There have been various attempts to emulate traditional architecture and to experiment with the form and aesthetics of building design. However, learning from precedents of urban morphology is rare. This design study is a test at the neighborhood level using the pattern of traditional courtyard housing that is prevalent in the majority of historic towns and cities of North Africa and the Middle East. The study is undertaken at five levels of design enquiry: dwelling types, dwelling groups, neighborhood segment and community center. All of which are synthesized into a full prototype neighborhood comprising of 428 dwelling units covering an area that includes circulation and the community center, of 17.6 hectares. The test demonstrates that the traditional pattern of neighborhoods that are based on the typology of the courtyard dwelling as the initial generator of urban form may be used to develop a contemporary settlement pattern that is compatible with current necessities of lifestyle, vehicular circulation, including parking and infrastructure achieving an attractive livable environment with an overall gross density, that includes a community center, of about 24 dwelling units per hectare.

The built environment of Muslim towns and cities was determined in the past largely by the manner in which re¬sponsibilities were allocated and individual behaviours were affected by the notion of rights. In the early period the predominant customary practices (urf) of the Arabian peninsula in particular and the Near East in general were assimilated by the early Muslims (Hakim, 1994). These practices were adapted and changed as necessary to bring them into confor¬mity with the practice and experience in Medina following the hijra in 622 C.E. Through his statements and actions, the Prophet Muhammad affirmed customary practices that were consistent with Islamic values, and he clarified the purpose of other practices that he encouraged. Thus was established the basis for practices that subsequently were elaborated upon and expanded by Muslim jurists. In general, it can be said that there are more similarities than differences in the positions adopted by the various schools of Islamic law relative to the built environment.

This study on codes is based on the context of the Byzantine and Islamic civilisations of the Near East and the territories that were under their direct or indirect rule and/or influence across all of the northern and southern parts of the Mediterranean basin. The study's sources and examples cover 14 centuries, from the 6th to the early 20th century. The article is divided into six sections: origins and diffusion, content of the codes, examples of specific codes, impact on the built environment, lessons for contemporary and future practice, and a conclusion. The section on lessons addresses in some detail the attributes of the traditional system as it relates to the phenomenon and science of Emergence . This is of crucial importance because it is a primary consideration for achieving successful sustainability in our cities and built environment in general.

This case study from sub-Sahara Africa examines the rules that were followed by all parties concerned with decisions affecting the built environment, particularly at the neighbourhood level. The material presented is derived from manuscripts written during the Sokoto Caliphate in the nineteenth century. The built form example is from the traditional historic area of Zaria city in Northern Nigeria. By understanding the rules and the issues they addressed, it is possible to appreciate how they affected the outcome of the built form, as shown by the selected example from Zaria of numerous compounds forming a neighbourhood cluster. Thus, when we speak of the Islamic city as an urban form, we are pointing to the linkages between societal values and built form that are the essence of how culture is reflected in the man-made world of art, architecture, and urbanism. Also includes descriptions of the framework of rules of decision making. Keywords: decision making; rules of decision making; Sokoto Caliphate; sub-Sahara Africa; urban city; Zaria

Essentially this article advocates the adoption and use of dynamic generative processes for town and neighborhood development vs the use of static blueprints of ‘master plans’ that produce fabricated built environments. Instead, those that are the product of generative processes have attributes that can be described as dynamic complex adaptive environments that embody the virtues of complexity and sustainability. The article also discusses the components of a generative program and how they are utilized for revitalization projects that are located within historic towns or heritage areas. Two case studies – Albuquerque, New Mexico and Muharraq and Manama, Bahrain – are discussed to show how the principles of a generative program are applied. Over time, the results of such a program for revitalization will maintain the integrity, characteristics, and sense of place of the area by avoiding the static results that freezes the built environment and produces museums that are of interest to tourists rather than the people living there.

The rule system is defined for the purposes of this paper as the underlying system of rules and codes which Islamic culture has established for itself to guide and control societal activities, including decisions and activities related to design and construction.Within each particular region, the local customs are normally a part of the governing rule system. The author argues for the revival and adaptation of the traditional rule system by maintaining its positive attributes, and incorporating modern technology and changes in the lifestyles of the people in specific localities. He suggests a policy for the governments of the Maghrib countries - Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco - for initiating the process of reviving the rule system and outlines the necessary steps for implementing such a policy, (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

This is a study of a treatise by Julian of Ascalon, an architect and a native of the Byzantine Palestinian coastal city of Ascalon and a contemporary of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I (A.D. 483-565; reigned 527-565). There is some consensus that the treatise was written during the years 531-533, when the codification of Roman law that resulted in the influential Corpus Juris Civilis was undertaken upon Justinian's order.Julian's treatise is a compilation of construction and design rules that address the prevention of nuisances and potential damages to proximate neighbors resulting from building activities associated with change and growth in the built environment. The influence of the treatise endured intermittently for almost 1,400 years, first in Constantinople, then in the eastern territories of the Byzantine empire, and later in some Slavic countries; in Greece it survived well into the twentieth century. This is the first study to analyze the rationale and technical aspects of the prescriptions and design rules in Julian's important work.

A large number of random studies on traditional Islamic cities have been published over the past two decades. This paper suggests 15 studies which need to be thoroughly researched and published to add to our current knowledge base on this subject. Once this material is available, it would be feasible to construct a comprehensive theory of urban form in traditional Islamic cities, which currently does not exist.