Master-planningRegeneration & strategy

Co-creating a vision for public realm improvements with local artists, designers and the city authority

This was a collaboration between the World Monuments Fund, Barah Culture and Arts Centre, the Historical City Administration Authority of Benghazi and Fadlallah Dagher, a Lebanese based heritage architect.

We  provided skills training to support the restoration of two war damaged heritage buildings and an underused public space in the heart of Benghazi’s historic centre. This included developing plans for a ‘tactical’ intervention to bring this vision to life and serve as a model for further conservation and community regeneration in the city.

In support of this we carried out four training sessions:

  • An introduction to urban design
  • Tactical urbanism and the design process
  • Sketch design and vision workshop
  • In-person co-design workshops and precedent tour of heritage restoration and public realm improvement projects in Cairo.

An emerging vision

The emerging vision for the site was that any design for the public space should:

  • Reflect the historical character and identity of the area;
  • Link to the local artistic community through artwork produced by the Barah artists such as sculptures, mosaics and murals.
  • Create a comfortable, multifunctional and welcoming space that feels safe for the whole community to gather at all times of the day with shading, seating, a restored fountain, places to play and improved lighting. There should be space for office workers to relax in the day and provide a space for art and music in the evening;
  • Weave greenery throughout the site with more trees and pockets of planting to create a calm space for relaxation that also boosts biodiversity; and
  • Improve access by making it easier to move through the site on foot.

Next steps:

Attendees from Barah Culture and Arts Centre, the Historical City Administration Authority of Benghazi will now work up sketch plans in further detail to deliver  tactical interventions on the site in early 2025.

Client: World monument fund

Timescale: 2024 to 2025