Urban Narratives: Exploring Identity, Heritage, and Sustainable Development in Cities

Kevin Lynch (The image of the city (Vol. 11). MIT Press, 1960) described the image of the city through built environment elements and patterns that can be identified together at different scales. Maintaining his focus on perception but zooming further in can show that many individual identities of diverse inhabitants are embedded within any city- or district-identity. Following a relational, socio-material approach, these concepts can be linked through how urban design and architecture supports, limits, and can be changed by variable expressions of inhabitants’ identities over time. This paper asks, how can the inhabitants impose their identities upon the city? by examining how the built environment hinders, hides, encourages, or showcases individuals’ presentations of self and tactics to support their everyday lives. The study documents identity-laden spatial tactics enabled by architecture in a series of urban housing environments in three Norwegian cities. The findings are synthesized from ethnographic observation studies carried out during three research projects between 2013 and 2021. Recent trends towards large area redevelopment in Norway have resulted in a largely anonymized identity imposed by homogenous architecture. However, contrasting these with longer inhabited neighbourhoods from different architectural periods offer examples of how identities and the needs of daily lives can also be imposed upon architecture by inhabitants through spatial tactics. The analysis provides a preliminary categorization of architectural elements and characteristics that offer material potentials for individual identity-expression or identity-hindrance. The aim of the paper is to understand how architecture’s stabilizing capacity can be redirected towards supporting dynamic, heterogeneous expressions of city inhabitants. This added perceptible layer in the city can redefine the image of the city so that it may also represent the ever-changing identities of its inhabitants.

As an ongoing subject, city identity has been researched in a range of disciplines and contexts, such as sociology, anthropology, urban planning, cultural tourism, design and art. The social and economic value of city identity as a strategic dimension of cultural and creative competition between countries is increasingly being recognized. (Anholt, What is competitive identity? In Competitive identity: The new brand management for nations, cities and regions, pp. 1–23, 2007). However, in the current search for strategies to make cities identifiable, liveable and inclusive, research projects have been undertaken in different disciplines, dimensions and fields of knowledge, yet there is no specific way to analyze and observe city identity, nor can research efforts from different disciplinary backgrounds lead to common discussions or collaborations. The paper aims to develop a method and approach to assess or measure elements of urban identity with the aim of developing a methodology for observing, analyzing and evaluating city cultural identity. Enable specialists from different disciplines to carry out a quantitative-based analysis of city identity. Against this backdrop, this paper will firstly define the cultural identity elements of the cities through the literature review, in order to develop an indicators system of city identity. Secondly, the appropriate evaluation criteria for the indicators are discussed based on the categories of the elements in the indicator system, including the qualitative and quantitative evaluation aspects. By doing this, the article aims at filling a research gap in current literature as it is the first attempt to systematically investigate the components of city identity on a wider scale, forming a framework for a structured insight into city identity. It contributes to a broader interest in the debate on the topic of urban identity.

The goal of this study is to provide an interpretation of Istanbul’s urban development by comparing compositional techniques in urban designs that have influenced the city’s growth. The investigation is based on theories derived from Italian studies conducted over the course of the last four decades. In these studies, a compositional rather than merely historical perspective was used to analyze urban development and define an urban identity. The compositional research method, as well as the historical one, begins with the analysis of literature and archive materials. These materials, unlike the historical method, are analyzed with a critical stance toward the projects, interpreting, and understanding them through the drawings. When accompanied by a thorough historical analysis, it can provide a complete overview of the designer’s work. The following study aims to demonstrate how the Ottoman city, despite its differences with North African and Middle Eastern medinas in terms of morphology and materials, can be considered an expression of the Islamic city. The primary research focus is on Mimar Sinan, an important figure in Ottoman architecture who worked from 1489 to 1558 and whose name is still widely recognized throughout Europe. The Turkish architect Turgut Cansever (1921–2009) provided new evidence that stems from further and more in-depth examinations of this topic.

In 2018, The Thai Government launched urban renewal projects in various Thailand provinces, including the capital city. In Bangkok, Charoen Krung district was selected by Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA) as the new creative urban district in Bangkok. This paper aims to explore and evaluate the renewed urban identity of Charoen Krung district, whereby BMA’s urban renewal project has been implemented. The project has been implemented for three years from 2018 to 2021, but there is currently no empirical research for the evaluation of the success in terms of a renewed urban identity. In 2021, this research was conducted with 77 research participants, including both local residents and visitors. Photo-elicitation and in-depth interviews were adopted within the qualitative research process, with the aim of understanding participants’ given meanings; the renewed urban identity of place, to their everyday contextual experiences of the Charoen Krung district. The method triangulation, including (1) the on-site survey with researcher-produced-photograph (RPP), (2) participant-produced-photographs (PPP), and (3) in-depth elicitation interviews, with residents and visitors, was adopted. PPP and in-depth interviews were adopted for two groups of participants: (1) local residents and (2) visitors. Interview data were transcribed and interpreted with Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach. Sub-themes and super-ordinate themes emerged as the reflective meaning of Charoen Krung’s renewed place identity. Eventually, the meaning of creative district and specific identity has been differently perceived and defined by residents and visitors. In addition, the results and methods used in this research project are expected to be adopted and applied as practical guidance for evaluating the further evaluation of other urban renewal urban identity projects in other provinces of Thailand.

Architectural character or identity is defined as a set of aesthetic characteristics and values that are expressed by a building and reflect its identity or that which distinguishes it. Urban character is a set of complex attributes within the character of the area and includes physical and non-physical components. Hence, architectural and urban character are considered as a reflection of community cultural identity, while place has a distinctive role in their formation. In Libya, there is a variety of architectural and urban compositions, and their characteristics differ according to place and time. Also, the elements of these formations interact with the nature of the place and its social and economic characteristics. In Benghazi, while there is variety in the architectural and urban heritage, its modern architecture and urban character are the outcome of global architecture, which has contributed to a loss of the city’s identity. This research aims to review various views from architects and urban planners regarding architectural and urban character and examines the suitability of this for the local environment. It also reviews opinions on the modern character and new trends for architecture in Benghazi. The study uses a descriptive approach, analysing the opinions of a number of academics, architects and planners. The study outcomes point to the suitability of the inherited architectural character within the environment of Benghazi, while finding a lack of homogeneity between the modern architecture and the local environment, and that the modern architecture has failed to achieve sustainability.

Cities are increasingly reusing industrial heritage as part of cultural and creative regeneration strategies. However, designers and decision-makers face the challenge of determining which features and elements of industrial heritage are more perceived and preferred by the general public and will shape the future character of the site. The availability of large numbers of user-generated photographs (UGPs) on social media provides a new human-centered and grassroots lens for the above issue. This article proposes to analyze the content of UGPs to measure common regularities in people’s perceptions of industrial heritage sites. The article focuses on three cases of event-driven industrial heritage transformation: Shougang Steel Factories in Beijing as the Big Air venue of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, Parco Dora in Turin as the site of the Kappa FuturFestival since 2012, and Cockatoo Island in Sydney as the site of the Sydney Biennale since 2008. The analysis is conducted in three steps: collecting UGPs from social media sites with a time range from pre-event to post-event to compare the transition of perceived images; clustering the photographs based on visual similarity using deep learning models; and extracting commonly perceived image features, including landscape scenes, specific buildings/facilities, and certain elements.

This study uses a phenomenological paradigm to study arcades between Wales and Italy to understand the evolution and direction of these public spaces/places and provide a framework to examine the bodily relationship between the urban role of arcades and galleries. The paper reviews the state-of-the-art and historiography of the architecture investigated, reviews the literature and its origins, and discusses a phenomenological and philosophical approach. The paper suggests that the intangible dimension of existence and experience is the key to understanding these places. By examining how we experience and perceive them, we can better understand their role in shaping our built environment and cultural heritage through time. Through the lens of phenomenology, we can gain insight into their historical context and better understand their intrinsic spirit. Furthermore, to contextualise the identity and spatial aspects of arcades, we draw upon the theorists M. Augé, T. Boettger, C. N. Schulz, W. Benjamin, and B. Rudofsky, as well as artistic reflections on Futurism and Cubism. The paper also questions whether traditional arcades have lost their intrinsic value of place or has their spirit of place has been transmogrified into a non-place through globalisation. Overall, the paper offers a rich and nuanced perspective on the cultural and historical significance of arcades, galleries, and porticos.

The paper examines the identity crisis of Dalian, a postcolonial city in Northeast China, in the dilemma of heritage-making and cultural placemaking. Born in the turbulent transition between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Dalian experienced the intertwined power wrestling among East Asian countries, resulting in the complex layering of its urban image and cultural identity across the city’s changing colonial regimes, from Imperial Russia to Imperial Japan, before being taken over by the People’s Republic of China. The city's image reflects a multicultural pastiche following the tangled trajectory of its past. However, to fit the historical complexity into a socialist framework, political sensitivity often outweighs heritage awareness in the emergence of postcolonial nationalism. The paper explores Dalian’s approach to cultural placemaking in its recent revival as an ‘Cultural City of East Asia’. Through historical analysis and on-site fieldwork, the research identifies the city’s hidden fusion and recognition of multicultural heritage, which has remained sensitive and not yet been officially advocated. Following comparative studies, the paper investigates the remaking of Russian and Japanese cultural streets in Dalian in light of recent controversies, which further intensifies the debate about adopting postcolonial heritage in the contemporary Chinese context.

Gudiashvili Square is located in Kala in the historical part of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. Due to the fact that the square is located inside the old defensive wall of Narikala Fortress, it has a huge archaeological and historical importance. At first this square appears on the Map of Kartli, created by Vakhushti Batonishvili in 1735 and is mentioned with the name of Bezhana Garden. Of particular interest is a pit containing a remarkable assemblage of ceramics, unearthed within a dwelling where only the floor has been preserved. Above this dwelling, a cellar featuring vaulted arches was constructed, believed by art critics to potentially date back to the XVII–XVIII centuries. The pit was excavated under the floor, and it is noteworthy that such pits are typically excavated within the interiors of ceramic workshops, often adjacent to ceramic kilns. For instance, in Kutaisi, four pits were discovered within the workshop interior, yielding a diverse range of ceramic materials that have been dated to the X–XI centuries. In the case of Gudiashvili Square, the dwelling’s interior where the pit was found may have served as a workshop, subsequently destroyed or transformed into a discarded deposit. Both conjectures merit consideration. To shed light on these findings, comparative analysis employing the study of ceramic materials in conjunction with other artifacts from medieval sites in Georgia was conducted, enabling the determination of the pit’s function and its chronological placement.

The historic center of Algiers (Casbah) presents a state of severe decay. Even that the state has financed projects for its preservation, and promulgated laws to frame these actions with adequate conservation process, the Casbah’s buildings are still in danger of collapsing. This paper investigates the managing system of this heritage and its evolution through the public regulations and the legislative decisions. The management structure bodies of the Casbah have known a significant development since the promulgation of Law 98-04 regarding the preservation of cultural heritage. This law brought a new tool for the conservation and preservation of historic living cities that did not exist before 1998, what causes an unclear management strategy. This paper highlights anomalies concerning the management of the historic site of the Casbah before and after the promulgation of Law 98-04, and the efforts made by the state, as well as the results obtained so far after the approval of the new conservation instrument which is the PPSMVSS (Permanent Plan of Safeguard and Enhancement of Safeguarded Sectors) since 2012.

The Casbah of Algiers is a beautiful and rich historic site that has been shaped by various eras and types of spatial occupation. However, the development of the peripheries has led to the marginalization and devaluation of historic cities, with modern cities becoming machines that produce urban voids in the historic centers. These abandoned spaces pose a problem of discontinuity and rupture with the urban dynamism, which needs to be addressed through requalification of urban voids. The Casbah of Algiers, a UNESCO World Heritage site, requires revaluation and reappropriation of its identity. This article explores these themes through a case study of the Casbah of Algiers, highlighting the obstacles that hinder renewal and give a new image to the city. In this procedural framework, we will focus on the most important neighborhoods and landmarks to identify the key issues, define jobs, and allocate a path for intervention.

The transformation of urban forms and the organization of automobility networks were the main factors affecting urban transportation and mobility throughout the years. Moreover, the relationship between movement and urban forms shapes the city’s urban mobility. The research significance lies behind documenting and analyzing the situation in Heliopolis urban nodes after the major additions in flyovers and intersections in the favor of vehicular modes of commuting in 2019 so that it provides an opportunity for future studies in this field. However, these intrusions neglected the vital role of urban nodes and their effect on mobility in Heliopolis. This study’s objective is to investigate the morphological changes in urban nodes resulting from Heliopolis’ new urban development and review it according to previous urban theories to clarify its impact on the city’s urban mobility and transportation modes. The study will be conducted through a comparative analysis between Heliopolis urban nodes before and after the aforementioned development. Moreover, the study will apply a morphological analysis to investigate the transformation of the urban nodes (Heliopolis Square and El-Hegaz Square) physical form by abstracting the urban elements to clarify the transformation of the street patterns, geometrical form, and movement in the squares. Thereupon, the paper expounds on whether these intrusions enhanced or diminished the ability of urban nodes to serve the city’s urban mobility. The results of this review demonstrate that this new development affected positively vehicular movement in the selected nodes but affected negatively walkability. Furthermore, this development removed the tramlines which were one of the identity elements and a traditional mobility mode in Heliopolis. Consequently, the results also show that there is a mutual relationship between mobility and identity. This provides new opportunities for future scientific researches to understand to what extent identity affects mobility.

Contemporary urban design, as well as sustainable development calls, pays serious attention to the notion of identity in the urban context. Furthermore, there is an increase in scientific research in this field. This paper revisits identifying place identity components. Therefore, reliable literature and research articles were reviewed to identify the components that can create place identity. The paper empirically analyzes the checklist of place identity components by comparing two case studies. As identity is affected by the place’s culture and the nature of the people in it, this paper focuses on public places in administrative areas in Greater Cairo. This comparison was made using the collected data from documents and archives and the observation during the site visits. An interview with experts was also done. Based on the data, the study assessed the sense of identity in the two cases. According to the results, this study identified the strengths and weaknesses in each assessment category, then presented identity enhancing strategies (IES) to enhance identity. The findings came in three categories, environment-related strategies, people-related strategies, and strategies for the relationship between the place and its people. This approach adopted by the study can be used to derive other strategies for different places.

A city is a densely populated, compactly built and functionally organised spatial unit within which specific relationships between people and the environment are established. The functional and physiognomic development of a city is a reflection of various civilisational, cultural, socio-political, socio-economic and natural influences. These are, to a specific extent, determined by historical heritage. As a consequence, no settlement, Banja Luka included, can be viewed isolated from space and time. Historical and cultural influences on Banja Luka city in the process of its urban development are the subject and the thematic framework of this research. The development of Banja Luka was influenced not only by its geographical and spatial position but also by the roles it played and the significance it held throughout history. Its life and development were conditioned by turbulent socio-historical factors, the clash of civilisations, earthquakes, wars, socio-administrative status, etc. The cultural and historical influence will be analysed based on the literature, written and graphic archival material, the facts determined on site and the development trends of the city through specific historical periods: the Ottoman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian period, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, SFR Yugoslavia and recent history (period from 1992 to the present). Each of these epochs, with its specific development characteristics, caused migrations of population and unplanned expansion of the city. This made planning and urbanism a neglected social discipline. The canvas of the city was painted with eclectic architectural and construction strokes all fatefully reflecting the period and the culture of their making. This paper will talk about shaping urban space through historical and cultural influence. It will also discuss the true state of urban space and the practical application (non-application) of ethical rules and norms (not) built into the city of Banja Luka.

In recent decades, modern architecture has focused excessively on the search for new construction techniques to improve the city construction processes. This has led to a reduction in local construction techniques and materials, deteriorating cultural heritage and architectural landscape. Vernacular architecture is the result of a symbiosis of social, economic, and environmental aspects. It is therefore essential to understand the influence of architecture on lifestyle, as material, aesthetic, and functional aspects are also influential. Anthropological factors are also key, as the phenomena of change are shown in order to create guidelines for the analysis of safeguarding strategies. The Shuar are one of the 14 indigenous nationalities of Ecuador and are located in the south-east of the country, in the Amazon region. Their specific way of viewing the world involves symbolism in their spaces. During the last century, after colonization by religious expeditions, their lifestyle and construction techniques have been distorted, leading to a loss of their traditional heritage values, a situation which has worsened in recent years due to the arrival of new materials. This article aims to link the most important aspects of the Shuar settlements and their architecture to examine the problem which puts their vernacular architecture and culture at risk. Hence, strategies will be proposed to cover aspects of the indigenous territories, mitigate the threats, and identify a sustainable approach to their opportunities. The starting point of the conservation and site management proposal will be restoring value to the heritage aspects of its architecture through anthropological features.

Scholarly studies have illustrated that the interaction between cities’ history and their architecture positively affects the creation of a distinctive architectural style through its cultural heritage. Hence, it is essential to implement accurate conservation methods for cultural heritage in order to raise cities’ value. The conservation process of heritage needs to create an oriented evaluation module that can serve as a guide for decision-makers and conservation professionals. Therefore, this study tries to identify the significant preservation methods to design a module that evaluates modern techniques to preserve cultural heritage. To achieve the study objective, the descriptive-analytical approach has been used to examine the conservation process by the comparative analysis between an international case Palazzo D’Accursio in Italy, and a national one, the Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Center (TIEC) in Cairo. Then, the study involved the application of a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis in conjunction with a social, technological, economic, environmental, and political (STEEP) analysis to organize the different impacts generated by the adaptive reuse case studies in order to reach the findings of this study which extract the scientific framework in an exact and sequential order, which will be followed by the assessment and then the final report to be adopted in conservation in the future.

The preservation and defense of a heritage building, including hospitals considered historical monuments, are essential to maintain and strengthen the identity of a community. On the other hand, it is crucial to provide quality health services for the population, especially in countries of the Global South, where resources are scarce and development opportunities are not frequent. But, what happens when both interests collide? Is it possible to maintain a unique built heritage and, at the same time, meet the basic health needs of the population?. This research presents the case of the Goyeneche Hospital in Arequipa, the best example of Neo-Gothic architecture in the city, built with a local white and pink ashlar stone, and, at the time of its construction at the beginning of the twentieth century, one of the most advanced in Latin America, but which has seriously deteriorated over time. On the other hand, many voices are calling for its demolition to allow the construction of a modern hospital in its place, since it is located in the city’s downtown area. This study proposes solution alternatives for both perspectives, beginning with a detailed architectural and typological historical analysis of the Goyeneche Hospital. Then, we offer a perspective to the functional demands required by this facility and the management problems that hinder its development. Finally, an architectural restoration project is proposed that reconciles the preservation of the hospital heritage with the development of efficient and useful health infrastructure for the population by means of the adaptive reuse concept.

Heritage neighborhoods in Arab countries form a stereotyped image of architecture whose design was influenced by Islamic legislation, this helped it acquire an identity that distinguished it in form and content. These legislations are a crucial component of social life and the passed-down customs and traditions that continue to be practiced today. Moreover, the forms and designs of heritage neighborhoods evolved to accommodate climatic and environmental factors to mitigate their adverse effects on users. To do this, the study intends to offer insight into how laws and legislations affect neighborhood sustainability from an environmental and social perspective. In order to reach the most important factors (legislation and related architectural and urban elements), the research employs a methodology based on documenting and analyzing the content of what was written from the literature about the subject, and then analyzing a case study from the heritage neighborhoods in Al Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, by observing, meeting the citizens, and determining whether the principles of sustainability for residential neighborhoods are applied and how.

In the lifetime of a heritage building associated with the cultural or political history of the country, new requirements will arise to reuse it for a different function serving new users. In addition, certain quality improvements might be required such as adding new systems or carrying out interior design modification. These new changes will introduce a new sense of place that will have an impact on the users and the identity of the heritage building. The creation of a new sense of place of interior architecture for the adaptive reuse heritage buildings could be categorized into three different levels. Firstly, buildings serve the same function but are improved in terms of interior design. Secondly, buildings serve the same function but require certain changes to their interior architecture, and this might change a bit the sense of place. The third category relates to the buildings that are changed functionally and require major interior architecture modification (mainly adaptive reuse), which will introduce a new sense of place. This paper emphasizes the third category and analyzes the concept of the sense of place created through the act of design that applied to the case study of ‘Al Faw Presidential Palace Complex’ in Baghdad. Part of this complex was adapted in 2019 to accommodate the facilities of the new American University of Iraq in Baghdad (AUIB). The importance of considering the new sense of place for the adaptive reuse act of such valuable buildings comes from the fact that there are hundreds of massive palaces and presidential facilities built in Iraq in the period from 1979 to 2003. These palaces require tremendous interior architectural changes and adaptation to serve new functions, mainly cultural ones. Creating a new sense of place is a major factor that should be addressed, taking into consideration the value and strength of the old sense of place of these properties. By creating a new cultural function that introduces a new sense of place, the identity continuation of the place will be achieved and reflected in the identity and cultural continuation.

An architectural design concept represents the core value of the design, and it is the string that keeps all design decisions related and original. It needs to be achieved by understanding the holistic nature of the project before adopting one main idea that will be the essence of the design. Approaching historical buildings needs special effort since several aspects are involved and every design decision needs to be carefully studied and sensible. This paper examines different influences affecting inspirations and approaches to develop the architectural design concept of a historical building, as well as how they can lead to the concept formation. The research methodology is based on a practical application to upcycle a case study of a historical castle that dates back to the crusader era in Palestine. In order to generate an architectural approach for the proposed historical structure, several design aspects were studied, e.g., historical, geographical, spiritual, and incidental. These aspects assure a more comprehensive approach to the design and generated a framework representing a design process aid tool. The progressive framework helped in generating and developing the architectural design decisions while approaching the historical building to maintain and celebrate its values while accommodating recent or existing needs. The proposed framework can be used by designers, archeologists, and buildings preservers to generate inclusive approaches to design concept generation.

Globally, economic growth tends to be concentrated in cities. Due to the UN, by the year 2050, around two-thirds of people will live in urban and peri-urban regions. Increasing national wealth and providing the community with hope for a better standard of living are pushed toward massive migration from rural to urban areas. Migration impacts urban environments, infrastructure, and quality of life. Additionally, climate change will also have a negative impact on the environment, which might threaten urban areas. All these circumstances lead to the search for solutions. The focus of the search lies in exploring approaches to reduce pressure on cities while concurrently conserving and enhancing current natural resources. This article is claimed to study successful green communities with common interest examples in rural Egypt. Those communities’ interests could help to improve the quality of life for their residents and environmental improvement and may be the reason for reverse migration in the future. The research objectives are to highlight the main features of successful communities and state the influence factors that led communities of interest to achieve positive results. The research uses diagnostic and descriptive methods for studying the communities to set the features by comprehensive analysis to determine the common factors and detect the criteria. Finally, the outcome indicates that the extent of apparent features can be divided into three main elements (economy, environment, and human). Additionally, the suggested factors could be repeated in different spaces, and accordingly, the spaces could be transformed to be developed based on these results.

Recently, several studies have been conducted to develop a sustainable society, one of which is urban, linked to public and socially responsible principles; thus, sustainability is tied to public values. Consequently, eco-friendly communities might serve as a model of sustainable urbanism and improve the environment’s and the general public’s quality of life. This research aims to investigate one of the eco-friendly communities in Rural Egypt, SEKEM Farm, a sustainable green urbanism project whose founders established it with a holistic, sustainable development vision with the potential of representing, upon spreading and can positively impact reversing rural–urban migration in the future. The research objective is to set the features of eco-friendly communities of recycled spaces and to determine the factors that led those communities to achieve positive results. In addition, it states the criteria that could help others to repeat the same concept successfully. Methods of both diagnostic and descriptive will be used for setting the features of eco-friendly communities. The empirical study in the research includes site visits for observation and mapping the human behaviour using paper, time-lapse, and video photography; this step aims to analyse the user pattern in real-time. Finally, the outcome indicates a comprehensive model/framework to describe the influential primary factors that affect pro-environmental behaviour. Additionally, based on these results, the suggested criteria could be repeated in different recycled spaces to be transformed into eco-friendly communities.

The term of gentrification is often associated with rehabilitation, revitalization, rejuvenation, and improvement concerning area’s environmental quality. It is believed that environmental quality improvement generates investments such as commercial activities to Semarang Old Town. In addition, such improvement alters the land use and social class, resulting from gentrification in Semarang Old Town. This study aims to observe the conducted efforts in order to preserve Semarang Old Town and the development of cultural tourism, and to determine whether these efforts affect the gentrification in the old town area. The method of this study is a qualitative approach, conducted with interview and observation techniques to observe changes and to determine the change’s impact by distinguishing physical, economic, and social aspect in the area. The results of the study analysis reveal that gentrification occurs from the transformation of environmental characteristics which is deemed necessary as a means of adaptation for society. In particular, the impact of gentrification is determined by both good and bad connotations, affecting physical, social, and economic aspects.

In recent years, mural arts have secured a place within the urban space of metropolitan cities around the world, including Cairo. These murals, created by numerous artists, appear in different areas throughout the city. The literature shows that they have an impact on the social and physical aspects of urban space. This paper investigates the murals located within the boundaries of Historic Cairo, focusing on the higher concentration within Al-Khalifa neighborhood. The paper discusses the messages conveyed by them and their addressed audience: either the local community or a different audience all together. It critically analyzes eight murals through an urban design lens, using visual and architectural methods including mapping, annotated photographs, and architectural diagrams. In between the envisioned purpose of these murals and their realized outcome, the paper questions the murals’ interaction with streetscape, community, and time. The first question discusses whether the streets act as the murals’ canvas or background or are shaped and identified by them. Simultaneously, it questions whether these murals represent the community’s identity or if the artists impose their artistic vision through them. Lastly, whether these murals are ephemeral and disappear over time, or leave traces that mark the urban space.