in the Ramallah area. These spaces are considered as the basis (an infrastructure) for what could turn into alternative cultural tourism that is not merely based on “religious” or monuments of the “nobility” (a market almost entirely controlled by Israelis) but rather on local cultures and ways of life. This particular trail passes through the following towns and villages: Al Mazra’a al Qibiliya, Birziet, Jifna, ‘Ein Sinya, Yabrud, Silwad, Deir Jarir, and Al-Taybeh.

Architectural and urban heritage, sustainable development, social awareness