Evaluating the effects of ownership and use on the condition of property in the Old City of Jerusalem

This paper looks at the changing nature of ownership patterns in the Old City of Jerusalem from a historical perspective, the role of rent control and leasing arrangements, and assesses their impact on the maintenance and condition of property in the Old City. It investigates the nature of the institution of Muslim religious trusts (the waqf) in order to build up a picture of its transformation into a manager of housing in the Old City since 1967 focusing on the relationship between the shift of ownership from the public waqf to the private family waqf and the effects of this on the condition of the built environment. Although recent trends in the Middle East and some Muslim countries indicate a clear decline in the status of the waqf as an institution, this paper shows how, in Jerusalem, and in the Old City in particular, it has been flourishing since 1967. The paper offers some insights into the impact of the identified historical and legal factors on the condition of buildings and, by examining statistical evidence, finds a clear correlation between the ownership and use of buildings and their physical condition.