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A. Arab:
"The Influence of Urban form on the social sustainability of neighborhoods in Aleppo";
Supervisor, Reviewer: K. Raith, E Raith, E. Lehner; Institut für Kunstgeschichte, Bauforschung und Denkmalpflege, 2018; oral examination: 2018-07-26.

Debates within the sustainable development agenda increasingly highlight social sustainability and the extent to which urban form may promote it. Previous research outcomes, contended in the western world, remain vague, raising questions regarding their applicability to the developing countries which face different socio-cultural shifts and different urbanization challenges. The main objective of this research is to examine the relationship between urban form and social sustainability on a neighborhood scale. In order to allow for data triangulation, the research adopts a multi-method approach, including both quantitative and qualitative methods. Primary data was collected, across three neighborhoods in Aleppo, using different methods including site surveys, household questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews. The nature and extent of relationships were investigated through statistical analysis and complemented by opinions of the residents about their surrounding built environment. The findings reveal that some aspects of urban form are significantly associated with dimensions of social sustainability. However, the nature and extent of the relationships vary from aspect to aspect. lndeed, Other factors independent of architectural and urban conditions, such as socio-economic factors, can have a significant impact on social sustainability. Thus, the role of urban forms in promoting social sustainability was found to be not as straightforward as is sometimes portrayed and dependent on to a considerable extent on the given social and demographic factors. Based on the findings of the research, policies and guidelines are proposed to achieve more socially sustainable neighborhoods in Syria.

Syrien / Aleppo / Städtebau