RECONNECTING HISTORICAL MEDITERRANEAN CITIES TO THE SEA AND TO THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS OF THE CITY: THE CASE OF THE CITY OF SAIDA

Abstract

In Saida, similarly to most historic Mediterranean cities, prosperity rhymed with the presence of the fertile agriculture plains, the skilled artisans, and the wealthy port of fishery and trade, up until the advent of the boulevards that brought a new dynamic, foreign to the coast, the North-South dynamic. Subsequently, the city, separated from its sea, began losing its characteristic traits. At present, the coastline of Saida faces several issues: On a socio-economical level, the three characteristic activities that used to take place along the waterfront of Saida, agriculture, fishing and trade, are disappearing. On the physical level, the maritime boulevard constitutes an infrastructural break while the corniche is subject to discontinuity, lack of safety and physical as well as visual obstructions. On the legal level, the coast is victim of violations transgressing the right to the sea through big scale backfilling projects initiated by the CDR, the municipality and the government. In addition, the publicness of the waterfront is threatened by privatization. On the natural level, alarming pollution rates are degrading the coastal physical and social value due to a solid waste crisis, wastewater mismanagement, and excessive vehicular emissions.

To address these challenges, an integrated approach between urban design and landscape architecture was developed to analyze the physical, socio-economic, environmental, legal context of the city. Consequently, regeneration is used a tool for sustainability in order through a cultural-led, place-responsive, people centered urban design strategy focusing on an ecological landscape framework, and inspired from the historical landscape characters, aiming to enable the reconnection of the waterfront to the sea, empower the citizens to reclaim their waterfront and enhance the new developments of the city.

This thesis tackles the different layers of the city and attempts to inform its intervention from the intertwined nature of the coastal realm. It aims to achieve connectivity and enhance accessibility of the coast through; (1) developing character zones using landscape and urban design tools; (2) enhance connectivity and accessibility within each character zone and between each character zone; (3) exploring means of connectivity and accessibility between the coastal character zones and the inner neighborhoods and regional context of Saida; (3) taking advantage of the publicly owned properties and large scale land reclamation projects. Finally, this research strives to explore and adopt a regenerative approach to the revitalization of cultural and natural assets along the shoreline.