Creating Mediterranean Networks

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Creating Mediterranean Networks

• By
• Samir Gharieb
• Chairman of National Organization for Urban
  Harmony, Egypt
• Session 8 Mediterranean Cities Civilization
  and Development
• City Networks. The Euro Mediterranean Area
• Nov. 16-19, 2011

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City Networks

• A City Network is made of a number of cities that
  are connected together because of some reason
  economic, political, cultural, etc.
• For example Cities that have the best ballet
  theaters create a network for those who want to
  see the best performances, and cities that house
  the strongest real estate markets create a
  network for those interested in real estate
  investment.
• Any city can be part of more than one city
  network if it has more than one attractive
  criterion and have the capacity to join a
  network.

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Historic Med Trade Networks
Greek and Phoenician Trade Network
Roman Trade Network
http//aulosinternet.wikispaces.com/Maps
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Global networks in the Mediterranean Region

• A network is as strong as the reason behind its
  creation and the number of cities that join it,
  making some of the networks local, some regional
  and the most sought after become global.
• Most of the global networks around the
  Mediterranean do not treat it as one
• None of the global networks and regions identify
  the Mediterranean as a region, but mostly as
  components of Africa, Western Europe, Eastern
  Europe, Arab States, or the MENA region (the
  Middle East and North Africa).

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Examples of Global Networks

• UN regional commissions
• Stationed in five regions of the world, 
• United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
  (UNECE), 
• United Nations Economic and Social Commission for
  Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), 
• Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLAC), 
• United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
  (ECA) and 
• United Nations Economic and Social Commission for
  Western Asia (UNESCWA)

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Mediterranean Tourist Cruiser Networks

• Cruises start from Venice, Rome, Monte Carlo,
  Barcelona and other European side locations
  passing through few of the Southern and Eastern
  Med cities such as Algiers, Tunisia, Tripoli,
  Alexandria, Haifa. There are almost no cruise
  ships starting from any southern city.
• Strengthening the south North direction of the
  network is questionable for economic and
  political reasons.

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Operational City Networks

• Successful city network in the Mediterranean
  region should utilize the common cultural roots
  that had been extending over centuries resulting
  in comparable cultural values and cultural
  heritage.
• Economy is the second most important base of any
  successful city network (culture then economy)
  City networks would only continue when there is
  an exchange of measurably visible economic
  benefits to make networking desirable and
  sustainable.
• City networks need to encourage non governmental
  relationships between the peoples of the region
  who will directly feel the economic benefits
  while enjoying their local heritage contexts.

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Heritage City Networks

• Creating heritage city networks around the
  Mediterranean should respect the widely available
  cultural heritage resulting from being the
  birthplace of the major world religions and their
  resulting tangible and intangible heritage
• Candidate cities for such networks might include
  Rome, Latakia, Alexandria, Nice, Barcelona,
  Athens, Tunisia, and Casa Blanca.
• Art diversity because of the civilizations that
  were born around the basin and richness in all
  areas of art drama, dance, music, theater, fine
  and visual arts, etc.

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Mediterranean Heritage City Network
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EXISTING EUROMED CITIES NETWORK

• The Euromed Cities Network was created by the
  City of Bordeaux in 2000 on the basis of the
  conclusions of the third Euro-Mediterranean
  Conference of Ministers for Foreign Affairs
  (Stuttgart 15 16 April 1999)
• AREAS OF INTERVENTION
• Governance, institutional support, local
  finances 
• Urban development and planning 
• Environment and risk management 
• Society, health 
• Culture and citizenship

http//www.commed-cglu.org/spip.php?rubrique146
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EUROMED CITIES NETWORK,

• Below are the cities of the EUROMED Cities
  network

• Germany Cologne, Frankfurt, Hamburg 
• Belgium Antwerp, Brussels-Capital Region,
  Charleroi 
• Spain Barcelona, Malaga, Saragossa, Seville 
• France Bordeaux, Lille, Lyons, Marseilles,
  Nancy, Nantes, Nice, Paris, Strasbourg, Toulouse,
  Cassis, Toulon, Saint Etienne, Gap 
• Greece Athens, Thessalonica 
• Holland Rotterdam 
• Italy Bologna, Florence, Genoa, Lecce, Palermo,
  Rome, Turin, Trieste, Venice 
• Portugal Porto 
• Sweden Stockholm
• Cyprus Nicosia 

• Algeria Sidi Abdellah, Tizi Ouzu, Constantine 
• Egypt Alexandria 
• Jordan Amman, Grand Salt 
• Lebanon Al Fayhaa, Amioun, Beirut, Bourj
  Hammoud, El Mina, Jbeil Byblos, Jdeide, Khreibe,
  Sin El Fil, Baalbek, Mansoura, Mokhtara, Tyre,
  Haut Chouf, Sidon, Brital, Zouk Mikaël, El Kaa,
  Rahbe, Hammana. 
• Morocco Salé, Al Hoceima, Casablanca, Fès,
  Rabat, Marrakech, Ouarzazate, Meknès 
• Syria Bostra 
• Tunisia Mahdia, Sfax, Tunis, Sousse 
• Palestine Ramallah

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North EuroMed Cities Network
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Creating other Mediterranean city networks

• The existing EUROMED city network has many
  objectives making it difficult to sense its
  impacts on the member cities and their
  population.
• It is clearly noticeable that countries of the
  North are participating with more cities than
  countries in the south, making the network
  unbalanced.
• Northern cities of the EUROMED city network are
  also components of other EU city networks that
  are stronger and more prominent across Europe.
  Consequently, most networking capabilities of
  those cities are spent on strengthening their EU
  and global connections rather than on
  strengthening their north south relations.

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One Complex Network or several simpler city
networks?

• Ambitious objectives of the existing EUROMED city
  network might have spread its resources very thin
  and made its impacts un-noticed,
• Simplifying the existing very large and
  multi-objective network into several networks
  with specific objectives for each of them is the
  proposal of this presentation.
• A new city network is difficult to create,
  maintain and to steer to the right direction
  consequently it is easier to simplify the
  existing complex network (EURO MED cities
  network) into several simpler city networks, that
  are easier to manage for a specific measurable
  objective heritage, film and art, business,
  exhibition,etc.

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The Process for a Heritage City Network,

• Heritage cities have the most plausible
  networking capability as they all enjoy a global
  status and national interest.
• Creating coordinated yearly or seasonal events in
  the Mediterranean region can depend on their
  heritage sources and natural legacies.
• ROME, Istanbul, Alexandria, Marseille ,
  Barcelona, Latakia , Algiers and Tunisia might be
  a good start for this network that have common
  concerns in scientific innovations in
  conservation, benefiting from cultural tourism
  in the area, and supporting each other in
  heritage site management.

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ProposedHeritage Cities Network
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Another proposal is for A Med-City Festivity
Network

• Cultural City Festivities is another proposal
  where professionals will lead the way for
  networking cities to create a year-round
  festivity calendar.
• Heritage expertise is available in the region
  with complementary activities that can be
  developed between academic and professional
  bodies universities, NGOs, Government bodies,
  etc.
• Cities around the Mediterranean are already
  competing to attract cultural tourism, it is time
  to coordinate cultural events to complement each
  other to attract more tourists to the whole
  region.

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Managing the city networks

• Who is going to manage the network between south
  and north Mediterranean? Where, how and what are
  the procedures are other important questions that
  need to be answered.
• Such a network can bring professionals from the
  south to the north within training and
  educational programs.
• Network management will be responsible for
  promoting city festivities from the south into
  the north and coordinating city events.

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Creating Mediterranean Networks

• Thank you