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Future Engineering Journal

Abstract

According to UN-Habitat (2015), “Public spaces are all places publicly owned or of public use, accessible and enjoyable by all for free and without profit motive” (p.1). The characteristics of public spaces mentioned in this definition, which are mainly public ownership of the place, enjoyability, and free accessibility by all, are pertinent to the uses of streets in general and pedestrian-friendly streets in specific.

Public space is more than well-designed physical places. It is an arena for social interaction and active citizenship that can spark social and economic development and drive environmental sustainability. The design, provision, and maintenance of well-connected systems of public space are integral to achieving a safe and accessible city. However, cities must move beyond typically site-specific approaches to addressing public space if sustainable and longer-lasting benefits are to be achieved. Establishing and implementing a city-wide strategy that approaches a city as a multi-functional and connected urban system can ensure the best chances of proactively driving good urban development.

This paper focuses on investigating the public spaces in Moez street, Cairo, and its dynamics in general and the walkable or pedestrian-friendly space in specific is one of the multidisciplinary topics that attract the attention of different scholars, practitioners, and policymakers in different disciplines, such as urban designers and city planners, environmentalists, public health specialists, and local administration including managers of public spaces. Hence, it was suggested in planning and public health literature that spaces can be so-called healthy, compact, efficient, and good for social interaction if they are designed and planned to be walkable environments.

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