Architecture Research Staff

• Dr. Lorens Holm
• Michael Spens

The General Secretariat of Education and Scientific Research GSESR, Libya

Action for Sustainability

Stakeholders Perceptions and Responses to sustainable urban planning and development in Syria. A joint fund with Mr. David Kirk in TRP, £2,000.

LSA, ASHRAE, GSUS

1. Elfeturi, A.(2008)Learning from traditional urban form: lessons from the past for cities of the future. IESC
2. Elfeturi, A.(2009)Cultural sustainability. SAUD, vol. 1, pp 147-164
3. Elfeturi, A. (2010) The role of built cultural heritage in achieving sustainable urban form. SAUD
4. Elfeturi, A. (2010) An investigation of the relationship between urban form and socio-cultural values: Tripoli Old City as a case study. Conference on the cultural role of architecture. University of Lincoln, EMMTEC

The theme of old cities in urban design studies has rarely penetrated beyond a fascination with aesthetic characters and architectural attractiveness; whereas other fundamental attributes of these cities have not yet been scrutinised. This research examines the influence of socio-cultural factors on the urban form using Tripoli Old City as a case study.

Inquires like: are there any specific rules for growth of the organic urban fabric? What is the logic behind the spatial configuration of traditional cities? And how does the urban form the traditional city meet its functional and socio-cultural requirements? Furthermore, the meaning of the public space and how it is articulated and used with respect to local tradition are basic themes of this research.

1. Value and Meaning in the Built Environment
2. Socio-Cultural Production of the Built Environment
3. Approaches to reviving traditional urban form in contemporary built environment
4. Tripoli City: history, profile, urban growth and morphology

This research has adopted the qualitative data survey including semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, drawings and mental maps. This approach helps the researcher to gain a holistic overview of the context under investigation; including its logic, its function, its arrangement, as well as its explicit and implicit rules.

This research helps to achieve a better understanding of the traditional urban form of Tripoli Old City, as a human agglomeration. This understanding should assist in narrowing the gap between current urban practice in Libya and traditional urban experience which developed continuously over centuries. Subsequently, this understanding might help to guide future urban development in the Middle Eastern countries in general and Libya in particular. Therefore, this research should be considered as a guide to the local authorities in Libya Also, this research could be a helpful tool for both architects and urban designers.