Rebuilding the city of Aleppo : do the Syrian authorities have a plan?

Abstract

The city of Aleppo has suffered massive destruction, mainly in the old city and the eastern and southern districts, which housed a low-income population before 2011 and remained under the control of opposition forces until late 2016. Different measures and plans have been adopted by the Syrian government and the local administration since 2017 to start rebuilding neighbourhoods. They tend to favour investments in the tourism, industrial and urban development sectors rather than meet the housing needs of the displaced population. Aleppo's reconstruction planning also shows a highly centralised approach with a noticeable involvement of the Minister of Local Administration. The appointment of reliable figures to the local administration and the mobilisation of other local actors are part of the central government's strategy to rebuild state institutions at the local level. An analysis of informal settlements and their reclassification as real-estate development areas underlines the increasing role of real-estate companies and businessmen in shaping the dominant reconstruction discourse and practices.