Heritage Sites: Toward Creative Ambiance in Public Spaces Attached—Impact of Creative Ambiance on Societal Development

Abstract

Nowadays, a lot of challenges are facing the urban development of spaces in cities, especially the heritage public spaces; these urban spaces provide significant ambiances and senses. Most of the cities have a strong well-acknowledged urban ambiance that is derived from its context, especially if the context of the cities is full of heritage sites that have deep, rich senses of knowledge. These public spaces are rich and full of significant heritage which is important to the cultural heritage of the users. This cultural heritage plays an important role in the perception of current and future generations. The main objective of this paper is to explore the senses of the users toward the historic preservation of those public spaces through adding creative ambiance to the existing atmosphere. Researchers will focus on literature review in analyzing the placemaking as its main tool in making successful heritage public space. Consequently, the analysis achieved through different phases, the main goal of the research, is the role of this attached space in the social approach. A qualitative method based on a theoretical analysis is introduced by theorists and practitioners on designing and understanding the principles of those heritage public spaces as well as integration of ambiance dimensions. This framework will be applied to the selected case study as a new proposal for evaluating the attached space in the heritage site to make it more successful. The results include a thorough evaluation and several questionnaires that are provided to the users as an attempt to shed the light implicitly on guidelines and recommendations to the community in the form of approaches, which in turn, could help in the development of those heritage sites and make them more attractive.

1 Introduction

Nowadays, as steps in the conservation process, a new type of reformation is introduced to help in heritage protection. In the past decade, and to make those heritage public spaces more attractive for users, more functionality has been added to the place, such as educational, social, and cultural activities (Schwartz & Cook, 2002). If the transformation process happened on the basis of critical criteria and deep surveys for the users’ needs, it will have siginificant impact on the motivation of the users. Unfortunately, what happened in those heritage sites did not adopt the users’ needs, so it became less attractive, which caused those users to lose a lot of heritage, social, and cultural meaning benefits. The idea of a revival of heritage sites was applied worldwide, and it was successful (Poria et al., 2003). Nevertheless, the condition was different in the Middle East, where the preservationist, urban designer, and architect while reviving a heritage site, started to focus on the building itself and totally neglect surrounding space. The heritage site is a piece of the history which this building conveys, so if we remove one of them, a lot of heritage will lose its meaning. Then, researchers are going to focus on the heritage sites defined by UNESCO as historic urban landscapes. The study area will be in the Egyptian context, especially in the Cairene contexts, which is full of heritage sites that have been neglected for many years. The main problem in the Cairene context heritage site is that the architect and preservationist focus on the building and its exterior and interior finishing, while the surrounded space remains green without any attractive ambiance for users. In this study, the major part focuses on making ideal and creative experiences for the users to be more attracted in addition to its impact on their social quality of life.

Moreover, this paper attempts to investigate the placemaking process principle and add creative ambiance taxonomy as an approach to develop that heritage site or any spaces attached to historical buildings to make it more attractive and useful for the users. Successful historic preservation can be achieved only if those heritage sites become a source of attraction and satisfaction for the users. Many researchers practically found a link between the surrounding atmosphere and the user’s sense while buying anything or doing any function. This link should be achieved in the preservation process to make it a successful place. Still, it will not happen even if the designer or researcher adds to existing atmosphere a unique ambiance to the spaces to be more attractive (Bitner & Obermiller, 1984). Recently, the full weight that the preservation process is given to the building's exterior and interior designs and in turn neglects the surrounding urban landscape. In the following discussion, the researcher will focus on the preservation and how placemaking can help develop this heritage public spaces.

2 Methodology (Fig. 1)

Fig. 1

Research methodology illustrated by the researcher

The purpose of this analysis is to theorize critical placemaking as a tool for accessing and transforming public places into spaces of dialog, inclusion, and democratic participation. The researcher provided an overview of the significance of public space attached to the heritage site, outlined a definition and brief history of placemaking and how it meets preservation, and then proposed an integrative theoretical framework for critical placemaking and divided it into four parts. The first part is an introduction to historic preservation and a sense of place. The second part focuses on placemaking in meeting preservation by theorizing critical placemaking as a tool for reclaiming public space, revealing contestation, and developing an active, transformative relationship between people and their places, and helping to plant seeds of action. The third part explains the basic principles of designing, studying, and understanding public spaces developed by theorists and practitioners such as W. H. Whyte, J. Gehl, S. Carr, and PPS and how to merge ambiance and placemaking dimensions to get a criterion for the evaluation of those public spaces to make them successful. In the fourth part of the paper, the researcher starts to discuss placemaking in the context of the real world by selecting a case study to make of it a practical one. The researchers start to collect data for the selected case study by conducting a field visit to the heritage site and the whole surrounding area and setting up a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with the users to learn more about their opinions concerning the main research problem. These findings will serve as guidelines for urban designers and architects to have successful public spaces attached.

3 Literature Review

In societal development, cultural heritage is the backbone of this development, and heritage public spaces involve a significant part of this heritage. Historic preservation is the process that helps in the sustainability of heritage to allow the future generations to benefit from this cultural heritage. Cultural heritage is full of rich resources from history and society culture; it also involves elements from the building environment which include building, objects, streets, urban landscape, and structures (Heintzelman & Altieri, 2013). Preservation is a significant dynamic power with a collective identity, meaning, and sense of place (Adams et al., 2001). In the following section, the researchers will focus on historic preservation and its benefits. An investigation will be conducted to achieve successful preservation in those heritage public spaces to be more attractive, hence, its impact on the user's perception.

3.1 Historic Preservation and Sense of Plac

Farrer is a vital preservation expert who concluded that if historic preservation follows undiscriminating criteria, the nostalgic effect will appear in the place. As a result, original sense of place will be lost in addition to all the cultural heritage meaning it holds (Farrar, 2011). He concludes that many multiple temporalities faced those heritage public spaces, so each period has its value of place and historical background, which should be present for each generation (Farrar, 2011). Farrar agrees with Lynch's argument that those heritage public spaces should be livable and unique activities to be memorable in the city. Consequently, it will affect the cultural and physical life in the city (Lynch, 2005). Preserving is not only to keep heritage as it is; it is a process to make relationships between the cultural heritage and future generation to benefit from heritage (Farrar, 2011). Cities will be smarter and more attractive if historic preservation happens critically. This way should show respect to the users’ needs and perceptions (Angelidou et al., 2017). It is essential that we realize the communities’ four senses while preserving any heritage site: the sense of place, identity, ownership, and community (Iliyasu, 2014). Nowadays, it is the largest cities that have homogeneous skyscrapers with no sense of the place similar to the heritage sites; consequently, it affects the user's perception (Angelidou et al., 2017). Through the preservation research, in 2005, Feliden observed that there are three main major values. These values are emotional, cultural, useful, and functional values (Feilden, 2005). Those values can be achieved through five steps that need to be considered while preserving any public spaces: identity, sense of the place, investigation for the users, develop, execute and educate (WBDG Historic Preservation Subcommittee, 2019). Before getting involved in preserving the heritage site or element process, preservationists should know how to treat each value (Hyden & Sheckels, 2016).

Rapid development and challenges in life of historic preservation are not only preserving the past alone; it is the process of managing and developing heritage public spaces due to multiple temporalities (Hyden & Sheckels, 2016). Deterioration of the old building or sites without any awareness of this heritage increases the rapid flow of development and challenge in the preserving process (Meeks & Murphy, 2016). In the American communities, due to the significant awareness that happens to preserve heritage, they recognize that they would miss a lot of cultural heritage values if they cut the craft of the built environment (Meeks & Murphy, 2016). Finally, based on the type of preservation, approaches and criteria should be chosen carefully and critically. Therefore, before starting the preservation process, a lot of analyses need to be done for each element. Throughout history, historic preservation had a deep sense of meaning to the community (Meeks & Murphy, 2016).

3.1.1 Toward Preserving Historic Urban Landscapes

Life nowadays is full of rapid expansions with a lot of impacts on the cites. Many cities lose significant historical elements such as heritage building and surrounding areas, streetscape, and local public spaces. To overcome these urban problems, the relationship between urban growth and historical preservation must be re-designed and each element related to the heritage investigated. The preservationists should introduce new design interventions by managing all the dynamic relationship functions in the heritage sites (Zhong, 2012). Through preservations of any historical building, surrounded open space and landscape is neglected, when in fact it is a unique and an integral part of the history building. The heritage public spaces are usually full of rich and significant cultural heritage for the community. Those spaces are a perfect place for social and physical interaction between users (Zhong, 2012). Historical preservation is typically facing many unique urban issues that may occur in society's economic, cultural, and political values, even though the financial crisis is the major issue in preserving (Faris Hmood, 2019).

Many researchers point out that urban issues or challenges can be overcome by overlapping them to achieve efficient historical preservation, but this overlap can not only be accomplished by governance, architects, urban planners, and researchers. A significant part of it relates to the environment. The sense of obligation and understanding the significance of the historical sites that are full of cultural and historical values are affected by community involvement (Faris Hmood, 2019).

Historic urban landscape is an integrated approach for identifying and evaluating, protecting, and maintaining historic sites. It follows a sustainable framework that aims to improve quality of life and the human environment. Therefore, if preservationists follow those sustainable frameworks, it will impact the urban spaces and social and practical diversity (UNESCO, 2011). It is a turning point between past, current, and generations in the future and the interaction between the context and environment (UNESCO, 2011). It is an understanding and conclusion between diverse cultures of tradition and perception concerning national and foreign cultures (UNESCO, 2011). In the “World Heritage and Contemporary Architecture,” international conference in Vienna in its 27th session 2005, a proposal for historic urban landscape has been figured out to be a guideline for most of the preservation (UNESCO, 2005). These guidelines are composed of two approaches—tangible and intangible. An image is a tangible asset that defines the historical city with one of its subcategories: urban environment, environment (context/settings), shape, building monuments, descriptions, and natural features (Ginzarly et al., 2019). In contrast, an intangible asset is a photograph of behaviors, phrases, actions, or consumer awareness, and knowledge in ICOMOS Australia Burra Charter declaration in 2013, by cultural significance or cultural heritage. For past, current, and future generations, it means aesthetic, historical, scientific, social, or spiritual meaning. Although it may be embodied in the place, it may differ from person to group in its textile, environment, usage, relationships, interpretations, documents, associated locations, and artifacts (ICOMOS, 2013).

The “historic environments” will be the subject of this study. It plays an important role in improving public policy priorities, education, sustainable economic growth, well-being and health, placemaking, and community cohesion (Parsons, 2010). Heritage public spaces are named in ICOMOS declaration by “Historical setting” as it is full of natural landscape with unique cultural hertiage (Parsons, 2010). One of the most important techniques in the historic urban landscape is “Historical settings” during the 36th conference in Paris, which was powered by UNESCO. The historic urban landscape is becoming a new trend in prompting heritage public spaces to be more attractive. Figure 2 shows the convergence between constructions and environmental land to the concept of the historic urban landscape.

Fig. 2

Source Elgobashi and Elsemary (2019)

Shows the convergence between constructions and environmental land to the concept of the historic urban landscape.

3.1.2 Importance of “Power of Place” in Heritage Sites

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, a new idea for preservation was introduced. It focuses mainly on the historic environment and adds a democratic atmosphere to heritage under the banner of Heritage Protection Review (HPR). Heritage Lottery Fund names this preservation idea the “power of place” and adds to the public policies. The UK government mentioned that the historical atmosphere and environment are an initial step for a promising future for current and future generations (DCMS, 2010). Power of place is the value of heritage and the heritage is not only walls, bricks, paints, and mortar; it is an integration between the community and the heritage site. This integration helps communities do an efficient practice that greatly impacts their perceptions (DCMS, 2010). Public spaces attached to a heritage site or building are significant places where the users can do many activities full of cultural heritage values. Those places add a lot of values to the community (Carr, 1992). In 2013, the World Heritage Center stated that the historic urban landscape moves toward preserving the physical environment and surrounding elements directly affecting the human atmosphere. Atmospheres consist of two aspects, which are tangible or intangible values (World Heritage Center, 2013). Cultural heritage is an interrelated element: participation of the users and surrounding elements (Abdel Tawab, 2014). The community gains a lot of meanings, such as identity, shape, belonging, and local culture. Therefore, the urban environment and culture of the community are also directly connected. “When public spaces are successful, they will increase participation opportunities in communal activity”(Carr, 1992).

3.2 Toward Revival of Heritage Public Spaces

Nowadays, the rennovation of the historic urban landscape or any public spcaces is one of the most critical challenges. Since the right atmosphere and physical setting should embody the past of the place through imaginative atmospheres, such as exhibitions and event areas for users, providing an appropriate experience of each heritage site is required (Boyd, 2002). The space activities should integrate outdoor and indoor to allow users access to huge benefits from the heritage site (Boyd, 2002). Most of the studies in the historical urban field conclude that placemaking is a significant solution. Placemaking creates a unique belonging, ownership, and atmosphere attractive for the users (Lynch, 2005). Sense of the place develops if users are feeling satisfied and comfort.

Consequently, those places should have a unique language to speak to the users for more social aspiration (Lynch, 2005). This integration between users and places can happen in a different city (individual, community) (PPS, 2010). In the following sections, the research focuses on the placemaking and its types and how it meets preservation. Although a narrative study for the impact of adding creative ambiance by placemaking and its impact on the users’ perceptions, before studying impacts, researchers will explore a deep study on principles, criteria, and studies of placemaking and its role in heritage public spaces.

3.2.1 Placemaking is the Heart of Historic Preservation

The idea of placemaking started in the mid-1970s; it is an interdisciplinary and multifaceted phenomenon studied by many urbanists and researchers (Andrews, 1974). After ten years of realizing the placemaking concept, William Whyte, mentor of the “Project for Public Spaces” organization, traces and enhances placemaking in urban planning in collaboration with two key researchers interested in urban studies. Consequently, William Whyte wrote his first book, “The Last Landscape,” about urban areas or spaces and its development. However, he mentions the bad impact of the rapid urban growth on the user's perception and behaviors (Whyte, 1968). Therefore, he observes the urban setting with the dynamic human life and user behaviors to put a grounded basis for the placemaking process. Those studies were mentioned in City: Rediscovering the Center (Whyte, 1989). “The Death and Life of Great American Cities” a book by Jane Jacobs mentions that any change in the urban setting, even if it is very small in scale, can help improve a transformation or destroy the community. Whyte agrees with Jane Jacobs that any path in cities’ urban development will greatly impact the users’ social environment and behavior (Whyte, 1989). Placemaking role is not only in the urban setting, it also has spatial and design disciplines in art, social science, education, music, tourism, etc. (Alvarez et al., 2017). Based on all these studies and researches, founder of “Project for Public Spaces” Fred Kent stated that “Placemaking is an act of doing something. It is not planning per say, but it is also doing. That’s what is so powerful about it.” (Elgobashi & Elsemary, 2019).

Ideal experience plays an important role in creating an ideal atmosphere and physical environment for the user by adding exhibit, activities, gathering, and social attraction. In 2005, in the International versus Domestic Visitors: An Examination of Destination Image Perception, Bonn concluded a relation between the ideal experience and its impact on heritage sites’ users (Elgobashi & Yasmeen, 2020). This experience greatly impacts the user's behaviors and perception, contributing to enhancing the heritage site. The project for public spaces, National trust for historic preservation, and National main street center emphasized that ideal experience by a new collaboration for integrating the worth movement of preservation and placemaking as an essential concept in urban planning (PPS, 2010). This collaboration stated some idea after a long term on studies in the same field. They stated the idea of placemaking in the form of questions to be easier for researchers and urbanists: “What if we built our communities around places?” (PPS, 2010). Placemaking inspires people to collectively reimagine and reinvent public spaces to be the community's heart due to the strengthened integration between the users’ place and interaction (PPS, 2010). Placemaking is a process for prompting and enchanting urban settings with many different physical and cultural and social values; those values help users define the spaces (PPS, 2010).

Nowadays, most cities face a lot of rapid urban challenges due to rapid urban development. According to this change, the type of placemaking will differ from one city to another (PPS, 2010). This research focuses on the Cairene context where the heritage public spaces suffer from a lack of participant and poor design. In the Cairene context, the transformation will be one form of the three forms of placemaking to find out a focal point focusing on enhancing “successful places” or “quality of space” (PPS, 2010). Standard placemaking is the first form that aims to improve the community as it is suffering from a lack of living public spaces by promoting attractive facilities and activities for the community (Strydom et al., 2018). Strategic placemaking is the second form with a different aim; it focuses mainly on economic and infrastructural development. It targets mainly business projects with attractive green spaces, waterfronts, social gatherings, and entertainment facilities (Wyckoff, 2017). Tactical placemaking is the third form that aims to promote and restore the heritage spaces to the community. It supports the identity, as it is mainly used in the communities with lack of funding the space by adding new policies that adapt to the financial commitments (Bauer et al., 2010). The community's transformation will happen by introducing new creative ambiance and environment such as cultural activities, outdoor display spaces, gathering, and exhibitions (Strydom et al., 2018). Figure 3 presents the three forms of placemaking toward better public spaces (Wyckoff, 2017). In each process of placemaking of the three forms, a comprehensive study and vision should be achieved to help the community reach the quality of spaces (PPS, 2010).

Fig. 3

Shows the relationship between the three specialized types of placemaking (Wyckoff, 2017)

Identifying the place identity context and stakeholders is the first initial step for finding the strengths, weaknesses, and threats. Evaluation of the space is the second vital step to know the current uses of space to be developed quickly. The third step is to select a placemaking form based on the case study context and identity and missing activities; although in this step, it is essential to respect the value of spaces. The last step is a re-evaluation for the improvement in the long term with management and maintenance plans to make sure that these spaces will keep running without any concerns (PPS, 2010). Figure 4 illustrates placemaking passes to create quality in places.

Fig. 4

Illustrates placemaking passes to create Quality in Places (PPS, 2010)

Placemaking is an observation process; its philosophy mainly depends on observing and interviewing users to know their needs. The needs will be figured out based on the interaction and inspiration of those spaces (PPS, 2010). In the existing or new spaces, placemaking philosophy can be applied with different steps to benefit from each place; so, the user can feel the sense of the place and interact with it (PPS, 2010).

3.2.2 Placemaking as an Approach to Revitalize Neglected Urban

In 1993, in the USA, William Whyte and Carr published a book named “Public Space.” A lot of studies were done on human behavior using public spaces in the American community. Moreover, they state the three main pillars of human behavior in public spaces, needs (comfort, relaxation, passive/active engagement, and discovery), rights (access, freedom of act, claim, and change), and meanings (PPS, 2010). Kevin Lynch also states in “A Theory of Good City Form,” “A good place is one which, in some way appropriate to the person and her culture, makes her aware of her community”(Lynch, 2005). Finally, atmosphere and the spirit of spaces play an essential role in enhancing spaces successfully. Figure 5 shows the basic criteria to have successful public spaces.

Fig. 5

Source J. Gehl, S. Carr, PPS, and W. H. Whyte

Successful public space basic criteria.

The project for public spaces is a nonprofit organization for planning, design, and education to help people preserve public space to be a strong community. It is the central hub of placemaking in the world as it evaluates thousands of public spaces. This evaluation is based on criteria for great public space. This criterion has four qualities: accessibility, engagement in activities there, comfort and good image of space, and finally, sociability. Figure 5 shows in detail the basic criteria for great public spaces (PPS, 2010). Consequently, researchers will propose these criteria as guidelines for evaluation and integrate the effect of atmosphere and physical environment factors on heritage public spaces.

3.2.3 Placemaking Principle

Placemaking philosophy is based on the fact that every human has the right to access a livable and attrative place. Successful places will greatly impact on their perception and social quality of life (PPS, 2010). The project for public spaces make a development in the basic criteria diagram; they are divided into four sections: “access and linkage, comfort and image, uses and activities, and sociability (PPS, 2010). This new diagram contains many key attributes and new measurements for placemaking, which can be applied to any public spaces, as shown in Fig. 6 (PPS, 2010). In the following section, the researchers will focus on the four sections of the placemaking. First, the access and linkage section focuses on connecting the space with the surrounding physically and visually (PPS, 2010). It also includes the diversity of transportation to this space. The main access and linkage approach is to connect with the urban context of the building by streets, sidewalks, and bicycle, and pedestrian lanes to make those remarkable for the users. All these approaches will affect the perception of users and their lifestyles (PPS, 2010). Second, this section focuses on comfort and image. Suppose, the place is comfortable with a good image for the users it will significantly affect the user's perception. Consequently, it will be more attractive and reachable, but to reach this approach, many facilities should be added, such as sitting area, shading area, the safety of the place, and cleanliness (PPS, 2010). Third, this section focuses on uses and activities: Activities are the central fact of users’ attraction to visit and revisit those spaces. The approach here is to make the balance between what users need and activities used (PPS, 2010).

Fig. 6

Source PPS (2010)

Shows placemaking criteria required to be created successfully.

Finally, the fourth section is on social interaction in public spaces. The feeling of comfort with people in those spaces is the approach of this section. This approach is a guideline for the researchers on how users utilized this public space individually or in groups (PPS, 2010). A significant volume of theoretical research on placemaking was done, such as that of Whyte’s work. It also allows the urbanist and the preservationist to find a conventional setting which gives people a significant sense of place (PPS, 2010).

A new concept is introduced to placemaking for a better belonging and sense of place in the book of Edward Relph “Place and Placelessness” “directly experienced phenomena of the lived-world and hence is full of meanings, with real objects and with ongoing activities” (Relph, 2008). This new concept was to translate physical and non-physical aspects, which are called ambiance. The following Table 1 shows the concept of ambiance with it in all aspects. These physical and non-physical aspects are highly interdependent and rare (Elgobashi & Elsemary, 2019).

Table 1 Concept of ambiance is characterized by physical, physiological, sociological, cultural, and psychological aspects (Elgobashi & Elsemary, 2019)

3.2.4 Merging Ambiance to Placemaking Dimensions

Quality of life is a multidisciplinary term with several facets of positive and negative impacts. As mentioned in Table 1, atmosphere and ambiance is one factor that has an important effect on the human environment and quality of life (Redi et al., 2018).Quality of life’s layers are divided into objective and subjective aspects. The objective aspects focus on human life and living standards such as infrastructure facilities, and economic issues. Quality of life's subjective element is users experiences and real-life satisfaction (Dajian & Peter, 2006). The theory of quality of life applies to other studies, and it has a significant impact on the years (Elgobashi & Elsemary, 2019).This research is going to focus on the social aspects as its major dimensions in the QOL. The public spaces are hypothetically affected by social activities and content; for without social attraction, it will lose its spatial component (Carmona et al., 2003). One of the advanced aspects of the quality of life is a social quality. Its approach focuses on individual users, well-being, and environmental atmospheres (Wallace & Abbott, 2009).

Depending on the space’s atmosphere and ambiance, it can be a supporting or discouraging and motivating or boring one. The place's nature is the intangible, non-material empirical character, and unfocused; this means it is directly affected by the environment. Practically, without imaginative ambiance, this environment does not reflect effectively on the experience of the consumer. Many researchers conclude that satisfaction and attraction give the space a unique spirit and character. In 2010, the project for public spaces joined National trust for historic preservation in a collaborative effort in saving the public spaces by implementing a new vison of prompting heritage public spaces in the American communities in order to be more successful. The National trust's goal is to express the profound resonance of offering consumers a special experience when visiting historic sites with various categories. This principle brings together people to preserve, improve, and enjoy their historical places (PPS, 2010). Also, it contributes to restoring the historical and social functions of building and surrounding space in the historical site (PPS, 2010). The heritage public space that had a positive effect on their communities follows a consistent pattern. PPS presumed that preserving historical buildings with attached open spaces is important since they are critical centers (PPS, 2010). These historical buildings are the backbone of any community, and the building's architecture plays an important role in the users belonging to the space. Consequently, it has a significant effect on the perception of users (PPS, 2010). Every success preservation movement in the space will help users to become involved and learn as much as they can from their heritage (PPS, 2010). Ambiance taxonomy can be defined in three levels: the first level includes a lot factors that have an impact on ambiance (e.g., physiological and psychological); the second and intermediate level consists of dimensions (e.g., senses—“sound” and perceptual characteristics—“joyfulness”); and the third and more specific level consists of terms characterizing each dimension (e.g., “loud” and “cheerful”). Figure 7 shows a color code with the effect of each ambiance dimension.

Fig. 7

Source Redi et al. (2018)

Ambiance taxonomy wheel.

3.3 Ambient Elements and Their Impact on Social Life

While studying the atmosphere and ambiance dimensions, the researcher starts to focus on the users’ social behavior as a fundamental dimension. While studying surrounding atmosphere, narrative layers appear in those heritage public spaces.The ambiance is a layer of emotion and feeling for different temporal traces (Elgobashi & Elsemary, 2019).

Ambiant elements connect users emotionally and physically to history or signs in life, rather than being isolated due to many urban challenges (Pallasmaa, 2014). In the following examples, significant merges take place between creative ambiance and placemaking of the heritage public spaces’ existing atmosphere. To enhance visitor experience and attraction, this idea was applied to many heritage sites by adding activities, events, or facilities (Figs. 8, 9 and 10).

Fig. 8

Source Eastern Market Corporation (2018)

Renovated Shed 3 historic market in Detroit.

Fig. 9

Source Louvre Museum, Paris (2019)

The Louvre, Paris.

Fig. 10

Source Smith (2016)

Various activities add to of Nyhavn in Copenhagen to be more attractive.

Finally, the literature review section concluded that the atmospherics and ambiance become a critical issue and merge the placemaking process toward the public space in heritage sites. Researchers will evaluate heritage public spaces based on a proposed structural framework on the previous merging between ambiance and placemaking to reach a creative ambiance in public space in the Cairene context.

4 Research Design

The application of the theoretical proposal concluded in the preceding section can be explored and expanded in various directions. However, for the sake of this research, it is inevitable to limit the application to certain aspects, leaving space for further study and application. The study was performed on an existing case study only. The guideline proposal applies to heritage sites. The principal method of analysis used in this research is a qualitative method for heritage sites. The analysis was achieved through different phases; the main goal of the research is the role of this attached space in the social approach, and this research will apply a qualitative method that is selected on a theoretical basis which is the basic principles of designing, studying, and understanding public spaces developed by theorists and practitioners such as W. H. Whyte, J. Gehl, S. Carr, and PPS. In addition to that, merging ambiance dimensions will be applied to the selected case study, as a new proposal for evaluating attached space in heritage site to be more successful.

4.1 Data Collection

The application of the theoretical proposal concluded in the past section can be explored and expanded in various directions. However, for the sake of this research, it is inevitable to limit the application to certain aspects, leaving space for further study and application. The study is performed on one case study, which has a lot of public spaces. The guideline proposal is applicable to all heritage sites. The principal method of analysis used in this research is a qualitative method for public spaces. The analysis is achieved through different phases; all supplement the main goal analysis. The researchers start to collect data for the selected case studies by a field visit to the heritage site and the whole surrounding area. There was a chance of seeing, oral communication, and investigation to set up a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with the users to know their opinions about the main research problem. The researcher set up some questions for the users of those spaces, such as: 1) Why are these historical buildings or attached spaces not attractive to you? 2) Are you looking for social activities inside or outside the historical building? 3) Will you visit those public spaces in the heritage site again? To find out the role of public spaces in the social approach, this research will apply a qualitative method of the potentials of the context, followed by a descriptive analysis for a theoretically based recommendation, and theories will be applied to the case study as a new proposal for public spaces attached to heritage site from a social perspective.

Initially, the questionnaire was conducted on a sample of 150–200 residents representing the local community of the Old Cairo district. The criteria of the questionnaire was based on the placemaking principle. These samples included various categories of community members. The proposed age for participation in the questionnaire is18–40 years old including both males and females. The participants were asked to answer five groups of questions. The first group investigates general information about them, including gender, age, education, and their relation to the district. The second group of questions explored if they do activities rather than religious beliefs. The third group investigated the four indicators of placemaking approach “accessibility, image and comfort, activities and sociability” to look at people’s vision and aspirations toward developing this neglected space. Every section was scored in parallel to the ambiance dimensions.

The participants in the questionnaire were asked to answer five groups of questions.

4.1.1 Practical Constraints

For the sake of fair guidelines and receiving precise results for the theoretical proposal, the choice of a historical building for this study was based on the following criteria: Geographical Factor: It should be a landmark location and must be accessible by the surrounding areas and by all levels of the community. Historical Significance: This is related to the historical data, as well as its relation to historical events, significant historical figures as well as owing many historical features which were not utilized. Current Existence: The last factor for choosing the historic building is that the attached space still exists, and the conservation of the building has been done recently with its attached open spaces. Public Use: All the historical buildings in the case study are for public use. It was currently closed for rennovation as its low visitation rate. Condition: in good condition and well maintained.

4.2 Research Case Study: Al Fustat in Cairo, Egypt

The whole area encompassed by what is today Aqueduct (Magr el ‘Ayoun), and Old Cairo road (Masr el Qadima) is referred to as North Fustat, while the area from Old Cairo road to the ring road is the Fustat Plateau. In the past, this whole area had a rough topography due to natural erosion and quarrying. Figure 11 shows a rough topography. Figure 12 shows the urban context and the surrounding of the case study.

Fig. 11

Fragment of Cairo No. 2, 1:10,000, Edition 4-AMS, Series P971, U.S. Army Map Service (1958)

Fig. 12

Urban context and the surroundings of the case study (illustrate by authors)

The researchers select the area of Amr ibn al-As Mosque, the Coptic Church, and Traditional Crafts Center as those spaces are landmarks in Cairo city and very attractive for people all year, but users come for religious beliefs. The location includes several monumental sites, giving it another dimension of potentials. These potentials are illustrated in Fig. 13.

Fig. 13

Potentials of urban context and the surroundings of the case study (illustrate by authors)

5 Findings

Cairo has many heritage sites; this site is the largest religious complex with many public spaces, yet the user comes for religious beliefs only. A lot of empty outdoor spaces is used for parking lots and non-social activities. Therefore, analysis of the above heritage public space in the above case study proves heritage public space. The evaluation of this case study is based on the criteria of placemaking, which are “Access & Linkage, Comfort & Image”, & Uses & activities and Sociability” integrate the ambiance dimensions for a sense of place and better quality of spaces. This integration will have a great impact on the community, especially if those heritage sites have a vital and rich architecture that plays a vital role in community development. This case study encompasses many unique historical buildings, such as Amr ibn el As a mosque, The Hanging Church, Coptic Museum Park, currently demolished, as shown in Fig. 14.

Fig. 14

Urban context and surrounding of case study Google Earth (2018)

5.1 Observations

After observing and analyzing all the collected data in the case study, this heritage site is unique and in a landmark location. The surrounding spaces are huge enough to help the preservationist to add creative atmosphere and ambiance by adding events, exhibitions’ area, and social activities with the same spirit of the building. It is worth saying that the surrounding buildings have unique architecture, so the attached space should help to reflect and define it for the users. This reflection will be done if the attached space supports the buildings by adding engaging activities for achieving the main aim of the research for better social quality of life. An integrated framework was proposed, which gives guidelines to the problem. These guidelines will help to overcome the social problem that users face nowadays in the attached space in heritage sites. This research implicitly provides some recommendations or approaches.

The integrated framework linked together all the theories used—J. Gehl, S. Carr, PPS and W. H. Whyte —and merged ambiance dimensions to create a creative ambiance in those attached spaces. However, this creative ambiance can be achieved only after evaluating the current situation based on the proposed framework by observation and questionnaires for the users. The results of this evaluation have a significant impact and opportunity to make this heritage site with its attached spaces more attractive and full of more activities. These results have been shown in Table 2. As for the four indicators of “comfort and image,” “access and linkage,” “sociability,” and “uses and activities” with introduction to social ambiance, 80% of the respondents expressed their acceptance of the dimensions. Yet, the setting suffers a lot of negative issues based on the proposed criteria. Such non-cleanliness and insecurities leave a bad impression in their minds. About 75% of the respondents mention that they need more commercial, social, recreational, and cultural activities. They suggest that those heritage public spaces need a critical development to improve the sense of belonging and pride of the place. This improvement will significantly impact the user's social behaviors and perception in using the heritage spaces.

Table 2 Evaluation of existing heritage site based on 150–200 questionnaires with the users and the researchers’ proposed theoretical framework

Moreover, 90% of the respondents linked their feeling of attachment and sense of place to the process of improving this attached public space. If these places are available for the public with useful attraction, new social bonds and cohesion will develop between the community categories. This bond is one of the essential placemaking credibility outcomes. The respondents need varied activities with a new spirit full of hospitality and attract social network. All respondents expressed their desire to participate in this process by criticizing, developing, and voting on the proposals.

6 Conclusion and Recommendations

Finally, the research tried to validate the hypothesis, which states that if the preservationist and the urban designers put into consideration some guidelines for placemaking and ambiance dimensions, then this would be more effective and would enhance the heritage site and the social quality of life in general. However, placemaking is an interdisciplinary and multifaceted concept that has been widely researched since the mid-1970s (Andrews, 1974). Placemaking may have the ability to create positive social change. This positive social change can include sharing ideas and learning new skills to eventually create an end-product. This sharing and learning of skills to transform an environment suggest placemaking as an enabling tool (PPS, 2010). Despite its importance on a heritage site, there is a limited contribution to placemaking from the theoretical foundation, with special consideration to aspects of function, culture, and society. If all the placemaking and ambiance dimensions were to be applied in heritage-attached spaces, then users will feel the good ambiance, and the heritage sites will be transformed into great public spaces with a cheerful urban atmosphere. Moreover, it is worth to say that the work done was an initial step seeking further studies to be done as a trial for upgrading heritage sites’ attached spaces in Greater Cairo with special consideration to creating general criteria for those spaces in order to enhance users’ perception and social quality of life.