OPEN PUBLIC SPACES IN POST-CONFLICT SYRIAN CITIES: A STRATEGIC DESIGN APPROACH

This study attempts to rethink approaches to the development of urban centers in Syria. Unlike areas that have suffered large-scale destruction, cities such as Damascus, Latakia and Tartus require the development of alternative strategies focused not on reconstruction, but on sustainable development. In this regard, urban planners are tasked with developing innovative approaches to urban design. The article points to the need to develop a strategy for the restoration of the historical centers of Syrian cities in the post-conflict period. Based on the analysis of international experience, the author proposes a socio-spatial approach to the organization of open public spaces. This approach is considered the most promising, allowing, among other things, to spatially solve the problems of overcoming ethnic, confessional, religious and political differences in urban society. This paper substantiates the feasibility of integrating morphological, sociological and phenomenological aspects into the process of designing a network system of open public spaces. This approach is considered as a contribution to the implementation of the strategy for the formation of a tolerant urban environment focused on the revitalization of the historical centers of cities.