Abstract
The discourse of urban design suggests that the pedestrian environment is an important factor
for the vitality of urban areas specifically in city centres. However, much literature argues that
the pedestrian environment is one of the less studied topics, reflecting its complexity and the
dominance of vehicular movement on city planning. The pedestrian environment in Cairo City
Centre shows much evidence of this lack of understanding.
Guided by observations of the pedestrian environment in Cairo City Centre the research
develops a `comprehensive' model, derived from Giddens' Structuration theory (1984), to
investigate spatial, perceptual, cognitive, theoretical and managerial aspects. Cairo City Centre
becomes a case study for this model. Four research methods (questionnaire, cognitive mapping,
space syntax, document analysis) cover the four main components of the proposed model. After
reviewing the relevant literature on the pedestrian environment and Cairo City Centre, literature
on the selected research methods is critically reviewed.
The empirical work in this research is composed of four chapters, each investigating a
component of the environment defined in the proposed model. The Social -grouping is
investigated using a questionnaire distributed to a sample of the users. The built environment is
examined by applying space syntax analysis (Hillier and Hanson, 1984; Hillier, 1996). The
relationship between the Social -grouping and the built environments is examined by the
cognitive mapping technique as devised by Lynch (1960). Finally the rules governing the
reproduction of the (pedestrian) environment in are examined using a combination of document
analysis and a professionals' questionnaire.
The findings from together with the literature review are combined to reflect on the proposed
model for the environmental system and structure. They reflect on the research at three levels:
on the methodology, on the methods used and on the case study of Cairo City Centre. The
methodology demonstrates how comprehensiveness in urban analysis reveals aspects that
remain hidden if only one research approach is adopted. The methods used to examine the case
study are shown to complement and not contradict each other. The research also highlights the
underlying causes of problems encountered in the case study. The author argues that tackling
these will alleviate many of the more apparent problems.