Academic Writing

   Within the midst of political and financial challenges in Khartoum, Sudan, social inequity was perpetuated in the urban environment for generations. Poor-quality informal public open spaces compensated for the absence of accessible developed public spaces for the urban poor. Although there was a high supply and distribution of public open spaces within neighborhoods, they were hardly noticed as opportunities for enhancing aspects of the quality of life. Thus, this research attempted to utilize the aforementioned opportunity by asking the question of how public open spaces in low-income neighborhoods could be realized to their full potential.

   The aim was to identify suitable strategies for improvement.

   An inductive exploratory investigation was conducted on public open spaces in developing countries, with Khartoum State in Sudan as a focal point. The methods were based on observations, desk research, literature review, and analysis of case studies.

   The political history of Sudan’s eras since the British colony was explored, and a portrayal of how politics affected urban life and caused social inequity in the use of public open spaces was presented to provide a wider understanding of the problem from a grassroots level.

   By highlighting the importance of public open spaces to individuals and local communities, this study generated a theoretical framework that encompassed contextual approaches and strategies for improving informal public open spaces in a developing country like Sudan. Furthermore, the framework was confirmed through case studies from countries that shared similarities in context with Khartoum, Sudan.

   The analysis showed that when people were empowered to take control of their surrounding environment, their sense of ownership and responsibility increased. By using low-cost local materials, spaces were transformed from dumping grounds to vibrant active spaces.

   Finally, this study attempted to contribute to the limited academic work directed towards this topic in Sudan and provided recommended approaches and strategies for upgrading public open spaces, from planning to management.