New revitalization and regeneration strategies are currently taking place as a scheme for reassessing urban spaces. This paper, as a result, navigates the theory of Urban Acupuncture (UA) as a quick and effective tool that can be adopted in large cities. Using Riyadh city as a case study, it discusses how this tool can be used to achieve maximum results with minimal effort in the most critical places. Riyadh city is the capital of Saudi Arabia and is considered one of the fastest-growing metropolitan cities in the Arab world. Through time, it has transformed into a city with leftover open spaces and an ever-increasing population. The study commences by exploring the term UA and its principles and similarly presents some of its successful international examples. It thereafter delves into the past and current situation in the city to show some of the challenges it faces. The study aims to develop a filtering framework for selecting a suitable sensitive spot that can be used to apply the concept of UA. A conclusion is made that as a small-scale space approach and a progressive concentrated urban renewal strategy.
Abstract-Cairo is considered one of the main growing cities in the Arab world today. Conventional planning has failed to direct this growth towards creating sustainable urban environments for all, and has instead encouraged lopsided development that caters only to the affluent sections. This trend has affected public urban spaces as well, which are now centered on consumption and dependant on heavy investment in real estate and technology. This has a considerable impact on the spectrum of socio-economic groups that are able to access and use them. Taking as a starting point the principles and concept of Green Urbanism, the paper questions the prevalent situation, and focuses on three aspects that have been ignored in recent approaches in recent development plans. The first (Green Urbanism) is explored as a main principles to revitalize the second (Public Spaces), in order to achieve the third (Sustainable Model) as a long term goal. This is done using analysis and design in parallel, and results in a proposal for a new design process and through it, scale specific design solutions for Cairo public spaces that will create a high quality of life for the people of the heavily populated, demographically diverse and socio-economically fragmented city.
The paper explores the relationship between the economic, social and political forces shaping urban regeneration and its impact on selected case studies (London-Beirut). It draws on experiences with planning and delivery of regeneration schemes through various forms of public / private partnerships in England and Lebanon. The paper discusses urban regeneration definition and its analytical framework, policies, strategies, and key success factors. Then the study analyses two international experiences of urban regeneration for land with high urban value namely; Canary Wharf in London and Downtown Beirut, in order to draw an outline of the objectives of this process, its approach and its analytical framework. Finally, the paper summarizes the most significant findings and highlight the importance of funding resources, institutional management and public / private partnerships to achieve successful and sustainable results.
Lately, a lot of studies focus on people behaviour and their relation with the built environment. This relation is studied in environment psychology science, which contains different theories as place theory. Place theory inquiries people presence or absence, and some attributes in such space to define how it raise to be a place for people. Hence, people are usually pedestrian in different times and situations. Moreover, the benefits of designing for pedestrian, and the calls of various urban theories to design for pedestrian and, so designing places is a critical and important issue. Accordingly, Space Syntax will be applied in this research as an efficient tool to be used for developing urban fabric of cities, and to design urban places for pedestrian.
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