Al-Ain’s Cultural Landscape: Identity, Innovation and Sustainability in a Challenging Economy<i> </i>

Abstract

The meaning about the origins of Al-Ain, the second largest city of Abu Dhabi Emirate in the UAE, resides in its name, which in Arabic means 'The spring'. The presence of abundant groundwater has allowed human settlements since the Neolithic period, marking this city as one of the oldest settlements continuously inhabited in the Gulf region. Under the rule of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nayan , Al-Ain received special attention in order to preserve its character and identity, due also to the presence of historical heritage which forms a strong sense of belonging for its community. With the establishment of the UAE in 1971, and the institution of its municipality council in 1992, a special ordinance fixed a strict limit on building height, giving also particular attention to conservation of the original landscape formed by the seven ancient oases of palm trees and their irrigation systems of aflaj, an ancient irrigation system common in most arid zones of the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Mediterranean. Despite all these efforts spent in order to keep its original identity, nowadays this approach appears to be scrutinised under the pressures for further expansion and innovation in response to an increasingly challenging economy. With an increasing acceleration in the process of expansion and renovation, most of Al-Ain's urban fabric, realized after oil discovery in the 1960s, and still belonging to traditional typologies, has been replaced with new constructions inspired by different models, and new large developments have been laid out to cope with the increasing demand for dwellings. After recognition in 2011 of Al-Ain's archaeological sites and oases as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city's popularity rose as a tourist destination and place of cultural interest but has revealed in the meantime its systemic fragility. This paper focuses on the process of urban growth according to the nature of place, which characterized Al-Ain's history and currently forms the substrate of its cultural identity, and the mechanism of conflict/interaction between identity and innovation towards the definition of Al-Ain's urban transformation and regenerative process.

Local Development Policies for Heritage Tourism

“…Both the UNESCO classification and the criteria for the FAO Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System have a considerable impact on the development of territories such as that of Al Ain (Yotsumoto & Vafadari, 2021). In fact, investment in this local heritage from the perspective of sustainable integrations has been deemed important (Caratelli, Misui & EL Amrousi, 2019), and immediately recognizable, from the consumer side, through a handful of distinctive, iconic resources: forts, gardens, a mountain (Jebel Hafeet), and oases. The desert scenario provides an enveloping uniqueness for heritage tourism development (De Man, 2020), which includes a zoo with increasing satisfaction levels (Khaleeli, Jawabri & AlKhmeiri, 2020).…”

The Heritage City Sustainability Index in Malaysia

“…Each city, according to Salvatore (2018), Akil, Pradadimara et al (2022) and Wu, Dang et al (2023), has its own particular identity. According to Guzmán, Pereira Roders et al (2014) and Caratelli, Misuri et al (2019), cultural legacy is an important part of urban identity that transcends economic success and deserves policy attention. Van Oers and Pereira Roders (2012) study the impact of cultural heritage on sustainable urban development in Belfast (Ireland), finding that cultural heritage promotes a unique urban character and strengthens a sense of belonging among residents across generations and thereby contributes to sustainable urban development.…”

Long-Term Sustainability of Water Cellars in Traditional Chinese Villages: Factors Influencing Continuous Use and Effective Water Management Initiatives

“…For larger systems, such as stepwells, their contributions to contemporary community cohesion [ 2 ] and distinctive tourism value [ 3 , 4 ] have been highlighted. For qanats that integrate with the settlement, their cultural landscape potential and integration with the urban environment are increasingly on the agenda [ 5 , 6 ]. However, many complex and delicate issues are pending, such as the promotion of disaster prevention registration systems for privately owned water wells [ 7 ].…”

“…At the same time, the sustainable relationship between urban expansion and these traditional water systems is gaining attention [ 23 , 24 , 25 ]. Very recently, it has been proposed that the sustainability of such projects could be attained through the perspective of cultural landscapes, not only for qanats [ 6 ] but also for all types of historical water systems, using an integrated view [ 26 ]. It has, however, been established that the sustainable connotations of traditional rainwater harvesting systems have gone beyond the systems themselves and should be multi-dimensional and involve innovation, such as through relationships with human beings, urbanization, and various urban systems.…”