Damascus-SANA
Students of the Higher Institute of Regional Planning at the University of Damascus presented innovative modern visions for a number of neighborhoods in the city of Damascus in 2040 during a six-month workshop in cooperation with the Department of Architecture and Planning at the British University of Dundee.
The innovative visions presented by the students depended on the study and analysis of the current reality of a number of Damascene neighborhoods to find appropriate solutions to the problems related to the random distribution of building blocks, green and open spaces, and transportation problems in order to reach vital residential neighborhoods that meet the requirements of society and development, which will reflect positively on the lives and livelihoods of individuals.
Dr. Muhammad Yasar Abdeen, President of Damascus University, stressed in a speech the importance of proper urban planning by relying on planning studies in accordance with a clear scientific methodology so that the cities would be in a way that befits modern life, pointing out that the Higher Institute of Regional Planning at the University of Damascus has taken upon itself, since its establishment, the responsibility of preparing, qualifying and training national cadres In the field of regional planning with the aim of localizing knowledge, methodologies and planning schools to serve the sustainable development process in Syria.
In turn, Dr. Rida Deeb, Dean of the Higher Institute of Regional Planning, indicated in a statement to SANA that the planning problem in Damascus is “big,” noting at the same time that all countries of the world have started at the current stage to take new policies and planning approaches, especially after the Corona virus pandemic, which imposed the application of certain restrictions. Some pushed to launch a new approach known as “15-minute neighborhoods,” which enables the citizen to secure all his needs within just 15 minutes within the neighborhood in which he lives.
Deeb explained that the institute took this approach and its principles and tried to test the possibility of applying it to the neighborhoods of Damascus and Syrian cities in order to improve the quality of life in these neighborhoods and achieve their self-sufficiency, locality and participation with neighboring neighborhoods, in cooperation with the British University of Dundee.
In his speech via the Internet, Dr. Hussam Al-Waer, Director of the Urban Planning Program at the University of Dundee, stated that the former neighborhoods of Damascus were better “socially and environmentally” and their dwellings were healthy adjacent to each other, but the urban agglomerations and accumulations and the increase in urban complexities negatively affected in terms of the lack of green spaces and the lack of interactive spaces, so the approach of the 15 Minutes is an approach that preserves and evolves culture and identity while preserving the spatial and cultural specificity of neighborhoods.
A number of students participating in the workshop spoke to SANA about their projects that included solutions to the problems faced by the neighborhoods of Damascus. Alaa Ibrahim, “Master in Urban Structural Planning,” said that she and her colleagues focused in her project on the Mezzeh neighborhood of Sheikh Saad, where the current situation in the neighborhood was monitored and the needs identified. The main areas and places where cars and pedestrians are crowded, the details were collected and studied to come up with a basic scheme called the movement of society.
In turn, Kinan Al-Qasim, “Master’s in Regional Logistic Planning,” indicated that he and his colleagues focused on the Masaken Barzeh neighborhood, where they collected the necessary information to study the neighborhood in a field manner, benefiting from the practical experiences of the University of Dundee, and identifying strengths and weaknesses in urban planning for the region and the problems associated with infrastructure. Some solutions were developed that It can be fast, instant, efficient and cost-effective.
The student, Huda Khalifa, “Master’s in Urban Structural Planning” and her colleagues focused on the Al-Qasaa neighborhood, explaining that they monitored the problems in the main street within the neighborhood and developed programs to reduce congestion and activate the neighboring streets.
The event was attended by Dr. Mohsen Bilal, a member of the central leadership of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, Dr. Khaled Al-Halbouni, Secretary of the Damascus University branch of the party, assistant ministers of local administration, environment, public works and housing, and a number of engineers and academics.
The Higher Institute of Regional Planning was established at the University of Damascus under Legislative Decree No. 54 of 2015 and undertakes research related to regional planning and grants degrees in the field of regional planning.
Mahran Mualla and Malik Abdo
