Factors of Social Interaction at Waterfront Open Spaces - Jeddah Waterfront as a Case

Abstract

Public Open spaces represent a significant element of the urban structure of cities. Its importance lays on its ability to provide a place that encourages social interaction in order to strengthen the social life of the city residents. Jeddah as a coastal city known as “The Mermaid of the Red Sea” has a great potential to use its waterfront as a successful public open space that motivates the residents to socially interact, engage, and communicate as well as to strengthen their bond with the sea. In spite of this strong potential, previous studies show a gap in utilizing it effectively. This paper tries to investigate the different factors could be essential on enhancing the social interaction within the public open spaces focusing on the waterfront sites through theoretical review and examination of international case-studies. Accordingly, a scaling model will be created to evaluate the importance of these factors based on the users’ perception of Jeddah’s waterfront development in terms of social interaction aiming to introduce concluding recommendations for enhancing the social interaction capacity of Jeddah’s waterfront.