Echoes of the past

The project formulates a new planning method for constructing a contemporary Arab city, emerging from the principles of the traditional Arab spatial fabric and translated into a practical and innovative planning tool. Based on in-depth research into the city of Nazareth — a complex case study of topography, society, and culture — the project develops a gradual spatial language that envisions a city built through a system of courtyards, progressing from the private to the public realm. Rather than focusing on the design of a single closed neighborhood, the project seeks to establish an open and flexible urban framework, grounded in a hierarchy of privacy, community ties, three-dimensional modularity, and planning tools that enable organic yet controlled growth.

This method offers an alternative to the generic and alienating architecture of high-rise towers, aiming instead to shape a vibrant, rooted, and accessible city — one that is dense yet livable, connected to the rhythms of local life, and aligned with the cultural identity of Arab society.

Research Question:
How can a gradual and flexible planning tool, inspired by principles of the traditional Arab city, be formulated to enable contemporary urban development — dense, community-oriented, and identity-based — as an alternative to detached and generic models?