Form and territory : a comparison between four areas in Cairo

Abstract

In the design of the built environment, it is very important to understand and realize the importance of design decisions such as - The form of the environment to be created. - The percentage of the open and built areas . - The different territories that this form of environment can hold. This thesis is a study of the relation between form and territory in four different built environments in Cairo. This is achieved by the application of three methods of analysis (form analysis, quantification ion so form as analyzed, territorial analysis) to the four areas. The areas chosen represent four different built environments in Cairo a traditional environment, a public housing project, a formal development, and an informal development. The outcome of the study emphasizes the form/territory relationship. The different forms of environment presented different territorial potentiality. The traditional environment has offered many territories with great territorial depth compared to the other three areas of analysis. It also suggests the possible territorial enrichments to the informal and public housing areas without changing the existing form.