Hafsia Quarter I Conservation

Tunis, Tunisia

The reconstruction of this residential and commercial sector in the former Jewish quarter of Tunis called for the insertion of new low-income dwellings, combined with offices, shops and a suq, into a surrounding area bordered to the north and east by traditional courtyard houses on narrow winding streets, and to the west and south by modern constructions including three four-storey apartment buildings, a market, and two schools with playing fields. The planners have succeeded in maintaining a harmonious relationship with the scale and construction of the old neighbourhood as well as the nearby modern structures. The project failed, however, as low-income housing. Local political forces made the housing available to shopkeepers, artisans, white collar workers, executives and professionals to the complete exclusion of the local poor. The jury found the project to be "a noteworthy attempt to deal with the problem of urban public housing in a sensitive and humane fashion." They pointed out, however, that it was flawed "physically in its detailing and execution, and socio-economically in its inability to cater for the needs of the lower-income residents of the medina."

Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture