Between Branding and Identity,Re-Imaging Historic Cairo

As an effect of globalization, many historic city centers in the developing world were subject to great transformation. The greater the turbulence caused by this transformation, the greater the need to connect to cultural heritage as an assertion of identity. The research addresses the role of place branding in conserving the heritage of Historic Cairo, which historic fabric deteriorated to the extent that it has irretrievably lost its authentic character due to neglect and mismanagement. It questions how can both; place branding and heritage conservation find a common ground for the assertion of the place identity and delivering an authentic place image. The research analyzes the Historic Cairo Brand and investigates the process of transformation that occurred in two perspectives of the brand: the place identity and the perceived place image. This analysis is done through monitoring place image change from the year 1986 to the year 2016 following the inclusion of Historic Cairo on the World Heritage List in 1979. Proceeding this date, the area witnessed various scattered interventions within its historic boundaries. The study argues that there is a need for an integrated framework that encompasses heritage conservation and place branding towards a common goal which is assertion of the place identity. After four decades of various forms of interventions, the perceived Historic Cairo image by its local community is investigated. The role of local residents in the assertion of the place identity is crucial to deliver an authentic brand image to the external audience and reduce the gap between the place identity and the place image based on a bottom up approach