ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the socio-cultural, political and economic factors that shaped the distinctive characteristics of the contemporary urban form for each of Aleppo, al-Salt and Acre. In particular, the execution of the axial and ring roads destroyed over one tenth of the intramural fabric, in addition to entire extramural neighbourhoods and historic monuments. Importantly, the Directorate of Antiquities registered all of Aleppo as an historic monument and then recruited the assistance of UNESCO in planning for the city. A team of five experts from UNESCO headed by Stefano Bianca conducted a lengthy research study and produced a report in 1980 which included policy recommendations that focused primarily on issues of traffic management and accessibility in Aleppo. Like Aleppo, the new urban expansion during the British Mandate period, took place outside Acre's aswr. As al-Salt gradually became stable in an otherwise volatile region, several merchant families from Nablus and Damascus flocked to it, as well as Latin Anglican missions.
