Sustainable Housing Design Potentials in Palestine: A Focus on the Spontaneous Urban Design Form

Abstract

The development of the residential sector is an important step toward achieving 2030 sustainable development goals. This article aims to evaluate the potential sustainable urban housing design for Palestine based on selected case studies and to establish the base for future guidelines for housing design. To achieve this, a neighborhood assessment framework has been developed covering four sustainability values, namely the potential for an accessible environment, the ability for densification like compactness and urban density, social aspects, and the potential for environmental qualities including solar design and greening. Three cases were chosen from the neighborhoods of Nablus to represent spontaneity, in addition to one case of regularity to make the comparison between the two types. The research data were collected through an architectural survey of the characteristics of the neighborhoods and analyzed in detail the three mentioned values. The results showed that the sustainability values increased in the spontaneous type in all mentioned values compared with regular type, as this type allowed for a multiplicity of urban forms and use, to be an approach with high potential for achieving sustainability values. Proposals have been put forward to improve the design of Palestinian neighborhoods based on sustainability values.