Spatial Assessment for Open Spaces in Residential Areas: Case of Sheikh Zayed City, Egypt

Spatial Assessment for Open Spaces in Residential Areas: Case of Sheikh Zayed City, Egypt Riam Mohamed Elsagher Mahmod Elmorshedy1 1Ph. D., Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, South Valley University, Egypt Abstract Open spaces have one of the most essential roles in social communications and people relaxation. However, the design of its locations and relations with the surroundings neglect this role, especially in Egypt. Here, we aimed to support the configured structure of spaces and its potential impact as a suitable place for social life, communication, relaxation, playing, . . . .so on, in an institution housing topology. This paper is applied in a neighborhood of intermediate social housing level: dealing with which surround the open space; whether they are streets, buildings’ walls, another space, or buildings’ entrances. Concentrating on two main variables: the relationship between the open spaces and the movement networks, and the pattern of house buildings’ distribution, which have an effect on the segregation degree of space and its role in social settings. This practical study uses a collection of programs software, mainly depending on Space Syntax methodology for understanding a network of spaces by using DepthmapX software, auto cad, and excel software as aid programs. The results show the difference in the space location’s integration values, and from this the guide lines for a good open space location in residential areas were determined.

However, the main role of open space in social life, was not discussed. So, this paper views and studies the space location: how the location of open spaces in residential areas support its use by people.

Empirical Study Methodology
From this view, the author uses Space Syntax theory as a tool for thinking the relationship between space and society via the DepthmapX program, where DepthmapX software helps to understand the configuration structure of urban spaces and its potential impact on social behavior and economic activity (Al Sayed, Turner, Hillier, Iida, & Penn, 2014); (Hillier, 1996).
This paper tries to classify the open spaces in residential areas according to its location's characters and relates with its chance of being a good social space, by following steps: -Theoretical study for the types of open spaces in residential areas.
-Case study: -Defined the open space locations.
-Defined the integration and segregation space by using DepthmapX software.

Theoretical study for the types of open spaces in residential areas
The successful open spaces in residential areas achieve four key attributes: comfort and image; access and linkage; uses and activity; and sociability (Carmona et al., 2003). The space locations affect them, which mainly relate to buildings and movement networks.
-The open space's relation with buildings' blocks: the buildings' blocks use different models to create variety in space location (Biddulph, 2007) .
a-The narrow blocks: configure housing in long blocks with a minimum back-to-back dimension.
b-Periphery blocks: the blocks are arranged in a deformed grid of streets; the fronts of buildings should face the public space and the private backs of buildings.
c-Apartments in periphery blocks with shared open space: apartment buildings have the courtyards which are introduced into the center of the blocks as a semi-private open area. Sometimes it is possible for non-residents to enter the courtyards, but in other designs courtyards are only available to residents. From this view, there are three main types of open spaces' locations related to buildings: in front of, in back of, or next to. But these types create others by using integration between them, meaning space may be in back of a building and next to another building from the same side of the space.
-The open space's relation with movement networks (streets): the streets have the potential to be designed and enhanced for meeting the desires of adjacent residents and function foremost as a support for open space (as a space for recreation, socializing, and leisure).
There are four principle forms of streets' networks: the grid, the tree, the closed loop, and Radburn: (Biddulph, 2007). a-The grid; it has a long tradition of use in all forms of urban planning and design in relation to what surrounds it. Where the streets intersect in the form of network, grids can provide an even pattern of access between urban blocks, although the profile of streets and spaces can vary.
b-The tree: This design creates a series of quiet cul-de-sacs, where the pattern of buildings allows access in the form of a tree.
c-The closed loop; it is a form of access that allows a residential area to connect to its context at a more limited number of locations, although circulation within the scheme might be as efficient and direct as a grid.
d-Radburn: a radburn layout involves creating a form of block where one side of a home faces the vehicle access and parking, whilst the other side faces pedestrian routes and community spaces.
From this view, the open space's location relates with streets in two positions: the space next to a street, or the space faraway from a street. Accordingly, the streets may surround a space from more than one side. For example, If the space in simple form is a rectangle or square shape, it will have four sides, each side having a number of possibilities which will limit it: may be: -One limit: street, space, building's wall, or building's entrance.
The possibilities of the space's location pattern can be calculated according to three levels for each side: first level includes four possibilities, second level includes six, and the third level includes four possibilities. That means all possibilities for each side have fourteen possibilities. (Fig. 1).
Note: In second level, existing street with any others (in case of simple space form) means this street is cul-de-sac.
The simple space form has four sides, so all possibilities for the space location pattern equal 14 combination four ( 14 C 4 ), which equal 1001 possibilities.
pg. 134 Through the practical study, the location characters of open spaces in resident areas are defined and linked with its integration and segregation for social life.

Defined the open spaces' location patterns
The following -Examined the integration and segregation for space according to street as an application of "axial map".
-Examined the integration and segregation for space according to other surroundings: space, and building's entrance, as an application of "convex map".
The total integration for space will be the average of two values.
3.2.2.1. Phase 1: Examined the integration and segregation for space according to street Spaces and streets linked together in single movement series, each street reaches another street or space and each space reaches another, and so on. By using the integration and segregation test, we had a value for each space, which indicates the degree of its integration with street and space beside.
3.2.2.2. Phase 2: Examined the integration and segregation for space according to other surrounding; space, and building's entrance Spaces were linked to other attached spaces and buildings' entrances. By using the integration and segregation test, we had a value for each space, which indicates the degree of its integration with buildings' entrances and space beside.

Results
The spatial analysis indicated above yielded the following results: Generally; the values of integration and segregation tests showed: (Table 2)   -The value ranges from 0 to 2.25 -The maximum value is recorded by the location pattern group no. 28, its limits are: street, two sides (space/ wall), and (entrance/ space/ wall) -The minimum value is recorded by the location pattern group no. 1, its limits are: three streets, and entrance.
-A few of the location pattern groups recorded integration values that tended to be high, these groups are no. 6,25,26,27,30,32, and 34.
-Most of the location pattern groups recorded moderate and tended to be low in integration values, these groups are no. 2: 5, 7: 24, 29, and 31 Second: The results of measuring the integration for space location according to surround streets and spaces show: (Table 2 -The maximum value is recorded by the location pattern groups no. 4, 7,9,13,16, and 26, but these groups don't record maximum absolute values, they take low, moderate and high values. -The minimum value is recorded by the location pattern group no. 24, its limits are; street, two sides walls, and (space/ wall).
-Most of the location pattern groups recorded multi range in integration values from low to high such as group no. 7, 13, and 16.
Third: The results of the average of integration for space location according to buildings' entrances and streets: ( Table 2 -The maximum value is recorded by the location pattern groups no. 13, 26, and 28, but the groups 13, 26 do not record maximum absolute values, they take low, moderate and high values.
-The minimum value is recorded by the location pattern group no. 1, its limits are; three streets, and entrance.
-Two groups of the location patterns groups recorded multi range in integration values from low to high. They are groups no.13, and 26, their limits; street, space, and two sides (space/ wall); and street, entrance, and two spaces, respectively.

1-From the integration value for space according to buildings' entrances and spaces:
-The spaces, which are in the same group of location pattern, have approximately the same integration values, such as location pattern group no. 13 which included maximum number of spaces and its limits are; street, entrance, and two spaces.
-Using the high level of side limits for space location pattern (figure 1) records the high value of space integration. Such as location pattern: -Street, two sides space/ wall, and entrance/ space/ wall, which equal first level, second level, second level, third level as the sides limits, -Wall, and three sides space/ wall, which equal first level, second level, second level, second level as the sides limits.
-The space, which is surrounded by other spaces, has a high probability to record high integration value. Such as location pattern; -Two streets, space, and entrance/ wall, -Street, two spaces, and space/ wall, -Two streets, space, and space/ wall, -Street, space, and two space/ wall, -Street, space, entrance/ space, and space/ wall, -Space, wall, and two sides space/ wall, -Two spaces, wall, and space/ wall, and -Wall, and three sides space/ wall.
-The difference between the integration spaces values, which are in the same location pattern, refer to the variety in integration values of linked surrounding limits.
-Increasing the number of streets and buildings' walls as limits for the space location reduce the space's integration values, such as: -Three street, and space/ wall, -Street, two walls, and space/ wall, -Two streets, space, and wall, -Two streets, wall, and space/ wall, -Two street, space, and entrance/ space/ wall, -Two streets, wall, and space/ wall, and -Space, wall, entrance/ wall, and space/ wall.

2-From the integration value for space according to streets and spaces:
-The combination between streets and spaces as limits of the space increase the value of space integration. Such as: pg. 140 Elmorshedy / The Academic Research Community Publication -Two streets, space, and entrance, -Two streets, space, and wall, -Street, space, and two sides space/ wall, -Two streets, wall, and space/ wall, -Street, entrance, and two spaces, and -Street, two walls, and space.
-The spaces in the same location pattern group have a great diversity in spaces integration, that act as a result of the integration variety in linked streets and spaces, such as: -Two streets, space, and entrance, -Street, wall, and two sides space/ wall, -Two streets, space, and wall, -Two streets, wall, and space/ wall, -Two streets, and two sides space/ wall, -Street, entrance, and two spaces, -Two spaces, wall, and space/ wall, -Street, two walls, and space, -Wall, and three sides space/ wall, and -Two walls, and two spaces.
-Increasing the number of buildings' walls as limits for the space location reduce the space's integration values, such as: -Street, two walls, and space/ wall, and -Street, wall, and two entrances. Note; existing buildings' entrances in this test has no effects.
3-From the average of the integration value for space according to buildings' entrances, spaces, and streets: -The combination between integration values of space location limits confirms that: -The high levels of sides limits for space location pattern increases the value of space integration. such as: street, two sides space/ wall, and entrance/ space/ wall.
-Increasing the number of spaces and streets as limits for the space increases the space's integration values, such as: street, space, and two sides space/ wall. And street, entrance, and two spaces.
-The wide range of the integration spaces values in the same location pattern group refer to the variety in integration values of linked surrounding limits, such as: 1. Two streets, space, and entrance, 2. Two streets, space, and entrance/ wall, pg. 141

Recommendations
Guide lines for designing the public open spaces in residential areas: -Support reaching to spaces by pedestrians' roads, will create a good social space. But it must take care as these roads are related to buildings' entrances.
-Avoid the space which is surrounded by buildings' walls; where it will cause segregation space.
-Avoid the space which is surrounded by streets from many sides or has a long side face street, where although that increases the spaces' integration it may affect its safety for children and the residents' privacy.
For testing these guide lines (Fig. 6, Table 3) show five alternative models for the same plot, each model has two cases: the first case; the buildings' entrances face spaces, the second case; the buildings' entrances far away from spaces and face streets.   The models' test shows; -Conforming first and second point of guide lines: -All models in the first case recorded integration values higher than the same model in the second case.
-Conforming third point of guide lines: the first case tests this point.
-The integration according to surround buildings' entrances and spaces, model 2 has the highest values, where all spaces attach and have a direct link with all buildings' entrances.
-The integration according to surround streets, model 4 has the highest values where the spaces have a long face of streets and a good connect with it. These spaces have low privacy and safety.
-The average of integration according to buildings' entrances, spaces, and streets, model 4 has the highest values, but the model is the least beneficial in achieving privacy and safety. Model 5 has the next highest value but it also has a long face of streets, which means low privacy and safety.
-The increase in the average value of integration is caused by the high value of integration according to surround streets.
-The average of integration according to buildings' entrances, spaces, and streets, model 3 has the moderate values. But it still has high values for integration according to surround streets.
-The average of integration according to buildings' entrances, spaces, and streets, model 2 has the lowest values, because it has zero value for integration according to surround streets.
-The average of integration according to buildings' entrances, spaces, and streets, model 1 records the moderate values. It has moderate values for both; integration according to surround buildings' entrances and spaces, and integration according to surround streets among modes. So, both model 1 and model 3 are good designs for achieving social open spaces in residential areas.

Conclusion
The open spaces in residential areas have a main role in social life, this role is supported by its: location, physical features, equipment.
This paper studied the open space location alternatives and their effects on a space's integration and segregation. It concentrated on 36 groups of location patterns from 1001 groups, which are included in the neighborhood case study.
This paper reached some results and discussed them, they lead to the guidelines for designing a good location of open space in residential areas, in order to support people's social life, as follows: -Should be as a unit within the continuous spaces' series, not as a separated space surrounded by buildings' walls (back or side).
-Be careful in designing the length of spaces series because the long series may have a negative effect on internal spaces, which cause vague and poor use for open spaces between the blocks and suffer from poor surveillance and under use.
-Should be next to a street from one of its sides and be careful of the safety and quiet in space and the street speed limits.
-Should have a variety of surroundings; other spaces, buildings' entrances, streets, and buildings' walls, and use various combinations for each space side.