Dewan in deal for urban renewal of Iraqi historic cities

Dewan Architects and Engineers has been awarded two consultancy services contracts by the Iraqi Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works to study, master plan and design the centres of the historic and religious cities of Najaf and Karbala as part of two major “urban renewal” projects being undertaken by the government.

According to the terms of the contract, which was signed by Dewan’s Chairman Mohamed Al Assam, Dewan will be responsible for the urban renewal of the city centres of both Karbala Old Town and Najaf Old Town with a view of reinvigorating the urban fibre of these historic cities that have been neglected for many decades.

Al Assam said: “Dewan is honoured to have been selected to undertake these very important projects in two of Iraq’s most important historic and religious cities. Our overall aim for both cities is to revitalise, regenerate and adapt the urban fabric of the Old Towns to contemporary demands, while highlighting their historical and religious identity.”

“The dominating parameter for both cities at the moment is the millions of visitors who travel to the religious sites every year. Ensuring that the urban fabric of Najaf and Karbala can cope with exceptional demands during such peak periods is a top priority and is to be carefully studied and designed into the final master plans.”

The scope of Dewan’s contract includes documenting and verifying the condition of the areas, and carrying out all required studies and surveys; analysing and drawing conclusions based on the results; examining and presenting urban renewal alternatives, and preparing a comprehensive urban design report.

Dewan will also run several training workshops for the ministry as part of its “knowledge sharing” programme.

Since 2004, the government of Iraq, represented by the Iraqi Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works – Directorate General of Physical Planning, has been actively working to develop sustainable master plans for the cities of Iraq, as it strongly believes that proper planning is the key to achieving successful reconstruction of the country.

Dewan is a regional architectural firm with offices in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Libya, Qatar and the Philippines.

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