Under the Patronage of Dr. Bsher Al Sabban, the Governor of Damascus, 
the Syrian-German Program for Sustainable Urban Development - Rehabilitation of the Old City of Damascus organized a Project Planning Workshop on the 27th of February in the Damascene Hall in the National Museum.

The program is implemented by the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Development and Cooperation (BMZ).

The main focus of the workshop was the discussion of how to improve the living conditions in the Old City of Damascus together with the Syrian counterpart, the Governorate of Damascus / Directorate of the Old City of Damascus.

The following activities were proposed to be implemented in the future.

1. Housing fund and Rehabilitation consultancy for residents. This fund will be established for the residents who can't afford to renovate their houses and for emergency cases in order to encourage the people to continue living in the Old City of Damascus.
2. Khan management: the idea is to develop a sustainable renovation and management concept for the khans together with the traders in the khans. The concept is intended to be implemented in one khan as a pilot-case.
3. Open space and public fountains. A concept shall be established for the design and maintenance of the open space (such as public parks, sidewalks, public fountains, etc.) in order to improve the living conditions in the Old City.
4. Renewable Energy and Energy efficiency. Due to the increasing costs of energy (oil and electricity) especially the poor households are spending a significant share of their income on energy consumption. Introducing energy efficient methods and equipment as well as concepts for renewable energies will reduce the expenditures for energy and contribute to the preservation of the environment.
5. Support to the organizational development of the Directorate of the Old City of Damascus: The directorate will be supported in upcoming issues such as improving public relations and information.