FAQs

Conflicts can end very suddenly and when they do, it is important to consider many of the problems that follow that can cause violence to re-ignite. We don’t know when the war will end or when reconstruction can begin but we need to make sure Aleppo is prepared when that happens.

At the core of our mission is to ensure that the people of Aleppo, and particularly refugees, get a voice in how their city is eventually rebuilt. We’re doing that in a number of ways:

• We’re collecting materials on the past of Aleppo so knowledge is not lost.
• We’re gathering information on the views of residents and refugees regarding reconstruction and creating maps and visualisations.
• We analysing what has happened to the city before and during the conflict and how that will impact the future.
• We’re developing discussions on possible futures for Aleppo.
• We’re providing comparative experiences from other cities and gathering knowledge about reconstruction from around the world.

We have been gathering data from refugees from Aleppo and those still living in the city. We want to present this in ways that people can easily understand and respond to. Our aim is to take these maps and presentations back to Aleppians and get their responses, since Aleppians should be at the heart of decisions about their city.

We support a democratic, prosperous, peaceful Syria that provides opportunities and hope for all its citizens irrespective of religion or ethnicity. Amid the current horrors that seems like a distant dream, but thinking through the perils and opportunities of reconstruction is one small way to get there.

Information on our funders is on the website. The leadership of the project are not paid for this work but receive salaries as academics. We are endeavouring to spend as much money as we can hiring Syrians and providing opportunities to refugees to learn and develop their skills.

In many different ways and we welcome your contribution. There are many ways in which you can join the The Aleppo Project:

In the course of our work, we come into contact with many organizations active in Syria. We plan to carefully cultivate these relationships and find Syrian partners who will be active during Aleppo’s reconstruction, excited to continue our efforts and willing to incorporate our recommendations.

We are also developing a website that will become an open repository of our main findings and include an interactive space with maps and blogs that make it a living memory of how the city was and is.