Impact of legislative precision in the management of the Casbah

Abstract

AbstractThe historic centre of Algiers (Casbah) presents a state of severe decay. Laws and legislative measures have been promulgated in the past three decades to provide an adequate framework for the conservation of the old city.This paper investigates the law and subsequent legal instruments used in heritage management and the impact of legislative provisions on the management of the living historic centre of the Casbah of Algiers.Before the issuance of Algerian Law n°98–04 relating to the protection of cultural heritage, the role of the various entities managing the Casbah was rather unclear. This law provides more details about the structure of urban heritage management. Additionally, a new heritage protection tool came into existence (the PPSMVSS, i.e., the Permanent Plan for Safeguarding and Enhancement of the Safeguarded Sector).Difficulties encountered in the field concerning the application of legislative tools caused considerable delays in preservation actions on the ground. This paper provides an analysis of the contradictions between text enforcement and conservation plans to understand the main reasons that led to the degradation of the historic area. Accordingly, the paper proposes a number of solutions to be implemented by the Algerian authorities.