15. Reconstruction of Heritage and Spirit: Mending the Scars of Aleppo

Reconstruction processes tend to generate prolonged controversies especially in the aftermath of intercommunal conflicts where complications accumulate due to the sensitivity that the word reconstruction can carry. In this case, the process of post-war reconstruction has the potential either to advance social recovery or to hinder it. This concerns every expert and decision-maker, who hope for the sustainability of a fragile peace and of what is to be reconstructed, with fears of failure and relapse. These two possibilities refer to the public reception of the process and the new reality it implies. Therefore, it must be addressed in order for the reconstruction process to transcend from being merely physical to also becoming social. This chapter intends to go through this discussion and investigate the contribution of built heritage and the restoration of historical centres to social recovery and the resilience of cities. It employs Aleppo as a case study, a divided city that is in a state of precarious peace. Its historical centre, the Old City of Aleppo, is a World Heritage Site that was severely destroyed in the Battle of Aleppo (2012–2016). Its reconstruction has been facing numerous challenges, including the lack of coordination and funding, issues of ownership and legislations, as well as bureaucratic procrastination. These problems became more evident through the quality of the implemented reconstruction works. In response, questions of what to rebuild and how, of priorities and methods, and the value of public participation are discussed in this chapter. In addition, a context-specific reconstruction strategy is proposed. It aims to contribute to social recovery by addressing the sociocultural and economic issues of the city. The discussion of this chapter, which tackles a contemporary case study, brings new considerations for upcoming reconstruction strategies, in Syria and elsewhere, that integrate physical and social reconstruction processes.