Post-Creative Urban Regeneration in the MENA Region: Adaptive Reuse of Industrial Sites

Abstract

As deindustrialization and rapid urban transformation have left many industrial sites underutilized across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), this paper examines the adaptive reuse of abandoned structures as a culture-led strategy for urban regeneration. While culture-led regeneration, creative city and post-creative city paradigms have been widely studied in Western contexts, their application within the MENA region remains less explored. This study therefore asks: to what extent do adaptive reuse projects of former industrial spaces in the MENA region align with or diverge from post-creative urban regeneration principles? Through a qualitative and comparative case study approach, the research analyzes four prominent examples of culture-led industrial reuse in the MENA region: the JAX District in Riyadh, Alserkal Avenue in Dubai, the Electricity Hangar Gallery in Amman, and Les Anciens Abattoirs in Casablanca. An analytical framework derived from literature and theory consists of four dimensions that will guide the evaluation of each case: governance and development approach, cultural production versus cultural consumption, inclusion and reuse. The findings suggest that industrial adaptive reuse in the MENA region operates along a spectrum between creative and post-creative urban models, with a tendency for cases in Gulf cities remaining closely aligned with creative city paradigms, driven by state or private investment. In contrast, the Electricity Hangar in Amman and Casablanca slaughterhouses demonstrate stronger affinities with post-creative principles. The paper argues that future regeneration of industrial heritage in the MENA region may benefit from hybrid models of creative urbanism and calls for a more context-sensitive redefinition of post-creative urbanism.