Cognitive revival of historic cities

Historical cities carry the legacy of tangible and intangible heritage of built forms, art and culture inherited from the past. Heritage assets provide numerous benefits to cities, by holding significant economic, social, environmental and cultural importance. Cities with a rich heritage represent the legacy of tangible and intangible elements of cultural value inherited from the past and from an economic perspective, the profound legacy of a city attracts cultural tourism, stimulates local economies, and provides avenues for innovation. 

But like other megacities around the world, these historically important living habitats, their heritage neighborhoods and their assets face challenges posed by natural disasters, climate change, population growth, and urban expansion. However, the impact of these challenges is unique in context to historical cities. Rapid tourism growth, lack of infrastructure, regulatory limitations, and considerations around retaining the cultural identity of our heritage cities pose further challenges for city development authorities and decision makers.

In recent years, Middle Eastern countries have taken up the modernisation of historic and heritage cities as a crucial component of their cultural preservation and economic development strategies. National governments have implemented urban design initiatives and reformatory measures, investing in cutting-edge technologies to document, preserve, and showcase the rich historical legacies of cities and make them accessible to a global audience.

Saudi Arabia aims to transform some of its historic cities and heritage neighborhoods into major cultural and tourism destinations, as part of its National Transformation Programme, while the UAE has been using digital tools to preserve and present cultural neighborhoods. These efforts exemplify the region's commitment to innovation, while preserving traditions, ultimately safeguarding the region’s cultural heritage, stimulating tourism and educating future generations.

Cities like Diriyah, Jeddah, Lusail, AlUla, Muscat in collaboration with international and regional organizations, such as UNESCO and the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage, are actively pursuing initiatives that blend their rich heritage with modernisation. For example, Diriyah and AlUla are at the forefront of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, transforming into cultural hubs, while Jeddah has been actively working towards  enhancing its historical districts with technology-driven solutions. Qatar’s Lusail, recently named as the ‘Capital of Islamic Culture’ for the year 2030 by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation,  is emerging as a smart city with cultural preservation at its core. Other cities in UAE, Oman and Bahrain are also incorporating digital tools and smart solutions in transforming their historical neighborhoods, aligning with national visions to foster cultural tourism and education. The Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT), Abu Dhabi has also emphasized on the importance of technologies like 3D scanning and digital archiving for sustainable practices in heritage. Dubai has been successful in integrating AlFahidi historical neighborhood, old souq and several historic areas into their smart initiatives.

While historic cities and their heritage neighborhoods have a lot to offer, their challenges and development requirements are unique, unlike other cities. Amidst the rapid urbanisation and need for economic diversification, it has become important for these cities to tackle the challenges of evolution by aligning with current modernisation trends. This includes emphasising conservation, cultural promotion, public awareness, local integration, and development of the assets for local populace as well as visitors. 

The integration of technologies is pivotal in achieving increased visibility, cultural heritage preservation, economic development, and sustainability. Smart approaches, such as   intelligent traffic management systems, parking management systems, adaptive traffic control systems for smart mobility, a predict, preempt and prescribe approach through multi sensor cameras with embedded analytics and facial recognition can help in achieving smart mobility and smart safety.

Smart grids, smart metering, and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) can help in achieving better management of water and energy , while smart bins, GPS-based tracking and odor detection devices can be used for managing waste. Room occupancy sensors, smart thermostat, adaptive lighting and climate control can be used for automated historic buildings, while IoT devices like air quality sensors, chemical sensors, noise sensors, temperature and humidity sensors can be used for monitoring the micro-climatic conditions. AI-powered personalised experience platforms can be used for smart tourism, and smart permitting systems for government services. These technologies can significantly contribute to the cognitive revival of historic cities and heritage neighborhoods. 

They can enhance livability and alleviate pressure on heritage assets and historic city services by optimising resource use, streamlining traffic and public transport, ensuring public safety, and managing energy and waste more efficiently. The incorporation of sustainable practices and IoT devices in cognitive heritage buildings and neighborhoods can also help in better energy management.  Harmonisation of technological solutions can foster a sustainable, efficient, and enriched urban environment, preserving the cultural essence of historic cities while meeting the demands of modern urban living.

The following section looks at some use cases on how cognitive solutions can leverage connected technologies for revival of heritage cities:

Bringing various technologies and applications together on a unified platform provides numerous benefits,  allowing for seamless data exchange and enhancing interoperability among various technological systems. For instance, data collected via IoT sensors deployed in BMS for environmental monitoring can be utilised by GIS for urban planning. This ensures that changes in microclimate or structural health directly inform conservation strategies and spatial developments. 

Similarly, in a cognitive use case, digital twins can leverage BIM-generated models, enriching them with real-time data for a comprehensive understanding of a building's condition and performance. This synergy enables predictive analytics for maintenance, energy efficiency optimisation, and ensures that heritage conservation efforts are data-driven and responsive to both current needs and future challenges. This integration fosters a holistic approach to urban management of historic districts and heritage neighborhoods. 

Cognitive platforms can enhance decision-making by providing comprehensive, real-time insights into the structural health of historic buildings, urban planning needs, and the effectiveness of preservation efforts. It enables more efficient resource allocation, ensuring that interventions are both timely and aligned with the preservation goals. Furthermore, a unified platform facilitates community engagement and participatory planning by making information accessible to a wider audience, thereby contributing to the cognitive revival of historic cities. The collaboration of governments, preservation authorities, international development organisations, and citizen groups, coupled with cognitive technologies, is important in shaping the resilient identity of our heritage cities. 

At PwC Middle East, we are strongly committed to providing national ministries, royal commissions, city development authorities, destination management offices, and international organizations with strategic advisory services required to progress their cognitive journeys and deploy human-led tech powered solutions. We deliver tailored services across the development stages of city transformation, including assessing technological capabilities, creating digital transformation roadmaps, designing emerging technology ecosystems and platform architecture, drafting RFPs, evaluating suppliers, thereby ensuring a seamless launch of a cognitive revival.

We owe special credits to our team, Azaan Khan, Yukti Sajnani, Saeed Khamis, Jana Maklad and to our subject matter experts Gaelle Stephan (Lebanon) and Yosra Matallah (France).