Landscape Architecture’s Significance in the Restoration of Historical Areas: The Case of Old ‘Muharraq’, Bahrain

Abstract

For a long time in most Arab countries, and while dealing with restoration projects, the consideration of landscape architecture (LA) was limited. The term ‘landscape architecture’ was used in a shallow way just for describing pavements and greenery. Recently, however, there has been an increasing recognition of the importance of LA in improving and enhancing the surroundings of such projects. In many restoration projects that considered LA in its plans, worthwhile results are detected. However, not all achieved such results due to a misunderstanding of LA concepts and meanings. In Bahrain, conservation and restoration projects in Old Muharraq partially incorporated LA aspects, with users (local residences and visitors) expressing their satisfaction about their heritage treasure being recovered. However, the proper development of outdoor spaces was ignored in some respects. The sense of history was unclear in the modern design of pavements, lighting, street furniture and so on. In response, the present study aims to propose a matrix to assess LA in restoration of historical areas and to also help with a qualitative evaluation. This objective will be discussed with a focus on sustainability (social, economic and environmental aspects).