Enhancing Sustainable Land-Use Management through Social Responsiveness and Space Syntax in New Damietta City, Egypt

Cities are shaped not only by formal planning decisions, but also by the spontaneous spatial practices of residents. This study develops a socially responsive approach to Sustainable Land Use Management (SLM) in New Damietta City, Egypt, using a three-layer methodology: comparative land-use map analysis, Space Syntax axial analysis at local integration R = 3 with sensitivity testing at R = 500 m, and a dual-track empirical layer combining systematic field observations with a questionnaire survey of 137 active recreational users. Results reveal discrepancies between the 1980 master plan and current land-use patterns, particularly along Al-Mwazy Street, where a planned green buffer has transformed into an active recreational corridor. Six of seven streets showed exploratory ordinal consistency between Space Syntax predictions and observed movement. A walkability paradox was identified whereby 88.3% perceived streets as walkable, yet 76.6% relied on private cars for recreational trips. The study proposes a three-pillar SLM framework comprising continuous social monitoring, flexible zoning instruments, and community co-production, with direct implications for Egypt’s National Urban Policy 2023.