Abstract
International agencies and a number of foreign countries have offered technical and financial assistance in carrying out the preservation of the Old City of Sana a in Yemen, which was included in the World Heritage List of UNESCO in 1986. Such efforts, however, were undertaken without citizen's participation, and the preservation of historical monuments have preceded the provision of the living environment and infrastructure. This study aims to clarify the historic environment of Sana a through an interdisciplinary study (urban planning, architecture, anthropology, sociology, and public health) of Yemen-Islamic traditional urban structures and tower-type housing, and to propose a method for conservation-based development on the premise that the local social structure and culture of the city should be maintained and passed on to the next generation. The basics of conservation-based development is the improvement of the living environment, and creation of new environment. The main points of the proposal are as follows:
1. Organizing a system for citizen's participation: The residents' opinions and collaboration are essential for the conservation of the historic environment. Although the traditional social system of the Old City has been undergoing change, the status of the akil/uqqal as the chief of harah/harat has been retained. In forming the system for citizens' participation, the harah should be considered as the main body for citizens' participation and the akil its representative.
2. Conservation of the urban fabric : The one-fourth of the Old City of Sana a was a green area which was ruined by modernization. The installation of septic tanks in the mosques makes it possible to reuse the wastewater for maqshama and bustan. The restoration of traditional land use is effective for the conservation of the urban fabric.
The conservation and development of the Old City of Sana a is becoming increasingly complex for it involves various issues. The first step is, however, the recognition by those carrying out the conservation plan that the task should be entrusted to the residents, and this may be the key to resolving this problem.
