Chronicle of the Middle East and North Africa

Fanack Urbanism

urbanism

urbanism
This picture taken on May 14, 2021 shows an aerial view of Egypt's capital Cairo (R) and its twin city of Giza (L), showing the historic old Cairo district (R) and the Nile river islands of (bottom L to R) Qorsaya and Dahab, and the island of Manial al-Roda (C). Photo by Amir MAKAR / AFP AMIR MAKAR ©AFP

Urbanism to Better Regional Quality of Life

Regional Urban design along with its linkage to urban planning and architectural design is the main outcome of socio-economical and political agendas. Its quality is directly proportional to humans’ quality of life and happiness. With broad support Fanack triggers conversations that directly propose solutions to better the quality of those living in the region.

Fanack aims to explore and track urbanism’s effect on human life in the MENA region along with possible future solutions. With our Urbanism section, we offer a platform for anyone interested in the urbanism field to explore and express thoughts, ideas, and innovative solutions. Together we give the region the needed information for a better understanding.

 

Urbanism Topics

Quality of life is one of the main concerns of anyone residing in the 21 countries of the Middle East and North Africa covered by Fanack.

Together with our network of global contributors, we define what regional residents want, what they need, and in which space they are most comfortable in.

Below is a list of topics that we aim to convey. These topics are explored from a regional, local, and city-level perspective. Fanack aims to link the below topics to their effect on the quality of life in cities in the MENA region on both local and regional levels.

Urban Planning

Each city has its own potential. Urban planning is the art of optimizing the possible performance and outcome of each area, it shapes cities’ images and functions. Each city’s urban planning should relate to its identity and required outcome, while respecting different functions, patterns and backgrounds. How each region works on its own and how it aligns with its neighboring regions must be also well considered. In this section, we will discuss outcomes, future possibilities and strategies to improve settings being studied and to avoid previous mistakes in future planning.

Urban Design & Landscape

Urban formation is what configures our spaces and everyday surroundings. It is also an important factor in shaping our lifestyle, and an end result of multi-design parameters. The quality of life and livability in urban spaces is affected by how efficiently these parameters are applied and integrated. This includes, sociability, environmental comfort, mobility, health and well-being, etc. Through out this section, we will work on the linkage of urban design to the quality of life present in urban spaces.

Architectural Design

Most of us spend our days inside building. Within these spaces, we live, work and carry out most of our activities; healthy buildings mean a healthier community. Architecture is not only the result of a successful country, but it can also be the key to one, for it shapes most of our cities. In this section, we will discuss how architectural design affects quality of life through different parameters and its role in shaping a sustainable community.

Urban Mobility

Efficient cities are known for their smart mobility strategies. For a citizen, a resident or even a tourist, urban mobility is an important measurement for overall satisfaction; it can have a huge impact on mental clarity or it can be a daily burden. It is also very influential to sustainability. We are going to discuss how Urban Mobility affects humans, the environment and its relation to the economy.

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Urban Economics

Economic development includes income, education, healthcare and lifestyle which urban design frequently triggers. City planning and urban design shape the economical formula of each city, through vision, goals and objectives and different strategies followed by an action plan. Shaping or reshaping a city is not independent of its economic shaping or its future. Under the section of urban economics, we will review how urban planning and design affects macro and micro economics and how that reflects on our daily life.

Urban Ecology

Mankind is supposed to be “only” a part of a greater bio-diverse ecosystem on our planet, and also as the most dominant creature. While forming our cities, we must never forget that we are not alone on this planet. If our decisions towards city planning are not taken wisely, this will immediately cause a threat to civilization as we know it; therefore, our city planning must strongly consider its impact on our surrounding ecosystem through design and execution methods.

Urban Ecology is an interdisciplinary topic connecting the impact of urbanism and its effects on the surrounding ecosystems and biodiversity. It is a considerable part of the environment greatly impacting sustainability.

Urban History

Different eras have different motives and potentials, causing different city formations, which affect the lifestyle of their users. Health, safety, security, etc.., are all factors affecting quality of life. The topic Urban History will discuss how different eras with different design and planning strategies affected the quality of life of its users taking into consideration religious and cultural parameters.

Sources & Downloads

To ensure easy access to freely available information on the Urbanism topics covered on Fanack we host a dedicated section to relevant sources and downloads. Offering professionals, willing to share their reports, analysis and more, to partake. The aim of this section is to become the one-stop source of reference material for anyone interested in Urbanism and the region.