The Quest for Livable City Centers: A Study in Famagusta (Gazimağusa), North Cyprus

Abstract

Concern about the livability of urban spaces has led to an increasing interest in findings from analyses aiming to quantify livability in particular places such as city centers. In traditional cities, city centers have always been known by their diverse functions, activities and social interactions. However, today, with the effect of fast urbanization and the growth of cities outwards of the city centers, we lose the meaning and use of the concept of city center in many cases. This paper therefore aims to explore the characteristics of successful city centers and tries to identify the main parameters to achieve livability. Based on these, a strategy is proposed in order to promote the city center of Famagusta, a city in North Cyprus with a serious problem in its central area, to achieve livability. The study contributes some experiential evidence to investigate the claimed benefits and deficiencies in terms of effects of physical, social and economic parameters on the overall perception of livability of the residents in the central area of Famagusta and cities of similar development trends.