Reviving territorial identity through heritage and community: a multi-scalar study in Northwest Tunisia (El Kef and Tabarka cities)

Gharbi, A, Faleh, M ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5078-231X and Fatma, NB, 2025. Reviving territorial identity through heritage and community: a multi-scalar study in Northwest Tunisia (El Kef and Tabarka cities). Architecture, 5 (4): 104. ISSN 2673-8945

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Abstract

Tunisia’s northwestern region offers a rich and diverse civilization heritage and cultural potential. However, it has been socially and economically marginalised since the 70s. This study explores the link between urban cultural heritage and the construction of collective identity, emphasising the potential of built heritage to foster sustainable community-based development. In addition to physical attributes, the literature highlights the importance of social interactions in shaping territorial identity. Identity, in this context, is not static but a dynamic territorial construction that integrates architectural, urban, and social dimensions. The cities of El Kef and Tabarka serve as case studies of spatially and culturally marginalised areas, facing significant challenges to both tangible and intangible heritage. With a negative population growth rate (−0.36% between 2004 and 2014) and the lowest economic development indicator nationally (0.3% in 2012), these cities reflect the urgent need for an alternative approach. Through spatial diagnosis, interviews, and stakeholder engagement, the research demonstrates that a renewed territorial model—grounded in heritage valorization and local identity—can support inclusive and adaptive development. Key findings reveal a generational gap in the perception and representation of heritage between younger and older residents. This indicates that cultural identity is not a static inheritance but a dynamic process requiring active community investment. Ultimately, the study concludes that urban identity assets critically influence the capacity of a community to build a shared vision for the enhancement of its territorial identity. This reconnection between territory, memory, and planning enables a collective reappropriation of space, proposing a long-term vision for heritage-integrated urban regeneration.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Architecture
Creators:	Gharbi, A., Faleh, M. and Fatma, N.B.
Publisher:	MDPI AG
Date:	December 2025
Volume:	5
Number:	4
ISSN:	2673-8945
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.3390/architecture5040104 DOI 2522847 Other
Rights:	© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Divisions:	Schools > School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Record created by:	Laura Borcherds
Date Added:	04 Nov 2025 13:39
Last Modified:	04 Nov 2025 13:39
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/54674

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