Simulaciones de cambio impositivo

5.2.1 A

The Architectural Heritage Preservation Committee (AHPC) was formed by a decision taken by the Prime Minister46 on 30 September 1998, which stipulates the formation of a committee or more for each Egyptian governorate. Each committee should include a group of specialists: university professors, the Supreme Council of Antiquities representatives, the Urban Planning Commission of the Ministry of Housing, neighbourhood leaders and the directorate of housing of the governorate. The committee’s tasks were:

- The inventorying and conducting of a field survey of the palaces and villas, as well as buildings and facilities which have a distinguished architectural style, or are related to national history or a historic personality, and represent a historic age and are considered a tourist site.

- Registration of what has been recorded in specific records assigned for this purpose; granting the records a special number with comprehensive description of every palace, a villa, a building or facility.

- Submitting description and inventory sheets to the Cabinet within a period not exceeding three months starting from October 1998 and provide sheets of what is being occupied or utilised by Government agencies. A buildings registration list has been prepared according to the following values: Firstly, through the historical, archaeological and functional value; and secondly, the architectural value of a building or the urban environment and their distinctive qualities. The results of this study were the inventory and study of 6433 buildings; about 30 per cent of them were recorded as buildings of architectural, cultural, and historical value. These buildings were not included or recorded before to preserve them in one way or another.

This positive approach within the limits of inventory and registration is the first step to preserve. Where did the problem come from? It emerged from some of the points referred to earlier in the study, which confirm that the problems of heritage conservation in Egypt rely mainly on the ambiguous differentiation between conservation and revitalisation in policy making, in terms of the fact that most of the policies produced were lacking the proper revitalising objectives as well as a lack of economic regeneration.

46

There was a late, ineffective attempt by the government to introduce a managing agency called the Historic Cairo Restoration Centre (HCRC) located at the citadel buildings reporting to the Prime Minister’s Office. The centre mostly worked on recording the listed monuments and designing plans for development. Unfortunately, they were never implemented because these proposals had to confront the different ministries which have power too and can stop the development procedures. In all previous attempts, there is a broad abandonment of the major key players; NGOs, private investors and the most important the community living in the urban heritage spaces. These main key players never been introduced in the whole historic conservation scenario, except for a few minor attempts by the local and private development organisations.

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The study referred to the problems within local authorities of those working in this area. Indeed, the role played by of local authorities was the process of submitting and registering the cases through assigned neighbourhood’s engineers – knowing as they do, little about heritage. Therefore, the results of the tests were deficient due to non-specialisation and incompetence.

The interviews (Zaki, 2008) demonstrated that some university professors who are members of the Committee have reviewed the works of the inventory and registration, and they have flagged up actual cases which deserve to join the list after registration and photography commenced. Nevertheless, there was a lack of objectivity and direction to allow the specialised body to perform the designating process.

Moreover, the study already referred to the lack of modern equipment available for urban designation; and this was the prime obstacle facing the designating committees/groups. This was because designation decisions taken were based on photographs of the forefronts of buildings only, which is deficient in the selecting process, and there was no facilities for drawing horizontal projections, building details and passages, made it an unfair way for judging the quality of the built heritage. Even though, the buildings chosen for designation lacked a hereditary value, they were listed the same as any historical monuments, under one category. For instance, the great pyramids are equal in value and hierarchy to a small water fountain from the 1500s.

FIGURE 5.1: DEMONSTRATION OF THE GOVERNMENT’S STRUCTURAL SYSTEM FOR DECISION-MAKING BEFORE POLICY NO. 144 OF 2009.

Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing Utilities City Governorates Ministry of Culture Ministry of Endowments Community and Users NGOs Prime Minister’s Office Consultation HCRC WAQF Properties

Conflicts & Power Struggles

Conflicts & Power Struggles

Revitalising

Historic

Decision Making Decision Making

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5.2.2 N

As a result of to the vast array of problems discovered and experienced due to the lack of official coordination and fragile regulations, Egyptian architecture and historic quarters have reached a high degree of chaos and deterioration. According to Lamie (2005; p.137), “the register issued in

1951 listed 622 historic buildings. In the last forty years about eighty have been lost and those remaining have deteriorated.” The historic quarters lost their beauty, visual harmony and

eventually filled up with spontaneous unpleasant architecture which is short of style and identity.

Finally, someone had to fight back; Mr. Samir Gharib47 started his campaign against the deterioration of architectural values by analysing the recent urban settings according to aesthetic appearance and functionality. He published several articles presenting the recent problems in relation to the present regulations, professional architects, urban artists and bureaucrats enlisted. Gharib evaluated the new urban developments that have a negative effect on the historic remains, as in the case of Luxor city, when the Government proposed a new bridge across the Nile which could destroy some historic landscapes on the historic west bank (Gharib, 1997). Eventually, the Ministry of Culture backed its well experienced officials and started proposing a new founded organisation with a fresh set of policies that could deal with the problems of power struggling and ethical corruption.

In 2003, a new organisation was introduced to the Egyptian parliament by the name of National Organisation for Urban Harmony – NOUH. Running under the Ministry of Culture, the main of objective of NOUH is to add beauty and harmony to the deteriorated urban quarters in general and historic quarters specifically based on a certain artistic vision. According to Gharib’s vision of development, NOUH is structured upon different committees related to specific tasks, for instance, Historic Quarters Revitalisation Committee, Streets Furniture Committee, Advertisements and Lighting Controlling Committee, Plantation and Landscaping Committee, etc. All these committees coordinate through a single organisation by the supervision of the cultural affairs minister’s office (Jesri, 2004; Al Malky, 2005).

NOUH started working first by designing some plans regarding urban beauty development and restoration, then moving to a more advanced stage by proposing new projects, such as developing the Ramsis Square. By time, NOUH faced major challenges summarized in the lack of coordination and struggles on power. Thus, the minister requested a new policy. In 2006, a Presidential policy No. 144 was forwarded which gives all the power to NOUH and its subsidiary committees in decision making, designation and promoting any developing acts regarding the urban setting both in historic quarters and in regular urban districts with special architectural appearance.

47

Samir Gharib, an experienced journalist, writer and art critic; previously worked as the Director of the Egyptian Arts Academy in Rome related to the Ministry of Culture, and currently is the Chairman of the National Organisation for Urban Harmony (NOUH).

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The study tends to focus on the Historic Quarters Revitalisation Committee48 – HQRC – and its role. HQRC started by setting some policies, first their interest will not only focus on old historic quarters but also new quarters with a unique architectural significance, as in the case of Baghdad Street – Heliopolis. Eventually, this broadens their work; in addition, to the enormous load of work at the old historic quarters, but they have to quickly start designating these special quarters. HQRC faced a major challenge during the quarter’s designation process, because, as buildings’ owners applied for demolition permission through the local authorities to take advantage of the elevated high land price; however, if the HQRC lists the building, then owners will not have the right to demolish, modify or even refurbish it. Other owners tried pressuring the tenants to pay higher leases than usual, unless owners will apply a building demolishment application and subsequently getting the tenants out. On the other hand, in the case where the HQRC designated a specific quarter, the building owners cannot remove or modify the existing buildings without its permission. Therefore, it had to work quickly before losing the remaining built heritage. In regard to the issuing of new building licenses, Article 82 of policy No. 144 in 2009 stipulates,

“It is essential to go by the principles and specifications designed by the HQRC in case of new buildings, or modifications of existing buildings, or

by designing any features and spaces as roads and pavements.49”

The HQRC board exerted pressure on all governorates in collaboration with NOAH’s members to finish designation by the end of 2008, in order to allow the board to start a national development scheme for historic and significant quarters. According to a personal interview with Mr Samir Gharib,50 he stated that, “Since the beginning of 2007 the governorates municipalities were

supposed to work on the designation and listing of unique built heritage. But because these officials do not want the HQRC to have control in their areas, they did not finish this phase of work leaving behind the built heritage under continuous threat of permitting demolition or alterations, eventually, lose the heritage value forever.” In parallel, the board members designed a

new manual for the development of the historic quarters similar to the PPG 15 in England. The manual is in final draft form but has not yet been accredited by the Egyptian Parliament51. The major future challenge for HQRC is how to manage the development programmes and revitalisation in coordination with the other developing committees, local authorities, NGOs, investors and the public. Nevertheless, NGOs should play an ample role in persuading the communities and owners about the new policies and propose developments to respect the cultural heritage and the visual potential in collaboration with the private investors that have never had a practical opportunity to work in an existing urban development (CDCNH, 2007 online page).

48

Historic Quarters Revitalisation Committee (HQRC), a member of the NOUH developing committees, having Prof. Salah Said Zaki as the president and other eight reputable members of different public universities specialized in urban development’s and historic preservation.

49

An important remark raised here, actually that there are other articles within this law which also focus on urban design principles, but it never went it more detail leaving behind many administrative actions concerning building licenses, advertisement permissions, street furniture, etc. at the local authorities stopped.

50

An interview with the author was held on the 12th January 2009.

51

HQRC Manual, the proposed manual is included in the new national building code that is currently being discussed and accredited by the parliament to strongly emphasize the need for definite law protecting the unique urban quarters’ preservation.

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NOUH is considered one new active player within the developing process. However, some key players need to be brought into the equation in order to complete the overall picture of the involved stakeholders. Some, though, were inherited due to previous policies and others have the right to be included.