Cultural Continuity and Meaning of Place: Sustaining Historic Cities of the Islamicate World

Abstract

This paper reviews the inherent qualities that have sustained historic urban centres in the Islamicate world, drawing on the historical processes of interaction between culture and the urban environment. It shows that, historically, notions of community, development, cultural heritage, and the physical environment were united under the guidance of a cultural framework. The synthesis of cultural values in the contemporary planning, conservation, and regeneration of historic centres in the Islamicate world is the key to reviving the meaning of these places and to ensuring their continuity.