Continuity of paths as a measure of transformation in urban fabric: a study in the old centre of Hila

Abstract

Abstract Cities are exposed to transformations in their urban fabric over time as a result of urban renewal projects and new requirements. These transformations can have negative consequences, especially for traditional cities. Traditional cities are characterized by their historical continuity over the years, so these transformations lead to the destruction of some of their characteristics, such as connectivity or hierarchy of the city. The destruction of the characteristics of the ancient city leads to the production of a hybrid city. Al-Hila city centre is one of the areas that have undergone several aspects of transformations, for example, a change in functional uses, the construction of new roads for cars, a change in the pattern of fabric and others. Therefore, the research problem was represented in the interruption of paths continuity as a result of unstudied transformations in the urban fabric, and by adopting a hypothesis that the continuity of the urban fabric is affected by changing the ease of access and hierarchy of a part of the region that leads to an imbalance in integration. So, the research aims to find out the differences in the continuity of paths that occur in city centres when they are transformed by comparing them temporally and identifying some of the main indicators of spatial analysis theories. Hypothesis quantitative indicators emerged from the research vocabulary and were represented by (connectivity, depth, axis length, choice and integration). The most important conclusions and recommendations that were extracted from the research for spatial analysis (Space syntax) by using the (Depth map) program are that the continuity of paths in the urban fabric has been destroyed as a result of unplanned and inappropriate transformations for the place in several respects.