Digital Conference: Recovery of Aleppo: Law, Architecture and Geodata Management to Revive War-torn Cities

Recovery of ALEPPO
Law, Architecture and Geodata Management to Revive War-torn Cities
Digital Conference
18th-20th November 2021

Scientific and Organizational Committee:
Prof. Dr. habil. Fabian Thiel
MSc. Rahaf Orabi

The war in Syria began 10 years ago. Legal and planning expertise has been lost as a result of the war and is now lacking in local planning departments and building permit authorities. We seek to gain insights into the revitalization of urban centers in similar conflict regions of the world that are important in terms of building culture and architecture. As reconstruction measures and land transactions have begun after the end of the war, the “zero hour” for comprehensive recovery for ancient cities such as Aleppo has long since passed. However, there is not the slightest reason for resignation – quite the opposite.

This digital conference therefore sees itself as a platform for the collection of strategies that have definitely fallen short in the previous discourse and existing implementation guidelines drawn by donor organizations. It is the combination of law, architecture, planning, (digital) cadaster, data management and 3D multi-sensory geospatial data collection – to name just a few essential tools – for the reconstruction of the building fabric. For this purpose, the conference would like to provide interdisciplinary interested architects, archaeologists, (urban) planners, lawyers and geospatial data manager with approaches for thinking and acting to what extent cooperation strategies and fields of activity are possible for the recovery in Aleppo and other war-ravaged cities. With this conference, we are also pursuing the goal of supporting the initiation of functioning and sustainably resilient networks.

Program
18th November 2021 (Day 1)

09:15 | Welcome Speech: Prof. Dr.-Ing. René Dieter Thiele, Vice President of the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences
09:45 | Opening remarks and introduction: Prof. Dr. Fabian Thiel, Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences and
MSc. Rahaf Orabi, Pázmany Péter Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary

Session 1: Law
10:00 | Post-War Recovery and Context of the Old City of Aleppo
Thierry Grandin, Architect DPLG, Fresnes, France
10:45 | Recovery and Reconciliation – Reconstruction Concepts and the World Heritage Programme
Dr. Birgitta Ringbeck, World Heritage Coordinating Body, Federal Foreign Office, Germany
11:05 | A Multipurpose Cadastral Methodology in Post-Conflict Syria
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Maan Habib, Al-Balqa Applied University, Department of Civil Engineering, Amman, Jordan
11:25 | Discussion
11:50 | Break
12:00 | Perceptions of Tenure Insecurity: An Essential Tool in Recovery and Rebuilding
Shahd Mustafa, Coordinator of Prindex MENA region, Global Land Alliance
12:20 | Case Studies for Post-War Reconstruction of Monuments and the Urban Fabric
Dr. Nadezda Prokudina, Advisor of the scientific advisory board of the Committee of the Federation Council for Agricultural
and Nature Utilization, Moscow, Russian Federation
12:40 | Legal Protection of the Syrian Archaeological Heritage
Ayman Sulaiyman, Director of Legal affairs in the Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums, Damascus, Syria
13:00 | Discussion
13:15 | Break
13:40 | Integrating Tenure Rights with Socio-Spatial Balance Approach toward Sustainable Community in Aleppo
Mounir Azzam, PhD Candidate, Institute of Geography, Ruhr-University, Bochum, Germany
14:00 | Land Law and Land Management as Tools for Recovery
Prof. Dr. habil. Fabian Thiel, Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
14:20 | Discussion
14:40 | Break
Please note: Times are Central European Time (CET)

Program
18th November 2021 (Day 1)
Session 2: Architecture and Planning

15:00 | Landscape Strategies for a Sustainable and Inclusive Urban Recovery
Prof. Dr. Giulia Annalinda Neglia, Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering Sciences and Architecture at the Polytechnic University of Bari, Italy
15:45 | Rebuilding Aleppo – Postwar Reconstruction and Home Making
Prof. Dr. Fatina Kourdi, Dr. Sara Al-Nassir, Institute for Urban and Regional Planning, Technical University of Dresden, Germany
16:05 | Old Aleppo between Reconstruction and Urban Redevelopment Strategy
Dr. Maan Chibli, Associate Professor of Architecture & Urban Planning, Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul, Turkey
16:25 | Discussion
17:00 | End of Day 1

19th November 2021 (Day 2)
Session 2: Architecture and Planning

09:00 | Saving Brains: Academics at Risk and the Programs of International Rescue Organizations
Prof. Dr. Andreas Dittmann, Justus-Liebig-University of Giessen, Institute of Geography, Germany
09:20 | From Mapping to Capacity Building – Activities of BTU in Perspective
Prof. Heinz Nagler and Sepideh Zarrin Ghalam, BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, Germany
09:40 | The Regional Planning System for Syria: Drafted 2006-2009, Adopted 2010, but waiting for action in practice
Prof. H. Detlef Kammeier, Professor of Urban & Regional Planning, International Consultant, Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok
10:00 | Discussion
10:30 | Break
10:40 | The Role of Urban Resilience Strategies in Enhancing Livelihoods of Aleppo City’s Host Community
Suzanne Ghadanfar, Research Fellow at MSc Islamic Art, Architecture and Urbanism, Hamad bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar
11:00 | Aleppo: Deconstruction | Reconstruction
Christine Gedeon, Artist, Berlin, Germany
11:20 | Discussion
11:45 | Break
Please note: Times are Central European Time (CET)

Program
19th November 2021 (Day 2)
Session 2: Architecture and Planning

12:40 | Recreating Collective Memory: Adjusting to the Memories of the Beirut Blast
MSc. Maria J. Sleiman, Architect, Barcelona, Spain
13:00 | Problems and Perspectives of Urban Post-conflict Development
Prof. Kai Vöckler, Offenbach University of Art and Design, Germany
13:20 | Architecture in Iraq and Syria
Dr.-Ing. Lore Mühlbauer, Architect, Urban Planner, Germany
13:40 | Discussion
14:00 | Break
14:15 | Physical Isolation and Spatial Injustice: Analytical Study of the Neirab Refugees Camp in Aleppo
MSc. Saleem Shaheen, University of Debrecen, Hungary
14:35 | Heritage Conservation for Rebuilding Cities after Crisis
Dalia Mokayed, MSc. Heritage Conservation, Architect, City Planning Department – Los Angeles City, USA.
14:55 | Conservation Approach of Maaloula Display Statutes and the Implementation Results
Rama Aldaher, MSc., PhD Candidate, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest, Hunagry
15:15 | Discussion
15:45 | Break
16:00 | Post-war Glimpse of Aleppo
Rahaf Hamwi, PhD Candidate, Pázmany Péter Catholic University, Budapest, Hunagry
16:20 | Aleppo – The Lost Poetics of Paradise
Dipl.-Ing. Gudrun Schröder, Architect and Artist, Germany
16:40 | Archaeological Excavations in the Old City of Aleppo during the Crisis
Firas al- Haj Ali, Former Director of the Excavation Department in the Museum of Aleppo, PhD Candidate, Pázmány Péter
Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary
17:00 | Discussion
17:20 | End of Day 2
Please note: Times are Central European Time (CET)

Program
20th November 2021 (Day 3)
Session 3: Digital Technologies for Architecture, Heritage and Urban Planning

09:00 | Digital documentation and 3D databases for the preservation of the memory and the identity of places
Prof. Sandro Parrinello, PhD, Associate Professor at DICAr Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture of University of Pavia
09:45 | Documentation, Damage Assessment and Visualization of the old city’s fabric on the basis of the Syrian Heritage Archives (SHAP) at the Museum for Islamic Art, Berlin
Dr. Anne Mollenhauer, Museum for Islamic Art, Berlin
10:05 | Digital Archiving and Documentation Approach of the Syrian Cultural Heritage Used by The Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums During the Crisis
Ousama Rumayed, Former It Director at the Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums, Syria, PhD Candidate in History at Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary
10:25 | Discussion
10:45 | Break
11:00 | Geospatial Information System: Modelling Approach for Rehabilitation And Management of Water Infrastructure Population Stability, Social Cohesion and Peacebuilding in Post Conflict – Syria
Ahmed Haj Asaad, Co-founder and Director, Geo Expertise, Geneva, Switzerland
11:20 | Construction Recovery with Building Information Modeling
Amir Abbaspour, B.Eng., BIM Manager, omniCon Gesellschaft für innovatives Bauen mbH, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
11:40 | HBIM as a Tool for Post-Conflict Recovery of Aleppo
Mohammed Alfayyad, Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University, Turkey
12:00 | Discussion
12:30 | Break
13:00 | The Duty to Take in Charge the Heredity of Prof. Gabriele Fangi to don’t Forget the Disappeared Heritage
E. S. Malinverni, R. Pierdicca, F. Di Stefano, W. Wahbeh, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy and University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland FHNW, Switzerland
13:20 | Digital Documentation in the Old City of Aleppo: Approach, Challenges and Opportunities
Rahaf Orabi, MSc., PhD Candidate, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest, Architect in the Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums, Syria
13:40 | Data Sources and Strategies for the Remote Assessment of Building Damages
Jonas Peters‐Steinfeld, MSc. and Prof. Dr. Jens Brauneck, Professor for 3D Data Acquisition and Close Range Remote Sensing, Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt am Main
Please note: Times are Central European Time (CET)

Program
20th November 2021 (Day 3)
Session 3: Digital Technologies for Architecture, Heritage and Urban Planning

14:00 | Discussion
14:20 | Break
14:30 | Digital Documentation of Medieval Castles in Syria and Lebanon
Carla Chlela, MSc., PhD Candidate, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary
14:50 | Determining the Boundaries of the Land and Property in War-Torn Cities via Real-Time Kinematic
Mohammad Ghaderi, MSc., Department of Urbanism, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran and Ebrahim
Dalaei Milan, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Urbanism, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
15:10 | Geophysical Survey And Its Role in The Protection of Heritage, The Site of Qimmat Nibal as an Example
Maysam Yousef, PhD Candidate in Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest
15:30 |Final Discussion
16:00 | Closing Remarks (Thiel / Orabi) / End of the conference

Information
Digital conference
Participation in the conference is free of charge.

Registration
Please register until 16th November 2021 using the following link:
www.frankfurt-university.de/en/conference-aleppo

Venue
The conference will take place digitally.
We will send technical information on the communication platform and the link for dial-in (Zoom Meeting) after the registration deadline.

Contact
Prof. Dr. habil. Fabian Thiel
Professor of Property Valuation
Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences
Faculty 1 – Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geomatics
Nibelungenplatz 1, D-60318 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
E-Mail: fabian.thiel@fb1.fra-uas.de

MSc. Rahaf Orabi
PhD. Candidate in Pázmány Péter Catholic University
Pázmány Péter Catholic University
Budapest, Szentkirályi u. 28, 1088, Hungary
E-Mail: orabi.rahaf@hallgato.ppke.hu

Conference Information (PDF)