Abstract
Even though public open space has been taking more important roles in improving urban environments, most of the metropolises in developing countries suffer from lack of both quantity and quality of parks and green spaces. This research examined the possibility of opening the university campus to the public in order to improve the public space service of the city, focusing on the case of the Ain-Sham University campus in Cairo, Egypt. The study is structured in three steps: (1) Analysis of open space distribution at the district level to find out how the university campus can contribute to improving urban public service, and if it works as an open space; (2) Survey of resident and student groups to find a perception of opening the campus for public use; and (3) Interview with government officials and university faculty members. The level of agreement on opening the campus was neutral from both resident and student groups. However, the result shows some significant acceptance of opening specific places for public use upon employing proper strategies. According to the result, it is not appropriate to fully open the controlled public space of universities in the context of Cairo, following exemplary cases of developed countries. Although sharing privatized open space with adjacent communities can be a good solution for the fast-growing metropolis, lack of proper public spaces, and insufficient resources, the process should be carefully designed with step-by-step implementation strategies.
Highlights
Open spaces are no longer luxuries but are indispensable amenities to create a more sustainable society [1]
The results showed that community members who participated in a campus event more actively showed favorable ale’ss osft“rtahteegciacmmpuasstienrtpelgarna,ted“Pweinthn thCeocnitnye”ctms,”odeelx. pTahnisdeadlterunnativiveersmityodeplr ondivs eernsliatyrginnegwpumblaicstoeprenplsapnanciensgofpthroejeccittys [2in2].tThhee 2U1nstivecresnittyuroyf
The study focuses on the Ain-Shams University (ASU), one of the public universities in Greater Cairo (GC), and El-Waily District (EWD), the district where the four campuses of ASU are located
Summary
Open spaces are no longer luxuries but are indispensable amenities to create a more sustainable society [1]. One of its targets is to provide universal access to green and public spaces, in particular, for women and children, older persons, and persons with disabilities [3]. Many developed countries were able to successfully improve their green and public space qualities and accessibilities in past decades; whereas, in developing countries, the high financial cost and scarcity of proper lands remained the chief obstacles in creating better public open spaces. Faced with challenges in improving green and public spaces in developing countries, more flexible design approaches and policies became necessary to maximize the utilization of existing resources. Many scholars and policy makers have paid special attention to integrating university campuses to the existing urban fabrics in order to provide better open space service through institutional partnership without spending public funds
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