Towards an Integrated Model of Livability of Public Spaces in Middle Income Neighborhoods

Abstract

The New Urban Agenda prioritized livability of public spaces through design and management. As the management of public spaces defines the role they play in neighborhoods and the ways people react to it. Accordingly, all city elements are being reshaped and altered in the new policies and strategies of cities to meet people's interests. Nasr city, a middle-income neighborhood, is characterized by abundance of green open spaces relative to other parts of Cairo. However, based on former surveys and observations conducted by the authors, there were some remarkably livable public spaces in the district on the contrary to the general situation of underused spaces. With further analysis of these spaces, it is claimed that there are two models of livability of public spaces in Nasr City; formal initiatives and temporal acts. This paper aims at investigating the two management models through investigating the provided commodity each model serves in relation to community's needs, their governance models, the beneficiaries, and the time usages. To propose an integrated model that fulfills the needs of the community and enhances the livability of middle income neighborhoods. This shall be achieved through spaces' mapping and observations as well as interviews and questionnaires of the different stakeholders.