Cyberspace vs. physical space: a model for upgrading the social performance of urban fabric (the case of Sana’a city)‎

Abstract EN

Purpose - Sana’a is a unique example of an Arab Islamic city that was bounded within its walls until the late 1960s.

Its urban fabric offered a great deal of social cohesion and connectivity and had high social performance.

In the last 60 years, the city exploded in size and population.

This boom led to the degradation of the social performance of the urban fabric among many other urban transformations.

Sana’a also witnessed gradual advancements in its communication systems.

These developments eventually led to the installation of some ICT applications, such as the Internet.

Hence, cyberspace became a reality in the lives of many of the city’s residents today.

The aim of this paper is to answer the following question: What is the potential role of cyberspace in upgrading the social performance of the urban fabric of Sana’a? Design/methodology/approach - This research hypothesizes that cyberspace has a higher, more detailed potential in social upgrading.

This research will present a model based on “upgrading modes” of cyberspace for the urban fabric.

First, the general upgrading modes will be presented.

Then, the upgrading modes of the social performance of the urban fabric will be derived.

Findings – It is concluded that Sana’a is in a state of socio-spatial fragmentation, segregation, and fragility and has a dysfunctional social performance.

Moreover, cyberspace has a significant presence in the city and has attracted notable official and public awareness.

The upgrading modes and social upgrading modes were applied on a selected urban fabric in Sana’a.

Findings indicate that the social upgrading models of cyberspace can upgrade the city’s urban fabric by up to 79%.

Originality/value - This research presents an empirical model that acknowledges the integrated relationships between cyberspace and physical space.

The research also explores the enabling potential of cyberspace to solve certain urban problems (in this case, its insufficient social performance).