Strategy of Visual and Intellectual Patterns to Preserve the Identity of Heritage Cities ( A Personal Vision for the City of Alexandria )

Heritage is the backbone that ensures the establishment, continuity, and preservation of each societies' legacies. This is shaped within distinct ideologies that define and frame it, all of which are subject to its historical and civilizational experiences. Such experiences have produced unique environments and cities, characterized by a set of attributes distinguishing them from other nations and cultures. These heritage cities represent a stratified history, with accumulated factors marked by intellectual, material, and philosophical circumstances that render them unique and irreplaceable. Such uniqueness is vital in forming the city's identity, particularly through what is termed as the 'mental image' that retains its place in visual memory.



The research is structured around three main cores:

• The conceptual dimension and structural composition of societies and cities throughout their civilizational development, leading up to their identity ingrained with heritage .

• The role of intellectual and cultural patterns in creating a dynamic interaction amongst individuals within these environments (cities), and the visually extended heritage .

• The designer's strategy and approach in formulating and addressing the elements of the historical environment (both tangible and intangible) in the form of visual symbols with a contemporary perspective (researcher's experience). This is done through various applications of communicative aspects, in an effort to preserve that heritage.



Research Problem:

The research problem was embodied in several crucial points that necessitated attention to this study. They are as follows:

* Globalization, due to the imminent threat it poses, has resulted in the melting away of numerous cultures. This phenomenon has overshadowed and obliterated the foundations of societies with rich histories and civilizations, stereotyping their inhabitants and subjecting them to a uniform set of values.

* There's a lack of awareness regarding the significance of studying the ideologies of peoples and the historical aspects that represent their identities.

* There's an absence of visual systems capable of facilitating communication and interaction among society members concerning their cultural heritage, which constitutes both their present and future legacy.



Research Objective:

The research objective attempts to devise a strategy for designers that revitalizes and conserves the identity of these cities, by addressing their constituents and elements in a manner that ensures their extension and continuity for generations who did not witness that history firsthand (the searcher’s experiment) .