Research Contexts & Methods

Ashraf Salama's research is grounded in the study of people–environment relationships at both architectural and urban scales, with sustained attention to socio-cultural, behavioural, and spatial dimensions of the built environment. Operating across diverse geographic contexts and drawing on a range of trans-disciplinary methods, the research generates evidence-based knowledge that informs design pedagogy, urban policy, and professional practice. The two sections below outline the principal research contexts and the methodological approaches that underpin this body of work.

RESEARCH CONTEXTS

Research is undertaken across many contexts worldwide with emphasis on Gulf Cities, Egypt, and certain countries in Africa. It has expanded to address contexts in Europe and the Balkans as well as other regional contexts. The five categories of contexts include:

1. Gulf Cities — with an emphasis on work relevant to knowledge economy and urban qualities, housing transformations and multiculturalism, and assessment of image-making practices, urban open spaces, and city developments.

Representative publications:

• Salama, A. M. (2026). "Negotiating a Cosmopolitan Urban Hub: Policy Implications for Migration, Housing, and Sustainability in Metropolitan Doha." International Planning Studies, 31(2), 227–261. https://doi.org/10.1080/13563475.2025.2589198

• Ibrahim, H. G. A., Salama, A. M., Awwaad, R., & Aboukalloub, B. (2023). "Housing Dynamics for Sustainable Urban Development in Greater Doha." Journal of Engineering Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jer.2023.100152

• Wiedmann, F., & Salama, A. M. (2019). Building Migrant Cities in the Gulf: Urban Transformation in the Middle East. Bloomsbury I.B. Tauris. http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781788316248

• Salama, A. M., Wiedmann, F., & Ibrahim, H. (2018). "Migrant Knowledge Workers' Perceptions of Housing Conditions in Gulf Cities." Journal of International Migration and Integration, 19(1), 15–33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-017-0527-z

• Salama, A. M., Wiedmann, F., Thierstein, A., & Al Ghatam, W. (2016). "Knowledge Economy as an Initiator of Sustainable Urbanism in Emerging Metropolises: The Case of Doha, Qatar." Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, 10(1), 274–324. https://doi.org/10.1108/ARCH-01-2016-0001

• Salama, A. M., & Azzali, S. (2015). "Examining Attributes of Urban Open Spaces in Doha." ICE Urban Design and Planning, 168(2), 75–87. https://doi.org/10.1680/udap.14.00011

• Salama, A. M., & Wiedmann, F. (2013/2016). Demystifying Doha: On Architecture and Urbanism in an Emerging City (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315576503

2. Architecture & Urbanism in Egypt — with emphasis on architectural and urban discourse, sustainable design for ecolodges and sustainable facilities for tourism, and issues related to unplanned settlements and informal housing.

Representative publications:

• Bakhaty, A., Salama, A. M., & Dimitrijević, B. (2023). "A Validated Framework for Characterising Informal Settlements: Two Cases from Greater Cairo, Egypt." Buildings, 13(5), Article 1261. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13051263

• El-Ashmouni, M., & Salama, A. M. (2022/2024). Influence and Resistance in Post-Independence Egyptian Architecture. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003145882

• El-Ashmouni, M., & Salama, A. M. (2020). "Contemporary Architecture of Cairo (1990–2020): Mutational Plurality of 'ISMS', Decolonialism, and Cosmopolitanism." Open House International, 45(1/2), 121–142. https://doi.org/10.1108/OHI-04-2020-0007

• Patterson, A., Salama, A. M., Samy, M., El-Aroussy, S., Winter, N., & Abdelfattah, R. S. (1999). Guidelines for Eco-lodge Development in Egypt (3 vols.). Tourism Development Authority & USAID.

• Salama, A. M. (1998). Human Factors in Environmental Design: An Introductory Approach to Architecture. The Anglo Egyptian Publications.

3. All Africa (North/East/West) — which captures PhD research and published works focusing on the Medina in North Africa, Lilongwe, Malawi, and Accra, Ghana. The focus is on housing transformations, quality of urban life, and inclusivity in the public realm.

Representative publications:

• Salama, A. M., Patil, M. P., Elsemellawy, A. N., Abudib, H. H., Almansor, N. A., MacLean, L., & Van Riel, K. (2024). "People-Place Narratives as Knowledge Typologies for Social Sustainability: Cases from the Global South." Buildings. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14041001

• MacLean, L., & Salama, A. M. (2021). "Assessing the Quality of Urban Life in Three Neighbourhoods, Lilongwe, Malawi." ICE Urban Design and Planning, 174(3), 86–101. https://doi.org/10.1680/jurdp.21.00017

• Abubakar, A., Romice, O., & Salama, A. M. (2019). "Slums and Prosperity: A Complex, Dynamic Pathway of Intervention." Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, 13(2), 314–330. https://doi.org/10.1108/ARCH-02-2019-0041

• MacLean, L. A., & Salama, A. M. (2019). "Towards a Context Specific Multidimensional Quality of Urban Life Model." Open House International, 41(4), 25–33. https://doi.org/10.1108/OHI-01-2019-B0004

• Van Riel, K., & Salama, A. M. (2019). "Using Auto-photography to Explore Young People's Belonging and Exclusion in Urban Spaces in Accra, Ghana." Open House International, 41(4), 62–70. https://doi.org/10.1108/OHI-01-2019-B0008

4. Europe & the Balkans — which includes research work on a number of cities including Belfast, Belgrade, Bosnia, Glasgow, Gothenburg, and Newcastle, mainly in the areas of urban space assessment, spaces of migrant communities, interrogating various cultural practices, and technology-enabled co-assessment of urban environments.

Representative publications:

• Patil, M. P., Salama, A. M., Arnfield, J., & Alvanides, S. (2024). "YouWalk-YouReclaim: A Co-Assessment Approach for Active University Campus Environments." Smart and Sustainable Built Environment. https://doi.org/10.1108/SASBE-06-2024-0228

• Salama, A. M., Patil, M. P., & MacLean, L. (2024). "Urban Resilience and Sustainability Through and Beyond Crisis — Evidence-based Analysis and Lessons Learned from Selected European Cities." Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, 13(2), 444–470. https://doi.org/10.1108/SASBE-08-2023-0208

• Salama, A. M., & Patil, M. P. (2024). "A Mobile Application Tool for Co-assessing Urban Open Spaces – A Test Case of the Grey's Monument, Newcastle, UK." Journal of Urban Design. https://doi.org/10.1080/13574809.2024.2363818

• Salama, A. M., Salingaros, N. A., & MacLean, L. (2023). "A Multimodal Appraisal of Zaha Hadid's Glasgow Riverside Museum — Criticism, Performance Evaluation, and Habitability." Buildings, 13(1), Article 173. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13010173

• Vukovic, T., Salama, A. M., Mitrovic, B., & Devetakovic, M. (2021). "Assessing Public Open Spaces in Belgrade – A Quality of Urban Life Perspective." Archnet-IJAR, 15(3), 505–523. https://doi.org/10.1108/ARCH-04-2020-0064

• Harrington, S., Dimitrijevic, B., & Salama, A. M. (2019). "Synchrony-city: Sarajevo in Five Acts and Few Intervals." Archnet-IJAR, 13(3), 573–594. https://doi.org/10.1108/ARCH-05-2019-0125

• Shehab, N., & Salama, A. M. (2018). "The Spatiality of Segregation: Narratives from the Everyday Urban Environment of Gothenburg and Glasgow." Archnet-IJAR, 12(1), 71–90.

• Salama, A. M., Remali, A. M., & MacLean, L. A. (2017). "Characterisation and Systematic Assessment of Urban Open Spaces in Glasgow City Centre." Spatium, 37, 22–33. https://doi.org/10.2298/SPAT1737022S

• Salama, A. M., Remali, A. M., & MacLean, L. A. (2017). "Deciphering Urban Life: A Multi-layered Investigation of St. Enoch Square, Glasgow City Centre." Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, 11(2), 137–156.

5. Wider Global Contexts — a section of the platform that engages with efforts undertaken in various contexts and reflects other context-free contributions and regional or global categorisations including the Arab world, Middle East, Islamic world, and North America.

Representative publications:

• Pansare, P., Salama, A. M., & McIntyre, L. (2026). "An Operational Assessment Index for Inclusivity in Urban Public Open Spaces." ABC2: Journal of Architecture, Building, Construction, and Cities, 2026(3), 15–34. https://doi.org/10.66408/abc2.2026.42

• Salama, A. M., & Burton, L. O. (2023). "Pedagogical Traditions in Architecture: The Canonical, the Resistant, and the Decolonized." Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review, 35(1), 47–71.

• Harriss, H., Salama, A. M., & Gonzales Lara, A. (Eds.). (2022/2023). The Routledge Companion to Architectural Pedagogies of the Global South. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003018841

• Salama, A. M., & El-Ashmouni, M. M. (2020/2024). Architectural Excellence in Islamic Societies: Distinction through the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351057493

• Salama, A. M. (2019). "Integrationist Triadic Agendas for City Research: Cases from Recent Urban Studies." Journal of Architecture and Urbanism, 43(2), 148–157. https://doi.org/10.3846/jau.2019.11220

• Salama, A. M. (2019). "Architectural Education of the Muslim World within a Global World." International Journal of Islamic Architecture, 8(1), 33–41. https://doi.org/10.1386/ijia.8.1.33_1

RESEARCH METHODS

Research adopts several lines of inquiry and engages with ethnographic methods, environmental psychology approaches, social science research tools, while implementing mechanisms for the trans-disciplinary co-production of knowledge. Since the key interest is to examine the reciprocal impacts of people and built environments, a spectrum of tools is employed for effective systematic examination of people–environment relationships. Tools utilised in previous projects range from applying spatial analysis tools such as space syntax to various environment–behaviour techniques including behavioural mapping, cognitive mapping, auto-photography, structured walking tours' assessment techniques, systematic observations and contemplating settings, focused interviews, and various group interaction mechanisms including charrettes, evidence-based assessment workshops, stakeholder meetings, and focus group discussions. More recently, the YouWalk-UOS mobile application has been developed as a technology-enabled co-assessment tool for urban open spaces, demonstrating how digital innovation can extend and augment traditional environment–behaviour methods. Approaches and tools are appropriated and adapted to match the nature of investigation, contextual parameters, and correspond with the crux of the issues under investigation.

The following articles demonstrate some of the insights and approaches adopted in the research:

• Salama, A. M., & Holgate, P. (2025). "Where Critical Inquiry, Empirical Making, and Experiential Learning Shape Architectural Pedagogy." Encyclopaedia, 5(3), 129. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia5030129

• Patil, M. P., Salama, A. M., Arnfield, J., & Alvanides, S. (2024). "YouWalk-YouReclaim: A Co-Assessment Approach for Active University Campus Environments." Smart and Sustainable Built Environment. https://doi.org/10.1108/SASBE-06-2024-0228

• Salama, A. M., & Patil, M. P. (2024). "A Mobile Application Tool for Co-assessing Urban Open Spaces – A Test Case of the Grey's Monument, Newcastle, UK." Journal of Urban Design. https://doi.org/10.1080/13574809.2024.2363818

• Salama, A. M., & Patil, M. P. (2024). "Unpacking Transdisciplinary Research Scenarios in Architecture & Urbanism." Encyclopaedia, 4(1), 352–378. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia4010025

• Salama, A. M., & Patil, M. P. (2024). "YouWalk-UOS – Technology-Enabled and User-Centred Assessment of Urban Open Spaces." Open House International. https://doi.org/10.1108/OHI-01-2024-0021

• Salama, A. M. (2019). "Methodological Research in Architecture and Allied Disciplines: Philosophical Positions, Frames of Reference, and Spheres of Inquiry." Archnet-IJAR, 13(1), 8–24. https://doi.org/10.1108/ARCH-01-2019-0012

• Salama, A. M. (2019). "Understanding Built Environment Realities: Between Conceptual Frameworks and Experimental Fieldworks." Archnet-IJAR, 13(2), 238–243. https://doi.org/10.1108/ARCH-06-2019-0142