The livability rate of Khartoum residential settlements is very diverse in term of living standards, work environment, access to public service, street connectivity and open place sociability. This is due to the complexity of city urban space, which evolved according to many politics’ dynamics. In fact, there is different social networks, economic powers, and planning system that drive the rise of urban fabric approach. However, It believes that urban fabric consists of visual spatial character such as building type, layout form, open space, and streetscape. But on the other hand, each set of urban fabric have its own urban context, and place spirit that identify the character of the spatial pattern. In that sense, the research is about to study the urban fabric implication as a matter of urban process rather than a static urban artefact. In return, such theoretical approach can facilitate better understanding of the cross-sectional Socio-political dynamics that underpin the character of urban fabric. Thus, the research is about to deliver historical, spatial, and social analysis techniques to examine the urban context, patters, and life that impact the formation and transformation of the city urban fabric at the scale of city residential settlement. The historical view will identify the urban context of social dynamics, economic forces, and legal frameworks that drive the urban fabric process with reference to the pre- and post-colonial political trends. To approach consolidated historical review, the social dynamics will be examined according to social networking, class struggle, culture approach, and institution visons. Moreover, the study of economic forces will explore the role of markets trends and capitalism on creating new forms of spatial supply and demands. Nevertheless, the legal frameworks will be traced to study impact of social contract, laws, regulation, and planning approach on the city design process. In conclusion, the research proposal is about to deliver innovative theoretical framework to study the implication of the city formation process with reference to the political process and the onsite public experience.

1. The Paradox of City Urban Fabric
Khalafalla Omer
Architect and Urban Planner | PhD Researcher | Member of the RTPI
KHARTOUM RESIDENTIAL SETTLEMENT
RSEARCH PROPOSAL

2. 1. PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: OBSERVATION AND WRITING
2. DEFINITION: VISUALIZED URBAN FABRIC
3. URBAN FABRIC PROCESS: URBAN CONTEXT – SPATIAL CHARACTER – URBAN PLACE
4. RESEARCH FRAMEWORK: GAP – PROBLEM – OBJECTIVE – QUESTION – METHOD
5. RESEARCH OUTCOME
CONTENTS

3. 01 02
03 04 05 06
08 09
10 11
01
07
10
06
03
OBSERVATION
01. Old town houses
02. Downtown residential area
03. 1st class neighborhood houses
04. 2nd class neighborhood houses
05. 3rd class neighborhood houses
06. Informal houses
07. Luxury housing
08. Economic housing
09. Public housing
10. Private low-rise residential area
11. Private high-rise residential area
07

4. WRITINGS

5. SESSION AND CONFRENCE

6. Spatial Character of Urban Area
▪ Layout Form
▪ Buildings Type
▪ Buildings Façade
▪ Open Space
▪ Streetscape
DEFINITION OF VISUALIZED URBAN FABRIC

7. ECNOMIC FORCES:
▪ DEMAND
▪ SUPPLY
▪ CAPITAL
▪ MARKET
LEGAL FRAMEWORK
▪ SOCIAL CONTRACT
▪ LAW
▪ REGULATION
▪ PLANNING APPROACH
SOCIAL DYNAMICS:
▪ CLASS
▪ CULTURE
▪ NETWORK
▪ INSTITUTION
TYPES
URBAN CONTEXT
PRE-COLONIAL COLONIAL
POST-
COLONIAL
STATUS QUO
FUTURE
ANTICIPATION
POLOTICAL TIMEFRAME
URBAN CONTEXT

8. SPATIAL CHARACTER
SPATIAL CHARACTER

9. ▪ SPATIAL SEGREGATION
▪ SPATIAL SUSTAINABILITY
▪ COLLECTIVE MEMORY
▪ PUBLIC EXPERIANCE
URBAN PLACE

10. URBAN FABRIC PROCESS
Urban
Context
Spatial
Character
Urban
Place
RESEACH GAP

11. RESEARCH AIM AND OBJECTIVES
Research Objectives
Investigate the evolution
of social powers, economic
dynamics and legal
framework over pre- and
post-colonial era that
underpin the rise of
different urban fabric
Examining the spatial
configuration of urban
fabric elements to
understand the links
between the spatial
character and spatial
justice
Examining the community
collective memory and
experience that identify
the geniality of residential
settlement.
Problem
Variety of urban fabric
Socio Spatial Constrains
Changing political platform
Research Aim
Examine the socio political implication of the city urban fabric

12. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Research Questions:
Question 01: How politics networks related to social powers, economic dynamics and legal framework drive the rise of certain urban fabric?
Sub questions:
▪ How social dynamics underpin the rise of residential settlements?
▪ What economic forces drives the emergence of Khartoum residential settlements?
▪ Which types of legal frameworks used to plan and develop the residential settlements?
▪ What types of urban fabrics are developed due to different set of politics networks?
Question 02: What is the spatial characteristic related different set of urban fabric?
Sub questions:
▪ What is the main characteristic of site location, layout, open spaces and land use and density?
▪ To what extend is that the public service is accessible to the dwellers of residential dwellers?
▪ What is the main characteristic of building type, form, frontage, and material?
▪ What is the classification of building form quality of each settlements?
Question 03: How the local community of each type of urban fabric regard their residential settlements?
Sub questions:
▪ How local community regard the socio-spatial suitability and segregation?
▪ What type of collective memory maintained through the living experience?
▪ What makes the geniality and the spirit of certain urban fabric?

13. RESEARCH STRUCTURE OF FIRST QUESTION
Political Timeframe
Class Culture Network Institution Demand Supply Capital Market Social Contract Laws Regulation Planning Approach
1 Precolonial
Political Events
Natural Events
2 Colonial
Political Events
Natural Events
3 Postcolonial
Political Events
Natural Events
4 Status Quo
Political Events
Natural Events
5 Future Anticipation
Political Events
Natural Events
Social Dynamics Economic Forces Legal Framework

14. RESEARCH PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATION
Epistemology
Subjective
Interpretive
Value Laden
Objective
Positivist
Value Free
Ontology
Axiology
Question 02
SPATIAL CHARACTER
Question 01 and Question 03
URBAN CONTEXT – URBAN PLACE

15. URBAN CONTEXT SPATIAL CHARACTER URBAN PLACE
Subtopics:
▪ Social networks
▪ Economic dynamics
▪ Legal framework
▪ Political and natural
events
Subtopics:
▪ Site location, layout,
open spaces,
streetscape, land use
and density
▪ Building type, form,
frontage, and material
Subtopics:
▪ Collective memory
▪ Public experience
Analysis Technique:
▪ Socio-economic
analysis
▪ Planning legislation
analysis
Analysis Technique:
▪ Spatial mapping
technique
▪ SWOT analysis
Analysis Technique:
▪ Stakeholder analysis
▪ Questionary surveys
▪ Problem tree analysis
Expected Result:
▪ The types of urban
fabric
Expected Result:
▪ The quality of public
service
▪ The quality of living
space
Expected Result:
▪ The spirit of urban
place
RESEARCH METHOD

16. RESEARCH OUTCOME
▪ Deliver empirical and theory urban debate
▪ Understand the complexity of urban fabric process
▪ Extract the innovative planning process for the city expansion
▪ Examine the socio spatial implication of the residential settlements
▪ Understand the social construction of the urban fabric

17. THANK YOU