Measuring the Quality of Public spaces in Traditional and Governmental Neighbourhoods , Misurata City

Abstract

One of the major indicators of urban quality and residents’ levels of satisfaction in city neighbourhoods is the public space. In Libya, in 2005, the government introduced a redevelopment scheme to provide new homes to the local residents and to build thousands of new housing units around the country. This initiative was to offset the shortage in housing numbers due to the rapid population growth and urbanisation. In 2011, 79% of the country’s population lived in urban areas. This high demand for housing drove significant changes to the urban planning composition of the country, particularly the residential areas. This paper focuses on two examples of typical neighbourhoods as case studies in Misurata City. It investigates the role of public spaces in the traditional neighbourhoods (TNs) and the governmental neighbourhoods (GNs). It examines the relationship between the residents of public spaces in both types of neighbourhood in terms of social integration. In addition, the researcher examines whether this new strategy has affected the social relationships within the local community or not, and assesses the extent of the possible impact on the daily activities of residents.