TANGIBLE AND INTANGIBLE HERITAGE IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SUSTAINABLE CITY

This contribution is about the enhancement of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage and acknowledgement of environmental sustainability principles. It deals with the relationship between new ways of conceiving urban environments and new strategies for urban regeneration in northern and southern Mediterranean cities. Our main research hypothesis will show how the cultural heritage is now the force for change in Mediterranean cities, and involves stakeholders, craftsmen, local inhabitants and consumers. The case studies of Tunis and Marseille will help to address the issue of the enhancement of historic city centres and the redevelopment of abandoned industrial areas. In Tunis we will be examining two works by the Association de Sauvegarde de la Médina de Tunis (ASM): the first is a development project of an urban trail connecting public spaces with the architectural Heritage of Medina (2008), from the great Mosque Zitouna to Zaouina of Sidi Ibrahim Riahi. The second is a plan for urban refurbishment and development of public spaces and monuments in two important axes of the city: Avenue Bourguiba and Avenue de France (1999). In Marseille we have studied the Euroméditerranée project (1995-2030), promoted by the Etablissement Public d'Aménagement Méditerranée, an important project for socio-economic and urban renewal that will render the former port area more attractive. This major project is a good example of the refurbishment and urban renewal of abandoned industrial heritage, which is part of the intangible heritage of the city. The aim of these urban interventions is to enhance the heritage of the city and to sensitize and involve the local population, since they can provide a significant response to the new requirements of architectural heritage and public space, through integrated actions, taking into account social, economic, cultural and environmental aspects.