Reclaiming Alexandria: A Case for Historic Futures

Abstract

Over the past centuries, scenarios of menace resulting in unchecked urban pressures have degraded the historic core of Alexandria into vertical slums and abandoned warehouses, compromising the integrity of the original Alexandrian masterplan. The complexity of this deterioration involves numerous interconnected factors, including inadequate housing, environmental degradation, mobility challenges, resource scarcity, and the lack of policy frameworks governing the dynamics among various stakeholders. Consequently, Alexandria’s historic core remains in a state of decline, awaiting a transformative vision capable of revitalizing its latent potential. This thesis, thus, proposes a reinterpretation of Alexandria’s original masterplan as a theoretical, site-specific framework translated into a tangible urban design intervention. It explores how the conservation of Alexandria’s archeological urbanism can serve as a catalyst for urban renewal and provide an example of a future-oriented pathway deeply anchored in the city’s historic identity.