الفهرس 
Livable CitiesOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 378 |  |  |
| | | from | 378 | | |
Abstract
from long ago the main underpinning goal of cities is creating a context for people to engage with each other. As the Public realm forms a vital conduit for the exchange of ideas, friendships, skills, and even material goods, in addition to that it provides a platform for everyday interaction and information flows. Public spaces are the basis and content for the public life of cities. Thus the livability of public spaces is crucial for boosting and promoting the social life of the city and improving its quality of life as well as reinforcing its global identity to withstand the global competition.
However the planning of public spaces in modern cities didn’t consider the functionality of these spaces and the ways people would perceive them and react to them, in the light of the rapid urbanization and traffic engineering that prevailed the world trying to accommodate the unprecedented demographic growth in the modern era. Hence public spaces end up empty underused lots unable to achieve their social role, in most modern cities, which is a massive drain on numerous scales economically, environmentally, and socially. It is argued that the urban form is a primary determinant of the functionality of cities and neighborhoods. Thus the main argument of this study is the crucial relationship between accessibility and livability of public spaces, that it can be considered the main factor for the livability of public spaces especially in car dominated environments. Thus it is crucial to consider the location of public spaces in relation to the urban forms of the cities in order to yield the expected outcome.
Accordingly the attributes of livable and successful public spaces were investigated in order to comprehend the whole picture of livable public spaces; their significance and attributes. Accordingly accessibility as a main characteristic of public spaces was put in context to the other attributes and discussed in relation to walkability of the built environment. Afterwards the term ‘accessibility’ was comprehended through definitions and accordingly accessibility parameters were identified through a broad literature review. Then these parameters were assessed in the selected case studies as samples of Cairo’s districts planned in gridiron pattern in the modern era. The assessment tools used were space syntax analysis, urban surveys and field observations, and questionnaires and interviews among the residents of the districts.Finally, based on the results of case studies assessment, it was concluded that there is a relationship between accessibility and livability of public spaces in Cairo context. However it is not a causal relationship, as higher levels of accessibility to public spaces haven’t necessarily caused their livability. In consequence the spaces that were livable with people were thoroughly analyzed, through comparison of different parameters of accessibility, in order to comprehend the main influential parameters of accessibility that have boosted their livability. Moreover the reasons that hindered accessibility to public spaces in the chosen case studies were investigated as well as the potentials for improving their accessibility and livability.
At the end some recommendations were proposed that would help the planners to understand the malfunctions of the modern cities’ planning that hindered accessibility of the planned public spaces in modern neighborhoods which hindered them from conveying their role as centers of social interaction among residents and so as symbols of neighborhoods and cities. As well as understanding the people’s perceptions and needs as an attempt to attain more livable cities.