Salama, A.M.; Patil, M.P.; Elsemellawy, A.N.; Abudib, H.H.; Almansor, N.A.; MacLean, L.; van Riel, K. People–Place Narratives as Knowledge Typologies for Social Sustainability: Cases from Urban Contexts in the Global South. Buildings2024, 14, 1001.
Salama, A.M.; Patil, M.P.; Elsemellawy, A.N.; Abudib, H.H.; Almansor, N.A.; MacLean, L.; van Riel, K. People–Place Narratives as Knowledge Typologies for Social Sustainability: Cases from Urban Contexts in the Global South. Buildings 2024, 14, 1001.
Salama, A.M.; Patil, M.P.; Elsemellawy, A.N.; Abudib, H.H.; Almansor, N.A.; MacLean, L.; van Riel, K. People–Place Narratives as Knowledge Typologies for Social Sustainability: Cases from Urban Contexts in the Global South. Buildings2024, 14, 1001.
Salama, A.M.; Patil, M.P.; Elsemellawy, A.N.; Abudib, H.H.; Almansor, N.A.; MacLean, L.; van Riel, K. People–Place Narratives as Knowledge Typologies for Social Sustainability: Cases from Urban Contexts in the Global South. Buildings 2024, 14, 1001.
Abstract
In the dynamic interplay between people and their physical environments, the Global South stands as a mosaic undergoing a multitude of transformative influences in architecture and urbanism where examining social sustainability becomes imperative. While prevailing attention remains on environmental and economic sustainability, this study addresses a persistent gap in the urban literature by focusing on the dynamic and manifold nature of social sustainability. Positioning itself within the context of sustainable development, the study links the pursuit of social aspects of sustainability with selected unique urban contexts from the Global South. Five cases that include Alexandria (Egypt), Tripoli (Libya), Basra (Iraq), Lilongwe (Malawi), and Accra (Ghana) are discussed through multi-layered investigations that involve attitude surveys, interviews, focus groups, participatory systematic observations, and behavioral mapping, engaging directly with inhabitants and stakeholders. Uncovering people-place narratives in the identified contexts, the cases are developed into five knowledge typologies that serve as practical tools for planning and design decision-making, policy formulation, and academic discourse. Discussions are conceived to demonstrate the transformative role people-place narratives play in fostering a more sustainable and equitable urban future. Conclusions are drawn to offer practical insights for stakeholders involved in various capacities in shaping the urban landscape of the Global South.
Keywords
social sustainability; urban transformation; housing; inclusive public spaces; youth spaces; quality of urban life; knowledge typologies; people-place narratives.
Subject
Social Sciences, Urban Studies and Planning
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
