Effects of nightlife activities on urban spaces and design: a case study of Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

Abstract Hyper-diversity in old communities should be rehabilitated to address various man-made changes that threaten sustainability and viability at night. This study elucidates this argument by reviewing and synthesising theoretical and empirical evidence about urban governance support regarding the participation of neighbourhood residents to improve or eliminate nightlife. The method is based on a systematic review, direct observation and interview with random samples of residents, workers and visitors in commercial and recreational places. This study criticises changes in the public space of the Al-Hussein Mosque, which led to changes in urban forms and affected the nightlife in Old Cairo. However, it asserts that the hyper-diversity of activities in public spaces because of the lack of urban governance controls should consider changes in terms of the participation of vulnerable groups in nightlife. A new conceptual framework for interpreting stakeholders’ positive and negative responses is proposed, which operates across four overlapping steps of urban governance: predicting, proposing, preparing and preventing.

Keywords

• Hyper-diversity
• Participation
• Old Cairo
• Vulnerable groups
• Urban governance