The Walled City of Famagusta: A Framework for Urban Conservation and Regeneration

The Walled City of Famagusta: A Framework for Urban Conservation and Regeneration
2008-2012
Led by: Randy Mason
Students: Michele Craren, Samantha Kuntz, Ellis Mumford, Moira Nadal, Kelly Wiles, Research Associate: Aysem Kilinc-Unlu
Funded by: The World Monuments Fund

Famagusta is an intact fortified town on the east coast of Cyprus with a long and fascinating history and deep significance as a heritage place, which faces a number of urgent threats. The Historic Walled City of Famagusta was included on the 2008 and 2010 World Monuments Watch. The Watch nomination called attention to the challenges and limitations for international collaboration on heritage protection in northern Cyprus. During the Summer of 2012, Historic Preservation graduate students from the University of Pennsylvania took part in a project to research and analyze the potentials and threats for urban conservation and regeneration at the historic Walled City. The study team formulated proposals to balance heritage preservation, economic development, urban design and social sustainability goals at the city. The project had the goal of providing the opportunity for graduate students to gain experience in diagnosing and documenting urban conservation issues at a unique historic urban environment. The project helped expose participants to the challenges of working in a foreign administrative, economical, and socio-cultural context. Lastly, the project required the production of professional quality documentation for the presentation of findings. World Monuments Fund has compiled these findings into a report with the goal of disseminating the knowledge and insight that was gained through these efforts and stimulating an overdue conversation on heritage management in the historic city.