Dissertation URBAN STREETS Towards Sustainable Mobility in Arabic Cities vorgelegt von Sylvia Jaber 2013 URBAN STREETS Towards Sustainable Mobility in Arabic Cities Von der Fakultät für Architektur und Stadtplanung der Universität Stuttgart zur Erlangung der Würde eines Doktor-Ingenieurs (Dr.-Ing.) genehmigte Abhandlung vorgelegt von Sylvia Jaber aus Amman Hauptberichter: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Franz Pesch Mitberichter: Prof. Dr. Hartmut Topp Tag der mündlichen Prüfung: 18. Juli 2012 2013 Sylvia Jaber, Urban Streets: towards sustainable mobility in Arabic cities Copyright © 2013 by Jaber, Sylvia. All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval sys- tem, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author The author wishes to thank all those who have generously given per- mission to reprint borrowed material. In case I have neither identified nor attributed the correct material to the appropriate author, I hereby confirm that all claims remain safeguarded and if contacted by such authors then I shall rectify this I Preface One of my major motivations for this study dates back to the summer of 2005, when I had the chance to look more closely (or with more critical eyes as a freshly graduated architect) at the situation of urban life in Jordan, where obviously the majority of ongoing developments were more engineering–based, constant building of bridges and tunnels, whereas none or little was being done for the people and the “sense of place”. It is argued that the level of freedom a person experiences while walking around the city streets, is proof of how civilized the place is, a good urban place is one that offers the people the chance to move about the city in a free, safe and pleasant way, and whose space assists in orienting the user in finding his way from one place to another without fear or confusion. The lack of all these elements has mostly been noticed in the downtown district of Amman, where streets have mainly been designated for cars, not for people, although downtown Amman is the oldest part of the city, and it comprises the main “Souk” (the oldest business dis- trict), with a lot of different services and small businesses, most locals try to avoid it, and limit their visits to that zone only in emergency or highly important cases. Locals also treat that dis- trict as one for the poor. Streets should be designed for “breathing”. In contemporary Ar- abic cities we see a tendency now of building huge enclosed air- conditioned malls, which are becoming the primary places for socializing and spending free time. Streets in Arabic countries should regain their historical importance and social character, streets should allow for “experiencing the city”and help in child development, as it is the case in many European cities, where streets are designated for people, where individuals feel them- selves part of the city, and the city part of them, where streets provide the backdrop for everyday life, not only for “drivers” through the windshields of their vehicles, or for tourists, but, above all, for locals and pedestrians. This study argues that although a lot of applied Western solu- tions for Arabic urban problems have turned out to be harmful, especially for the traditional urban fabrics of Arabic cities, it is still possible to borrow some Western urban concepts for many of the street problems facing these cities today. Although many differences exist between Western and Arabic cities, the needs of people, in terms of safety and freedom, do not differ around the globe. II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to extend my thanks to all the people who helped me or assisted me in any way during this challenging but interesting span in my life, in which I feel, I haven’t only developed aca- demically but also personally. My special gratitude goes to my supervisor PROFESSOR DR.-ING. FRANZ PESCH for giving me the op- portunity to come to Germany and explore some of the mysteries of the wonderful urban world, for his constructive remarks and support along the way. My thanks also go to staff members at the Amman Municipality, IFPO Amman and the Directorate of the Old City of Aleppo, who provided me with useful contacts and support during my field trips. Special thanks also go to Michael Berwald for his linguistic insights, and of course to my dear parents, for their endurance and love. III TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I STREET SPACE IN ARABIC CITIES: Genesis & Development 1.0 Introduction 2 1.1 The Formation & Organization of Traditional Arabic Muslim Cities 4 1.1.1 Transition from the Classical to the Early Muslim City 4 1.1.2 Debate on Major Influences affecting the Formation of Traditional Arabic Cities 5 1.1.3 The Spatial Organization of Traditional Arabic Muslim Cities 11 1.1.4 The Public Realm & its Major Characteristics 13 1.2 The Development Process of Streets in Arabic Muslim Cities 14 1.2.1 Streets of the Medieval and Traditional Cities 14 1.2.1.1 Traditional Streets: mere left-over space? 15 1.2.1.2 Street Typologies, Physical & Structural Layout 16 • Main commercial streets 16 • Private cul-de-sacs 18 • Collectors 19 • Other streets & spaces 20 1.2.1.3 Urban & Architectural Elements of the Streets 21 • Elements of the commercial streets 21 • Elements of the residential streets 23 1.2.1.4 Use and Function of the Streets 24 • Commercial streets 24 • Residential streets 25 1.2.1.5 Ownership, Control & Maintenance of the Streets 25 1.2.2 Streets of the Colonial, Post-Colonial & Modern Cities 28 1.2.2.1 Modernization of Arabic Cities during the 1st Phase of Globalization 28 1.2.2.2 Streets of the New Colonial Towns 29 • First Structural Changes between Old and New City Extensions 31 • Restructuring existing historic fabrics 34 1.2.2.3 Streets of the Post-colonial Cities 35 1.3 The Socio-Economic & Political Transformation 37 1.3.1 The Social Context 37 1.3.2 Political Economy & its Effect on Urban Development 39 1.4 The Urban & Transportation Reality Today 41 1.4.1 Urban Transport Modes 41 1.4.2 Characteristics of Today’s Arabic Cities Affecting Travel 42 •Density 42 •Car dependence 43 •Land-use mix 43 •Age structure 44 •Poverty 44 1.4.3 Street Uses & People’s Activitiess in Muslim Cities Today (Culturally-based Human Interaction with the Outdoor Environment in Muslim Cities) 44 • Why Pay Attention to People’s Needs in the Street Environment? 46 Summary Chapter II STRATEGIES FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF STREETS WORLDWIDE 2.0 Introduction 50 2.1 City Traffic in Change & the Rise of Comprehensive Street Planning 51 2.1.1 Streets of Antiquity and the Medieval Period 51 2.1.2 Streets of the Renaissance and Baroque Eras 52 2.1.3 Haussmann’s Modernization of Paris 53 2.1.4 Traffic Management in New Towns and New Residential Developments 54 IV -The Garden City 54 -Radburn (and Houten) 55 -The neighborhood unit 57 2.1.5 The New Streets of the Modernists 57 2.1.6 The Concept of Segregation between Street Users 28 2.2 The Rise of Modern Traffic Calming 60 2.2.1 Buchanan’s Environmental Areas 60 2.2.2 Establishing Street Hierarchy 61 2.2.3 The Birth of Street for People 61 2.2.4 Pedestrian Shopping Streets 62 2.2.5 The Woonerf and Winkelerf Models 63 2.2.6 Area-wide Traffic Calming & Tempo 30 Zones 64 2.2.7 Traffic Calming on Main Roads 66 2.2.8 Engineering Traffic Calming Measures with Localized Benefits 68 2.2.8.1 Modification to the road width 68 2.2.8.2 Modification to the road surface 68 2.2.8.3 Informative measures 70 2.3 The Ascension of Concepts Targeting Car-Usage Restriction 70 2.3.1 Car-free City Centers 70 2.3.2 Parking Management 72 2.3.3 Road & Parking Pricing & Other Economic Penalties 75 2.3.4 Car-free Housing Areas 77 2.3.5 Integrating Land-Use and Transport Planning 79 2.3.6 Considering Non-Spatial Factors Affecting Travel 80 2.4 Supportive Measures for a Car-reduced Life 80 2.4.1 Goods Distribution Management within City Centers 80 2.4.2 Time Sharing Separation or Time Zoning 81 2.4.3 Car-Sharing 83 2.4.4 Combined Mobility: Car-Sharing with Public Transportation 84 2.5 Post-Traffic Calming 86 2.5.1 Shared Space: Psychological Traffic Calming 86 2.5.2 Encounter Zones 89 2.6 Summary 90 2.6.1 Traffic Calming Today 90 2.6.2 Summary of Most Popular Concepts 91 Chapter III CASE STUDY I - ALEPPO 93 3.0 Introduction 95 3.1 City Level Analysis 96 3.1.1 Site & Origins of the the City 96 • Location 96 • Climate 97 • Population 97 3.1.2 Aleppo Urban Streets Development 97 • Pre-Islamic period 97 • Islamic period 97 • Under the Ottomans 98 • The mandate period 99 • After independence 101 3.1.3 First Warnings against Vehicular Traffic & First Recommendations 102 • First warnings 102 • First recommendations 103 3.1.4 The Socio-Economic Transformation 105 V 3.1.5 Traffic & Circulation in the Central Area 109 • Situation in general 109 • Vehicular traffic 110 • Motorization levels 111 • Delivery traffic 111 • Pedestrian & cycle traffic 113 • Stationary traffic 114 • Public transportation service 115 • Waste collection 116 • Road system & functional hierarchy 117 • Modal split 118 • Landuse 119 • Policies & approaches in the old city towards improving urban transportation 121 3.2 Quarter & Street Level Analysis 130 3.2.a A Residential Quarter Hayy al- Jalloum 130 3.2.1.