Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

The inscription of Fes (1981) and Tunis (1979) on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List was expected to secure conservation, attract funding, and strengthen international recognition. More than four decades later, the outcomes reveal both achievements and persistent shortcomings. This article examines how post-inscription heritage valorization has been implemented in the two medinas and identifies practical lessons for heritage professionals. The study is based on comparative qualitative research combining field observations, interviews and analysis of policy documents.

In Fes, the creation of the Agence pour la Dédensification et la Réhabilitation de la Médina de Fès (Agency for the Decongestion and Rehabilitation of the Medina of Fes; ADER-Fès) enabled large-scale restoration and international visibility, yet the reliance on centralized governance limited community involvement and produced tourism-driven outcomes. In Tunis, a vibrant network of civic initiatives compensated for weak institutional continuity, but the absence of an integrated planning framework reduced the long-term impact of interventions.

From this comparison, the article develops a practice-oriented framework for heritage governance after UNESCO inscription. The framework emphasizes the need for binding post-inscription strategies, integration of heritage into urban planning, balanced institutional design, community co-governance, diversified financing and systematic monitoring. By translating critical insights into actionable guidance, this contribution seeks to assist practitioners and policymakers in aligning international recognition with sustainable and inclusive heritage management.

Keywords

Heritage governance UNESCO World Heritage Fes Tunis participatory management urban planning

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Aghayeva

, & Bogenç

Ç.

(2022). Role of heritage in the sustainable development of historical cities. Social Mentality and Researcher Thinkers Journal, 60. https://doi.org/10.29228/smryj.62729

Arinze

O. M.

(2023). Transnational cooperation for effective management of world heritage sites in Africa. In Houehounha

& Moukala

(Eds.), Managing transnational UNESCO world heritage sites in Africa. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80910-2_17

Ben Said

(2016). Restauration des demeures dans la médina de Tunis après l’indépendance: Principes et acteurs: Entre restitution, innovation et confort (Doctoral Dissertation, École Nationale d’Architecture et d’Urbanisme de Tunis).

Ben Salem

, Lahmar

, Simon

, & Szilagyi

(2021). Green system development in the medinas of Tunis and Marrakesh: Green heritage and urban livability. Earth, 2, 809–825. https://doi.org/10.3390/earth2040048

Bos

, Claeys

, Stiernon

, & Vandenbroucke

(2025). Objectivising heritage assessment with values: Criteria-based grid and constructivist approach. Heritage, 8(4), 116. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage8040116

Boussaa

, & Madandola

(2024). Cultural heritage tourism and urban regeneration: The case of Fez Medina in Morocco. Frontiers of Architectural Research, 13(6), 1228–1248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2024.04.008

Chebbi

(2023, December). Role of civil society in preserving World Heritage in Maghreb countries: Tunisia and Morocco as models. Science Step Journal, 1(3), 92–112. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24922218

Chebbi

(2024). La valorisation du patrimoine culturel mondial dans le Maghreb: Les cas de Fès et Tunis (Doctoral Dissertation, Université Mohammed V de Rabat).

Doherty

, & Kotsoni

(2024). Patches, corridors, matrix, webs and clouds: Expanding Richard T. T. Forman’s land mosaic approach in the Medina of Tunis. Ri-Vista. Research for Landscape Architecture, 22, 84–101. https://doi.org/10.36253/rv-16086

10.

El Mahdaoui

(2007). Les politiques de valorisation de la médina de Fès depuis le classement au patrimoine mondial (Master’s thesis, Université de Fès).

11.

Girard

L. F.

, & Nijkamp

(Eds.). (2009). Cultural tourism and sustainable local development (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315258720

12.

ICESCO. (2021). Strategy of the Islamic world to enhance the role of culture and heritage in facing climate change. ICESCO Publications.

13.

Mahroug

(2017). Les ambiances patrimoniales au sein des opérations de reconversion des édifices de la Médina de Tunis (Doctoral Dissertation, Ecole Nationale d’Architecture et d’Urbanisme de Tunis.

14.

Min

(2025). A scientometric review of cultural heritage management and sustainable development through evolutionary perspectives. NPJ Heritage Science, 13. https://doi.org/10.1038/s40494-025-01708-9

15.

Othman

, & Mahmoud

(2020). Public–private partnerships as an approach for alleviating risks associated with adaptive reuse of heritage buildings in Egypt. International Journal of Construction Management, 22, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/15623599.2020.1742626

16.

Raftani

(2014). La Médina de Fès: Entre patrimoine et tourisme. Patrimoine Mondial, 71, 22–31.

17.

Salah-Salah

(2022). The manufacture of heritage in the face of the diktats of authenticity: The case of the Algerian medinas from the beginning of the French occupation to the present. Planning Perspectives, 38(3), 559–580. https://doi.org/10.1080/02665433.2022.2129750

18.

Smith

(2006). Uses of heritage. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203602263

19.

Tira

, & Türkoğlu

(2023). Circularity-based decision-making framework for the integrated conservation of built heritage: The case of the Medina of Tunis. Built Heritage, 7, 16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43238-023-00093-1

20.

Tuncer

H. M.

, Ozata

, & Şentürk

(2018). Integration of architectural heritage of Marrakech and Fez: Tourism and social media impact. In Antunes

A. D. C.

& Müller

(Eds.), New perspectives in interdisciplinary cultural heritage studies (pp. 233–250). Mazu Press.

21.

UNESCO. (2019). Operational guidelines for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention. UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

22.

Valitutto

, & Beji

(2022). Comment le rapport au patrimoine transforme les pratiques de réappropriation de la médina de Tunis. Territoire en mouvement Revue de géographie et aménagement, 53–54. https://doi.org/10.4000/tem.9399

23.

Van der Zee

, Camatti

, Bertocchi

, & Shomali

K. W. A.

(2024). UNESCO world heritage site label and sustainable tourism in Europe: A user-generated content analysis. Regional Studies, 58(10), 1858–1873. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2024.2333787

24.

Waterton

, & Smith

(Eds.). (2009). There is no such thing as heritage. In Taking archaeology out of heritage (1st ed., Vol. 1, pp. 10–27). Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

25.

Winter

(2014). Beyond eurocentrism? Heritage conservation and the politics of difference. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 20. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2012.736403

26.

Yin

R. K.

(2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). Sage Publications.

27.

Zhang

, & Dong

(2024). Sustainable development of digital cultural heritage: A hybrid analysis of crowdsourcing projects using fsQCA and system dynamics. Sustainability, 16(17), 7577. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177577

28.

Žuvela

, Šveb Dragija

, & Jelinčić

D. A.

(2023). Partnerships in heritage governance and management: Review study of public–civil, public–private and public–private–community partnerships. Heritage, 6(10), 6862–6880. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage6100358

From Inscription to Implementation: Practical Approaches to Heritage Valorization in the Maghreb

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References