The Role of Outdoor Spaces of Archaeological and Heritage Sites in Designing Successful Places

Current policies for the preservation of historic buildings (archaeological or heritage sites) constitute a challenge for local governments in Jordan. Although the main goal of preservation is to build a connection between people and sites, people have lost their connection with historic sites due to current preservation strategies. The present study is the first to investigate how and to what extent outdoor spaces can be used to increase place attachment to heritage buildings for people in Jordan. It evaluates the applicability of using outdoor spaces as a new method for connecting people with historic buildings in Jordan. This will be achieved firstly by determining which aspects of attachment to heritage buildings are being evaluated and which characteristics of outdoor spaces are being investigated to promote that connection. To achieve this goal, this paper adopts a mixed-method approach. The first method is a questionnaire survey using 344 participants for quantitative analysis. The second is observation of human behavior using ArcMap 10.8.1 and Revit 2022 software tools for qualitative analysis. This study concludes with a framework for developing or designing successful outdoor areas around historic buildings. It provides a set of recommendations that lead to a better connection between people and heritage sites, better protection of the sites, and more visitors. It revealed how the presence of outdoor areas surrounding heritage sites including their features and services can improve people?s sense of place through increasing community participation in celebrations and important events in these outdoor heritage areas. Additionally, it explored the challenges these spaces are facing that limit their use, such as shade areas and additional space for big events. Therefore, this paper contributes a plan for developing existing outdoor areas surrounding heritage sites. The findings allow decision-makers to develop or design outdoor spaces around historic buildings to create successful places by increasing their effectiveness and reviving their role in preserving historic buildings.