Dr.Youcef Berkani | King Saud University (original) (raw)

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Papers by Dr.Youcef Berkani

Traditional market plays an important role in ancient urban life, especially in heritage cities s... more Traditional market plays an important role in ancient urban life, especially in heritage cities such as Casbah, Algiers. Some traditional markets however are frequently criticized as inconvenient for users and consequently not well used. Improving performance of traditional markets is therefore a critical issue faced by the city planners and designers. Conventional model, which is described mainly in respect of maximum user’s capacity or service radius is inadequate to give an account of the issue, hence a new theoretical model is needed for both research and operational purposes. This study, accordingly, indicates an alternative model approach and seeks an explanation from the urban morphology and the way it conditions pedestrian movement. Through investigating the relationship between urban morphology and pedestrian movement based on the Casbah city of Algiers, which particularly epitomizes various urban grids that have different consequences on the access and use of traditional m...

Traditional market plays an important role in ancient urban life, especially in high-density citi... more Traditional market plays an important role in ancient urban life, especially in high-density cities such as Casbah, Algiers. Casbah is suffering from a regression and abatement of land for its main urban areas; some traditional markets however are frequently criticized as inconvenient for users and consequently not be well used. How to improve the performance of traditional markets is, therefore, a critical issue faced by the city planners and designers. As the conventional placeness model, which is described mainly with respect to maximum user's capacity or service radius, is inadequate to give an account of the issue, a new theoretical model is demanded for both research and operational purpose. The study, accordingly, indicates an alternative placeness approach and seeks an explanation from the urban morphology and the way it conditions pedestrian movement patterns. Through investigating the relationship between urban morphology, pedestrian movement, and the discontinuity and use of Traditional markets based on the Casbah city of Algiers, which particularly epitomizes various urban grids that may have different consequences on the access and use of traditional market, the study attempts to examine whether there is a consistent relationship existing in different grids. Based on such an understanding, it is to be hoped that a theoretical placeness model is formulated to guide the design practice. The research first formulates a new conceptual model by synthesizing the findings of previous studies on relevant subjects. In this model, the placeness of traditional market is described mainly in terms of its permeable and visual links with overall urban layout and surrounding pedestrian networks, and is also measured according to adjacent level of human movement. The study then models the pedestrian network of Casbah into a system of linear spaces by applying the techniques of space syntax. The interrelationships of these linear spaces are subsequently described by configurational variables called integration to capture their "relative placeness" within the overall layout. The implication for pedestrian movement is also analysed by correlating the configurational variables with the observed encounter rates. And then, the mapping of the pedestrian network is superimposed on a mapping of the distribution of a sample of spatial structure traditional markets to indicate their location in the complex larger system and their association with surrounding pedestrian networks. The discontinuity of the sample traditional markets spaces is also measured as negative impression by applying the theory of structural stability and morphogenesis of René Thom (Catastrophe Theory) emerged as a branch of mathematics topological, in its turn determine the catastrophic event, time of occurrence, and location through the integration of techniques of space syntax with the Catastrophe Theory. Finally, the analyses are compared with the observed level of use inside the spaces to identify the describable relationship between placeness (both physical and visual), pedestrian movement pattern and the level of use of traditional market. The morphological analysis of placeness of traditional market in the Casbah city has revealed several major findings. Firstly, different morphological variables have varying influences on the placeness and use of traditional market, especially their mean number of users. Also, the influence varies between different layout patterns. Among these properties, it is their "strategic location" within the overall layout that plays a consistent role in their level of use. More specifically, it is the number and the sum of the integration values of the linear spaces they are interfaced with that leads to the success or failure of the spaces. By contrast, the visual placeness is proven to be not relevant to the use of spaces in the sample layout patterns. The surrounding pedestrian movement density, however, is proven to have a significant effect on the use density inside the spaces, but only in particular layout patterns where the distribution of pedestrian movement is more likely to be the function of configurational variables. While in the areas with diffused movement pattern, the interrelationship between urban morphology, pedestrian movement, and placeness and use of traditional market tend to be lost. In light of the findings, the research has not only shaped a new approach to investigating placeness related issues in urban design fields, but also has revealed various data that are likely to be used to improve the performance of traditional market, mainly in the urban areas of Algiers.