THE LOCATION: Middle East and North Africa

THE PROJECT TYPE: Research Paper 

THE PROJECT:

Public squares play an important role in society, serving as a space for gathering. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that public squares are, and therefore urbanism is, intertwined with politics. However, the extent of this relationship between urbanism and politics is typically only viewed as policies by legislative bodies. This paper discusses public spaces in the Middle East and North Africa as a reflection of political context, such as being a reflection of colonialist politics or as a platform for political dissent, therefore proposing the argument that not only does urbanism and politics influence each other in a two-way street. The paper delves into three public squares as case studies to analyze, being Place de l’Etoile in Beirut, Lebanon, Martyr’s Square and the Statue équestre du Duc d'Orléans in Algiers, Algeria, and Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt. 

As much as politics cause change in urbanism, the spaces created in the urban fabric can also influence political change and thus, the broader society.