Public Perception Influence on the Reshaping Urban Heritage: A Case Study of Port Said Historic Quarters

Abstract

Cultural heritage plays an important role in reshaping cities’ current morphologies, reinforcing public sense of belonging, cultural identity, and place authenticity. Port Said, the research case study, a former colonial city located at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea and the Suez Canal at the north east Egyptian coast, is struggling between new urban sprawl that obliterates its identity and urban heritage preservation. Port Said is an important logistic city distinguished by its unique urban heritage, facing a real threat of heritage obliteration. There is a continuous fight between nostalgic memories, modern life style dreams, and aimed economic benefit. Although there is an international developing agenda for the preservation of tangible urban heritage, the local community can barely interfere with reshaping of urban heritage in the modern society. It is urgent to create public awareness and heritage guardians in developing countries as the economic benefits strongly demolish heritage, ignoring their significance and peculiarity. This research aims to investigate the city’s historical and urban development with special emphasis on buildings’ visual characteristics and architectural features. Visual preference survey research methodology is used to study public perception influence toward reshaping city historical image. The current study employs both qualitative and quantitative tactics in data collection to examine the research hypotheses and to achieve organized and rational local perception about Egyptian building heritage development. Finally, conclusions are drawn about the joining of current public perception of the Port Said heritages, urban identity and city unique reshaping and development.