INTRODUCTION AND METHODOLOGY
LEARNING FROM LIT TLE DAMASCUS: A COMMUNITY - LED MODEL OF PUBLIC SPACE IN GREATER CAIRO’S DESERT CITIES Amira Badran
Cities are rapidly urbanizing around the world. In fact, metropolises are home to 54% of the world’s population, and this number is expected to increase to 66% by 2050 (UN Habitat, 2016). As a result, cities are expanding to accommodate this growing need; however, without a mindful approach to people’s needs in planning these expansions, there will be an inevitable loss in economic, social, ecological, and cultural development within the effected populations. A factor that is almost always overlooked in the planning of developing countries is the role of the public realm. The myriad of benefits that come from developing a sufficient public realm within a city is vital for their livability and sense of belonging. This notion applies more strongly to developing countries, where public spaces are intertwined with the everyday discourse of neighborhoods’ streets and squares. Many factors affect how the public realm is perceived and used – not only the planning and design of buildings, but also the economic, social, and contextual stimuli that pertain to the livability of the public spaces. The research draws on an exploratory study undertaken in the public spaces within the city of Sixth of October as a case study. The first part of the research investigates the different planning patterns in the Greater Cairo Region (GCR) and analyzes the shift from the Nile Delta to Cairo’s deserts, ending with an analysis of Sixth of October’s city planning context. The second part of the research examines the public discourse in the GCR with emphasis on the street and informal practices therein.
