The phenomenon of urban sprawl has caused radical changes in the spatial structure of cities and rural areas all around the world. Syria is among the developing countries that have experienced this phenomenon. Some of the resulted processes of urban sprawl like urbanization and counter-urbanization have had a clear impact on the land use and lifestyle in both cities and the countryside of different regions in Syria. This research focuses on the coastal region and the spatial changes that affected the nature of social life, such as the rapid growth of the population, the expansion of cities, and the new developments, which in turn have led to considerable changes in the relationship and scale of the house, garden, and landscape. The research studies the development of the rural housing model in the coastal region and its relation to the surrounding landscape. It tracks three phases of the housing unit’s development and conducts a comparative study on four villages using a questionnaire to evaluate the performance of those units. The results of this research show significant change in the relationship between rural and urban areas resulting from the new residential developments, as well as the relationship of land use and the historic plot structure and that of the garden and the house into the overall character of the landscape.

Utilizing cultural heritage in the process of urban regeneration of cities is becoming key principle that can guarantee creating sustainable spaces. Its role is accentuated even more nowadays with globalization processes exposing most parts of the world to similar influences. This research discusses the concept of urban regeneration as a comprehensive development approach and highlights the potential role of tangible, intangible and natural components of cultural heritage as leading actors in this approach. By studying the case of Bab Touma square, a historical urban square in Damascus, the research aims to set forth the importance of communicating those cultural elements as a mean to strengthening spatial identity and spatial attachment towards a space. The research adopts an analytical method and tracks the urban development phases of the square in order to define how they contributed to the change of the square's image and identity, considering such urban spaces in the city with so many symbolic, cultural and historical values as generative points that could play a vital role in activating the process of urban regeneration of the city.