Design standards for urban spaces in valuable heritage areas case study: El-Khazendar square

Egypt is abundant with heritage from consecutive historic eras,whose authenticity has been tributed by the whole world. however the unoptimal use of such heritage and the use of the traditional concept of maintenance and restoration that focuses on the archaeological building as a separate structure without taking into consideration that the urban surrounding it an important and fundamental element having a strong impact on the success of the maintenance process and re-use,led egypt to lose many of its valuable buildings and1 to the deterioration of the urban surroundings. today,the authorities concerned with preserving egyptian cultural and urban heritage are taking many strict procedures to prevent infringement and deterioration of the heritage areas. the development project of el-khazendar square,is considered as a serious step towards achieving these national objectives witch will contribute directly in supporting tourism in egypt the aim of this paper is to deduce standards for the design of urban spaces in the valuable areas inside cairo. this can be achieved by studying the current condition of elkhazendar square,then drawing out the design standards of the urban spaces in the square to determine the best treatments that fit the nature of the square as well as the egyptian environment and its capabilities.