Place evaluation: a transactional adaptive approach. The case study of Cairo's waterfront

Abstract

The objective of this research is to determine how Cairenes construe places. The body of study is applied to the context of the waterfront area along the Nile River within Cairo. It is important to stress that the research is not based upon a witnessed well-defined problem but rather built upon a model, based upon a Transactional approach that explores how Cairenes construe places later revealing particular problems. A review of literature initially identifies many paradigms of perception and human behaviour. These paradigms have been used in order to identify a model, which is used to guide the course of the research and is based upon a man in environment perspective. Therefore the study is set out to individually determine aspects of place and human perception, bearing in mind the theoretical reasoning behind the model, which suggests that both entities should holistically be examined.

The research is therefore orientated towards determining aspects of change between people and place. From an adaptation approach it is therefore argued that the level of variation existing within the environment determines the amount of change in behaviour and perception that may occur in order to achieve the appropriate balance required between people and place. As the research attempts to determine how Cairenes construe places, and as people's perceptions and the environment are in constant change, thus change in our case relates to how human perception and behaviour are affected by the level of variation existing within the environment. The basis of the model is therefore related to both context and human perception.

The case study involves Cairo's waterfront as it is centrally located and considered as a convenient public place. This area is used in order to determine aspects of the context and human perception. Therefore the waterfront is considered as a public place used to examine the objectives of the research. The results reveal that there exists a lack of variation in public spaces along the waterfront and Cairo. It also highlights that the social class of people within a context affects how Cairenes' construe places. Both the contextual and perceptual analysis uncovers segregated patterns of behaviour within the City and is tackled by introducing general design recommendations for public areas situated along Cairo's waterfront and in general within public space.

The methodology involves a qualitative analysis of interviews and a further quantitative analysis of a questionnaire. Both analyses attempt to determine dominant aspects of perception and context. It is also important to underline that within the proposed model derived from the Transactional approach, aspects of change are embodied in the level of variation existing within the environment. This is based upon the assumption that higher levels of variation in the context affect people's perceptions.