About The Project

Vision for the future of the historical area in Birzeit

The vision for the future of the historical area in Birzeit – its old town – and its surroundings is to transform the town into a vital hub of multiple activities and services by using its historical buildings not only for residents but also for a range of cultural, educational, and tourism purposes.

With Birzeit University opening a new campus away from the town, much of the student life shifted from the historic area where the old campus used to be, leaving many buildings abandoned. The problem was exacerbated when most of the town’s residents left the historical core, leaving many buildings to dilapidate and collapse. This in turn led to the destruction of some of the historic fabric of the town thus creating a problem in the historic area which needs to be addressed. The rehabilitation of the historical area therefore means, amongst other things, re-linking the historical area to the new parts of the town and to the activities of Birzeit University, as well as providing this area with an appropriate socio – economic atmosphere.

The idea of rehabilitation and revitalizing the historical area of Birzeit stems from the need to promote the town’s rich and varied heritage and as well as to stimulate its economic, social, and cultural development. Therefore, the main idea is to invest in the resources already available, such as the architectural heritage, the production of local crafts and products, as well as existing public and educational institutions and non-governmental organizations, in order to revitalize the economic, social and cultural life of Birzeit and its surrounding areas. This project should also provide a model for rural development through attracting local and international tourism and promoting social and cultural activities that could be followed in other areas in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Rehabilitation the historical area of Birzeit can become an essential and significant resource for the residents as the conservation of historic buildings provides many job opportunities. The living conditions of residents in Birzeit will also improve as a consequence of the various activities that will arise from the rehabilitation itself, such as arts, crafts and trades, tourism, the opening of restaurants, general, souvenir and agricultural products stores, as well as the establishment of social, cultural and educational centers.  It should also be noted that historic buildings provide the local community with a cheaper housing option, as building a new house is twice as expensive as maintaining and rehabilitating an old building (per meter square).