All Things Urban

To what extent do informal urbanizations and additions affect historical sites and buildings in Egypt? Which challenges and potentials could be highlighted in such contexts, where informal settlements and historical buildings are juxtaposed? And in such a case how far are their values projected and in turn, perceived? These questions will be discussed by 4 universities: the University of Kassel and Bauhaus University Weimar in Germany with the TU Berlin Campus El-Gouna and Alexandria University in Egypt. As part of the City, Community and Heritage cooperation, the four universities are organizing an international workshop in Egypt. The main objectives of the workshop are the international bridging of the interdisciplinary cooperation of students of the faculties of conservation—Bauhaus University Weimar and Alexandria University—and urbanization and informal settlements—University of Kassel and TU Berlin Campus El-Gouna. The questions of the workshop will be investigated through fieldwork in 2 case studies in Egypt. The first half of the workshop will take place in the city of Alexandria by the Mediterranean, where a historical Tram workstation with its associated historical neighbourhood is examined. The second half of the workshop is located in the small town of Al-Qusair by the Red Sea. The exploration will take place in the historical city centre of Al-Qusair that takes place alongside the historical Italian phosphate company. Both cities of Alexandria and Al-Qusair were originally founded as ancient port cities; Alexandria as the first Egyptian port city by the Mediterranean and Al-Qusair by the Red Sea. The two historical urban spaces are currently affected by disregards and informal additions. Students will get the chance to meet colleagues from various cultural and study backgrounds and will work under the supervision of a highly qualified team from the four universities and experts in Egypt. The experiences and results of the international students gained from this workshop will be accompanied and supported by lecturers. During the workshop, students should look for a topic on which they can write an essay that can ultimately be collected and published in a common Handout.

BA Urbanism, 3. FS/ BA Architecture, 3.FS/ Master

English language is an important requirement to participate in the workshop

6 ECTS

The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar is an international research university that is committed to the idea of Bauhaus and therefore has a traditionally international orientation. Its aspiration is to combine arts with sciences and technics which leads us to run a path that is unique in Germany.