ECONOMICS UNIQUENESS

GOVERNANCE IN HISTORIC CITY CORE REGENERATION PROJECTS ■ 151
BOX 6.3
Multiple Enhancement Activities Resulted in World
Heritage Listing in Four Cities of Mauritania
Mauritania Cultural Heritage Project (Project number 064570)
Total Project Cost: US$5.5 million
Total Loan Amount: US$5 million
Approved: June 2000 – Closed: March 2005
The government of Mauritania, assisted by a World Bank loan and in collaboration
with UNESCO, prepared a project implemented in four historic city
cores in Mauritania; namely, Ouadane, Chinguetti, Tichit, and Ouallata. Upon
project completion, these four cities were then nominated to and inscribed
on the World Heritage List (WHL). The WHL listing provided these cities with
key planning and management instruments and activities leading to positive
valorization and economic development. Chief among these interventions are:
(1) conservation and development plans; (2) preparation of practical maintenance
and rehabilitation manuals; (3) approval of regulatory texts; and (4) onsite
learning centers for capacity building in selected sites. Other project achievements
included establishment of the Ministry of Culture, empowered to prepare
regulations and conduct capacity building for human resources development
and lead in the institutional reform.
Source: Mauritania Cultural Heritage Project Appraisal Document and Implementation and
Completion Report.
the members of cultural groups raise public awareness of the importance of the
conservation of the urban heritage through public forums and the media. Th ese
activities contribute to create the conditions for local elected offi cials to rally central
government agencies to provide resources and funds for local heritage assets.
Key activities executed by the local government include identifying and
designating cultural heritage assets and other places of historic signifi cance, supervising
and conducting routine maintenance and conservation works for public
spaces, making improvements to infrastructure and public spaces located within
the heritage area, regulating the conservation actions of private stakeholders, and,
above all, ensuring that the public and private interventions are eff ectively coordinated,
executed in the proper sequence, and are robust in scale (Rojas 2004).
Th e other area of action to consider closely is the market process. Private
investors interested in bidding for properties in historic city cores—real estate