Silk Cities

About Us

Silk Cities is an independent professional and academic initiative for contextual knowledge exchange, research and advocacy. The ‘Silk Cities’ initiative is concerned with contextual urban challenges that historical cities in countries along the historic Silk Roads face within the process of urban transformation, as a result of their historic past. Those most concerned are urban heritage, disaster risk reduction and reconstruction, urban design and public spaces, community development, as well as urban development management. By using the narrative of the urban Silk Roads we tap on the notions of connectivity and exchange, historical presence that is reflected in city characteristics and urban life, and contextual contemporary challenges. Silk Cities’ initial focus area has been these cities in the Middle East and Central Asia.

As a contextual and intellectual initiative for study and knowledge sharing, Silk Cities links built environment experts (e.g. urban designers and planners), based inside a country with their peers, and established academics based outside, who are interested in the selected country as a result of their ethnic origins or work. There are many issues and solutions that need to be explored.