Historic cities are cultural achievements that are gradually created by inhabitants over the centuries. In developed countries, the conservation of historic cities seems to be generally acknowledged as a method of com...Historic cities are cultural achievements that are gradually created by inhabitants over the centuries. In developed countries, the conservation of historic cities seems to be generally acknowledged as a method of community development that does not depend on huge exploitation. On the other hand, no sufficient countermeasures have been taken in developing countries because most native stakeholders are still interested in development. Here the author could focus on so-called ＂international cooperation＂, but urban conservation for historic cities where inhabitants actually live is still a minor consideration except for some government-based conservation projects for monuments and isolated examples of cultural heritage. In this paper, the example was taken of a conservation project which has been carried out by JICA （Japanese International Cooperation Agency） in Damascus, the old capital of Syria. The target area for the project is ＂Qanawat South＂. Although the origin of＂Qanawat South＂ dates back to the Roman age, efforts for urban conservation have not been well organized, partly because the area is located outside of the so-called old city registered as a world heritage site. For example, the master plan of 1968 indicated the redistribution of the traditional quarters, while some conservation laws have been restricting the regeneration of the area. Moreover, there is not yet any consensus among the stakeholders concerning the historical value of the quarter, they are still questioning why the area should be conserved rather than being freely sold or developed and what and how they should contribute to conservation. Based on analysis of the actual situation of Qasr al-Hajjaj Street, this paper examines a method called ＂restoration-type＂ facade improvement adopted by JICA, for which the final goal is not only to maintain the appearance of the street but also to activate the life of the habitants of the street.展开更多
This paper analyzes physical and visual accessibility at Moinhos de Vento Park in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, through Space Syntax methods. The Park presents a particularity in its configuration： it is c...This paper analyzes physical and visual accessibility at Moinhos de Vento Park in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, through Space Syntax methods. The Park presents a particularity in its configuration： it is crossed by an important avenue in the city that splits it in two portions linked by an elevated pedestrian path. The two portions of the park have different accessibility degrees and intensity of use due to -- we believed -- the way they are inserted in the urban pattern. Both the barrier caused by the avenue crossing the park and the differences of connectedness of each portion to its surrounding grid result in the level of integration occurring in different ways, turning the east portion less intensely used. The all-line and visibility integration maps showed that this was the case, and confirmed that spatial configuration plays an important role in rendering the east portion less integrated and in explaining the more intense use of the west portion. Integration maps showed that the most integrated areas are indeed the most used ones, although line and visibility integration differed slightly as to the exact location. This difference was probably due to the way barriers were modeled, since permeability took into account the paths while visibility considered all the ground as a whole, provided there were no barriers to sight. Another explanation for the difference is the lake located at the center of the west portion which contributed to this location＇s visual integration but, on the other hand, displaced line integration to the larger convex space to the north.展开更多
文摘Historic cities are cultural achievements that are gradually created by inhabitants over the centuries. In developed countries, the conservation of historic cities seems to be generally acknowledged as a method of community development that does not depend on huge exploitation. On the other hand, no sufficient countermeasures have been taken in developing countries because most native stakeholders are still interested in development. Here the author could focus on so-called ＂international cooperation＂, but urban conservation for historic cities where inhabitants actually live is still a minor consideration except for some government-based conservation projects for monuments and isolated examples of cultural heritage. In this paper, the example was taken of a conservation project which has been carried out by JICA （Japanese International Cooperation Agency） in Damascus, the old capital of Syria. The target area for the project is ＂Qanawat South＂. Although the origin of＂Qanawat South＂ dates back to the Roman age, efforts for urban conservation have not been well organized, partly because the area is located outside of the so-called old city registered as a world heritage site. For example, the master plan of 1968 indicated the redistribution of the traditional quarters, while some conservation laws have been restricting the regeneration of the area. Moreover, there is not yet any consensus among the stakeholders concerning the historical value of the quarter, they are still questioning why the area should be conserved rather than being freely sold or developed and what and how they should contribute to conservation. Based on analysis of the actual situation of Qasr al-Hajjaj Street, this paper examines a method called ＂restoration-type＂ facade improvement adopted by JICA, for which the final goal is not only to maintain the appearance of the street but also to activate the life of the habitants of the street.
文摘This paper analyzes physical and visual accessibility at Moinhos de Vento Park in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, through Space Syntax methods. The Park presents a particularity in its configuration： it is crossed by an important avenue in the city that splits it in two portions linked by an elevated pedestrian path. The two portions of the park have different accessibility degrees and intensity of use due to -- we believed -- the way they are inserted in the urban pattern. Both the barrier caused by the avenue crossing the park and the differences of connectedness of each portion to its surrounding grid result in the level of integration occurring in different ways, turning the east portion less intensely used. The all-line and visibility integration maps showed that this was the case, and confirmed that spatial configuration plays an important role in rendering the east portion less integrated and in explaining the more intense use of the west portion. Integration maps showed that the most integrated areas are indeed the most used ones, although line and visibility integration differed slightly as to the exact location. This difference was probably due to the way barriers were modeled, since permeability took into account the paths while visibility considered all the ground as a whole, provided there were no barriers to sight. Another explanation for the difference is the lake located at the center of the west portion which contributed to this location＇s visual integration but, on the other hand, displaced line integration to the larger convex space to the north.
