Prof. Yaldiz Yehya Mohamed Eid :: Publications:

A large portion of the urban population in Egypt is housed within three types of residential environments: (a) physically deteriorating traditional housing, (b) informally developed housing, (c) and formally-designed mass housing in New Cities. Each one of these housing types affords a different residential environment and a variety of “home” designs. Environment-Behavior Studies have always pointed out a reciprocal relationship between the built environment and behavior. The following study acknowledges the relationship between the home environment and behavior and suggests that the built environment is a most powerful manipulator of lifestyle. Socio-cultural characteristics of the residents do not, by themselves, determine the spatial organization of activities in the home. The distribution of activities within the home reflects the extent to which the design of the “home” allows people to fulfill their social and psychological needs in a way that fits their lifestyle and priorities. The objective of this research study is therefore to analyze those various “home” designs through a space syntax analysis of activity patterns in order to explore this relationship. An empirical study was conducted for a sample of 380 residential units of comparable sizes and physical conditions to explore the relationship between residents’ lifestyles and characteristics of the home environment in each of the three housing alternatives. This study is part of a larger research project on the non-physical dimensions of home design . El-Sayyeda Zeinab was chosen to represent a traditional neighborhood. Dar Elsalam was chosen to represent one type of informal housing sprawl, and the Sixth District in Sixth of October City was chosen to represent the mass housing constructed in new cities.