The Role of Urban Design of Public Spaces in Enhancing Social Interaction and place Attachment (Case study: Downtown Square and the New Park in Al-Khums City)

Abstract

This paper discusses the gap between the functional goals of public spaces-as places for social interaction in cities- and their design reality in al-khums city. Shortcomings in basic design elements (shade, lack of seating, and seating distribution) have turned some of these spaces into isolated environments or mere transit points. The study aimed to analyze the relationship between the characteristics of public space and levels of social interaction, as well as to monitor visitor behavior patterns within them . The research adopted a descriptive-analytical approach combined with direct field observation. It also utilizes a questionnaire survey of 229 respondents distribute across the downtown Square and the city Park. The results reveled that visitors to the downtown square were exclusively male (100%), where the Park recorded high family presence with female visitors reaching 67%, owing to the availability of safety and cultural privacy factors.  Despite the downtown square achieving good connectivity and movement, it exhibited spatial alienation; weak sense of belonging, and a diminished sense of place .Conversely, the park achieved a strong place attachment and high interaction levels despite suffering from urban isolation and a weak safety factor for pedestrian access, along with spatial isolation and inadequate shading. The research recommended rearranging the furniture geometrically to serve visual connectivity and secure pedestrian movement to and from these spaces . it also recommended equipping them with shading structures and elements that enhances spatial aesthetics and reinforce the sense of place to improve the quality of urban life in the city.