Urban regeneration, sustainability and urban heritage: A case study of Souk Waqif, Doha

In recent decades, heritage and tourism have become dynamic areas of development in the world. The idea of heritage is crucial to the critical decision-making process regarding how irreplaceable resources are to be used by people in the present or conserved for future generations in a fast changing world. In view of the importance of ‘heritage’ to the development of a tourist destination, the emphasis on developing appropriate adaptive reuse strategies cannot be overemphasised. In October 1999, the 12th general assembly of the ICOMOS in Mexico stated that, in the context of sustainable development, two interrelated issues need urgent attention: cultural tourism and historic towns and cities. These two issues underscore the fact that historic resources are non-renewable, belonging to all of humanity. The lack of adequate adaptive reuse action to ensure a sustainable future for these historic resources may lead to their vanishing completely. The growth of cultural tourism and its role in dispersing heritage to everyone is developing rapidly. According to the World Tourism Organization, natural and cultural heritage resources are and will remain motivating factors for travel in the foreseeable future. Experts believe that people choose travel destinations where they can learn about traditional and distinct cultures in their historic context. The rich urban heritage of Qatar is now being recognised as a valuable resource for future development. This paper focuses on the role of heritage tourism and its implications for urban conservation in the context of Souk Waqif in historic Doha: in order to use heritage wisely, it will be necessary to position heritage as an essential element of sustainable development, giving particular attention to cultural tourism. Conservation for the sake of conservation appears to be an outdated concept. Many irreplaceable natural and cultural sites are being compromised because local authorities are not giving economic consideration to the value of rehabilitating such sites. The question to be raised here is how can heritage be used wisely for tourism without compromising its educational and social role in enhancing and sustaining the local cultural identity?