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Residential neighbourhoods are vital parts of cities, accommodating various activity patterns that reflect the daily life for residents. Each residential neighbourhood is characterised by housing typology and urban pattern, which has been formed and transformed overtime. The city centre of Tripoli has experienced continuous growth and witnessed intensive development programs that transformed residential neighbourhoods and housing typology. This study explores the characteristics of six different neighbourhoods within the city of Tripoli and establishes a profile for each, focusing on the way in which key principles and values are perceived. Using defined indicators, the study measures the spatial typology, architecture pattern, accessibility, activity/use, and type of users. Assessing the characteristics of each neighbour-hood the paper examines functional, social and perceptual attributes through the use of a walking tour assessment, which is composed of checklists and a scoring system. Findings demonstrate the absence of landscape features, such as greenery elements and appropriate street furniture, as well as absence of adequate facilities or designated playing areas for children. The paper calls for assessing existing residential districts as a step towards generating neighbour-hoods that are meaningful and prosperous.

The purpose of this paper is to offer a framework to contextualise the formation and transformation of three major medinas in North Africa, namely, Tripoli, Tunis and Fez. The framework is designed to identify key factors that formed these medinas in the first place, and key causes of transformation in reference to three distinctive forces: colonisation, modernisation and globalisation, which include political, economic and social changes that influenced the transformation process.

Colonisation, modernisation and globalisation changed the physical appearance and urban fabric, introduced new architectural styles and at the same time changed the social structure, lifestyle, and the inhabitants’ perception and use of spaces within their medinas. Physical aspects of the transformation process are investigated using comparative case studies, while social aspects are studied through interviewing three main actors in housing: users, decision makers and professional architects.

By identifying key factors of formation and main drivers of transformation, together with analysing the physical and social aspects associated with the transformation process, the framework aims at developing a holistic, complex picture of housing transformation within a specific context: the medinas of North Africa. However, the framework is introduced as a valuable tool for exploring the transformation of other cities with relevant and similar context.

Through the use of comparative case studies and interviews, the study focuses on capturing the essence of traditional medinas, understanding the reality of social change within housing transformation and contextualising the physical aspects of housing transformation.