This study tackles the design challenge of urban in fill development which arises from changes in the urban form and daily living experiences. Using the Web of Science to review relevant literature published over the last decade, we found a signi ficant gap in the study of in fill development: it overlooks liveability and conviviality. To fill this gap, an in fill project in Ard el Golf, Cairo, Egypt, was surveyed using ethnographic research comprising two surveys and semi-structured interviews with site visitors, workers, and residents, and spatial analysis of the changes before and after the project. The results highlight the critical role of functional neighbourhood changes based on their impact on residents', site workers', and users' perceptions of their environment. A six-step strategic framework is presented aggregating the social and morphological dimensions that can off er designers a be er means of confronting the consequences of urban in fill projects with respect to the socio-spatial context for liveable and convivial urban living.

Purpose: This paper focuses on the competencies and skills needed in preparing graduates of urban planning schools to meet the real-world challenges of professional practices. The present work explores the gap between skills and knowledge required to excel in the urban planning discipline and professional practices. Design/methodology/approach: This research utilises a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods. This study depends on collecting data from descriptive and statistical analysis based on two streams. The first comes from a survey launched among students of urban planning. The second is interviews scheduled with academics that are also practitioners. Findings: The results outline the missing correlation between what Egyptian students learn in schools of urban planning and professional practices. The findings show that academics, students, and graduates share the same experiences about the education system. Academics agreed that graduates need to be more skilful rather than knowledgeable. The discussion shows that the undefined role of the planner in Egypt influenced the mismatching between the current demand and supply of competencies and skills offered by planning schools. The concluded remarks mentioned that communication skills and negotiation skills are the most crucial skills for graduates, in addition to information finding and data-processing skills. Originality/value: This research has particular advantages in presenting a model of competencies as results of scanning the expectations of Egyptian students and new graduates vs professional practices. The contribution is in answering the question of what skills students of the urban planning programs should learn in order to meet the continued changes in professional practices.

The “x-minute city” concept gained attention within the global urban discourse on post-pandemic cities. Recently, numerous cities have shifted their attention from considering the x-minute city merely as a theoretical concept to one with practical applicability, rediscovering the proximity dimension to be integrated into urban policies and plans. Consequently, a requirement emerged to develop comprehensive approaches for monitoring and assessing this proximity. In this perspective, this article seeks to answer two main questions: What are approaches utilized in the literature to measure proximity within the context of “x-minute cities”? How could these measurement models accurately reflect real-world scenarios? The aim is to identify the models and variables required for measuring proximity within the framework of x-minute cities. A review of 38 peer-reviewed articles following the PRISMA statement was performed by searching the Web of Science database for publications from 2020 to 2023. Our results clarified the essential components of the measurement models and presented recommendations for more comprehensive assessments. The findings highlight the variable deficiencies that affect proximity measurement approaches. The recommendations hold the potential to enhance measurement models, contributing to the development of urban communities that are more accessible and interconnected.

In the field of urban studies, artificial intelligence technology offers potential applications. There are, however, limited sources on how technology can contribute to the study of user experiences in city contexts. This study examined the factors affecting user experiences around three exits of one of the Cairo Metro stops in Ramses Square in Cairo, Egypt. Using a Geographical Information System (GIS) and GoodVision Video Insights and spatial analysis was conducted for the selected built environment. Our results demonstrate that pedestrian flow, thermal comfort, safety levels, and destination proximity contribute to the user experience. Our results also prove that urban configuration with multiple elements in the stations’ context strongly affects metro user experience. As such, three levels of priorities were suggested to guide city planners, urban designers, and landscape architects through developing or designing stations with user experience in mind. For future studies, this study offers a valuable method for developing qualitative and quantitative analyses of pedestrian movement in stations’ contexts.