Volume 51, Issue 2

In the past decades, many Gulf cities have faced accelerated growth that has generated complicated problems of urbanization. Some Arab cities have transformed massive urban development into new global cities despite their relatively short history. Contrasting the direction of the rapid urbanization, there is a growing interest in the conservation and rehabilitation of the local heritage, which has generated a perpetual conflict between the construction of contemporary identity and the promotion of traditional architecture. The new emerging Arab cities, in the struggle for the construction of their new architectural identity, showed a growing interest in the action needed to preserve architectural heritage. The number of conservation projects has increased recognition of the local traditions in construction, rejuvenating the historical value of the Qatari heritage. This paper shows significant examples of conservation and adaptive reuse projects recently completed in Qatar. The intention is to describe several conservation interventions, compare the proposals for reusing the restored artifacts, and compare the preservation methodologies and techniques within the historical, political, and social forces that inform preservation practices. The research presents a possible methodology for classifying the proposals offering a new approach for comparing the interventions that could be applied to other adaptive reuse projects.

Cultural heritage is an intrinsic segment of the life of the individual who is connected to it and is inherited from one generation to the other. Every heritage item embeds knowledge in historical, cultural, social, scientific, spiritual, and technological forms. Creating a digital database for discovery and expression of cultural heritage plays a significant role in enhancing its visibility and ensuring long-term sustainability. Many of the natural and cultural heritage items in India which are substantially rich in their content are not identified and documented, which consequently lose their social, cultural, historic, and economic utilities. The present study highlights the potential of developing a single-window comprehensive Cultural Heritage Information System (CHIS) to efficiently preserve, document, and manage the cultural heritage assets of the country. This also examines the prerequisites, issues, and challenges which can hinder its sustainable development. It is perceived from the study that there is no such integrated single-window national-level digital platform that prevails in the country to perform the cultural heritage documentation. The study points up the need of constructive efforts, both at individual and institutional levels in India, to ameliorate the situation to safeguard and promote the cultural heritage of the country. The information system developed can act as a unique source of reference and an extensive guide for researchers from different disciplines, tourists as well conservation activists.

In response to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, many communities of endangered Indigenous languages have utilised digital technologies and created online language resources with renewed motivation. In this article we explore the ways that Noongar community members have shifted, adapted and persisted in creating new language revitalisation resources for their endangered Aboriginal language, describing three case studies of video content created and shared online through social media as localised responses to the pressing need for easily produced, accessible and engaging online approaches to support Indigenous communities and their languages.