This book examines examples of contemporary situation of historic regions in the Middle East and its broader geographic context connected to the historic trade routes, offering cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral perspectives. The region is home to ancient settlements and early human endeavors to form cities, and across the region historic urban historic features, such as ancient city centers, still exist alongside contemporary ones. Many of those historic regions are along the Silk Roads. However, the urban continuity that once existed over generations in the physical and social paradigm have been interrupted by rapid urbanization, globalization and urban economic pressures, in addition to conflicts and frequent destructive natural hazards. It is often the case that dealing with such pressing issues in a historic city is more complex than dealing with those in newly built cities and urban areas. Based on carefully selected and updated papers from the Silk Cities 2017 International Conference, this book appeals to researches, practitioners and policy makers.

Autorentext
Farnaz Arefian has a multidisciplinary background in development planning, urban design and architecture, and strategic management. She enjoys a combined 25 years of experience in academia and consultancy practice in the Middle East, UK and South East Asia, delivering various international researches and professional urban design and development projects and reconstruction. She is the founder of 'Silk Cities', an independent, bottom-up initiative that draws interest from a wide range of built environment professionals, academics and students from around the globe. The 'Silk Cities' initiative is concerned with contextual urban challenges that historical cities in countries along the historic Silk Roads face within the process of urban transformation, as a result of their historic past. Its initial focus area is the Middle East and Central Asia. Academically, Farnaz is affiliated with the University Of Newcastle, Australia, and an honorary research associate at DPU, UCL, UK.  She has published numerous peer-reviewed books, papers and book chapters, and professional articles, including the book 'Organising Post-Disaster Reconstruction Processes' and 'Urban Change in Iran'.

Iradj Moeini is a senior lecturer in architecture in Shahid Beheshti University (SBU), Tehranwhere he has obtained his MAand a practising architect in London. Having obtained his PhD from the Bartlett School of Graduate Studies, UCL, on contemporary architecture theory and criticism, he is the author and co-author of numerous papers and two books, has also taught in Yazd, Tehran Azad, and Shariati universities, and worked in a range of Iranian and British practices in a professional capacity. A member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Iranian Comparative Arts Circle, he is also an amateur photographer and musician.

Inhalt
Chapter 1: Introduction
Part I:Urban Heritage and Cultural Identity

Chapter 2: Public Open Spaces in Bahrain: Connecting Migrants and Urban Heritage in a Transcultural City, Wafa Al-Madani and Clare Rishbeth
Chapter 3: Paradise Extended; Re-examining the cultural anchors of the historic pleasure avenues, Niloofar Razavi 
Chapter 4: Landscape Architecture significance in restoration historical areas, old Muharak city, Bahrain, Islam El-Ghonaimy and Mohamed El-Ghonaimy 
Part II:Governing Urban Heritage
Chapter 5: The rise of the facilitation approach in tackling neighbourhood decline in Tehran, Kaveh Hajialiakbari 
Chapter 6: Rebuilding Tajee, Strategies to reverse the deterioration of cultural heritage and loss of identity of the historic quarters of Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq, Anna Soave and Bozhan Hawizy 
Chapter 7: Silk production as imported industrial heritage that came from Silk roads to Europe, Serbian example, Milica Kocovic 
Part III: Post-war Reconstruction and Urban Heritage
Chapter 8: Craftsmanship for reconstruction: artisans shaping Syrian cities, Mohammad Wesam Al Asali 
Chapter 9: Place-identity in historic cities; Case of post-war urban reconstruction in Erbil, Iraq, Avar Almukhtar 
Chapter 10: Restoration of traditional houses post-war on Gaza, Suheir Ammar and Nashwa Alramlawi 
Part IV: Zooming in: Urban Heritage in Iran
Chapter 11: Traditional house typologies revived. A case study in Sabzevar, Iran, Karin Raith and Hassan Estaji 
Chapter 12: Can modern heritage construct a sensible cultural identity? Iranian oil industries and the practice of place making, Iradj Moeini and Mojtaba Badiee 
Chapter 13: Evaluation of the Prospective Role of Affordable Housing in Regeneration of Historical Districts of Iranian Cities to Alleviate Socio-Spatial Segregation, Alireza Vaziri Zadeh 
Chapter 14: Integrative conservation of Tehran's oldest qanat by employing historic urban landscape approach, Narjes Zivdar and Ameneh Karimian 
Chapter 15: Silk Road Cities as Smart Cities, Mona Jabbari, University of Minho, Portugal
Chapter 16: Challenges of Participatory Urban Design: suggestions for socially rooted problems in the case study of Sang-e-Siah, Shiraz, Iran, Jahanshah Pakzad,Souri Elham and Hooman Foroughmand Araabi