PUBLIC OPEN SPACES OF THE TRADITIONAL MAHALLA IN HISTORIC KHIVA: SPATIAL TYPOLOGY, CURRENT TRANSFORMATIONS AND PRINCIPLES OF REVITALIZATION

The thesis examines the public open spaces of the traditional mahalla in the historic part of Khiva – the guzar, the network of lanes and dead-end alleys, the thresholds in front of houses and the water points – as a distinct layer of the urban heritage. On the basis of field surveys and behavioural observation, the spatial typology of these spaces is described, the main processes of their present-day transformation are identified, and six principles for their revitalisation are proposed.