The Impact of Laws and Regulations on the Built Environment in Palestine (A Case Study of Residential Buildings in Nablus City)

The study discusses the impact of laws and regulations on the physical environment of the city in Palestine in general and their impact on residential buildings in the city of Nablus in particular. It highlights the positive and negative aspects of these laws and regulations. Also, it tries to develop a comprehensive concept about these effects and how to deal with the negative aspects on one hand, and promoting the positive aspects on the other. The study followed the historical method in the development of laws and regulations and their different effects during the successive periods in Palestine, until the current period. The organization of these laws and regulations, their construction and operating mechanisms and actors and their mutual relations were studied. It was also followed a descriptive approach and an analytical method through a field study of Mraij neighborhood in the city of Nablus, which included analysis of positive and negative impacts of the regulations and building codes on the residential buildings in this neighborhood. The results of the study indicated the extent of the significant impact of laws and regulations on the physical environment in Palestine, less an amendment to these regulations and laws do reflect significantly on the physical environment. The results also showed that the Palestinian urban environment is still affected by the old regulations and laws that have been developed during different previous periods and those interim laws and regulations that have been developed recently. The study recommended the necessity to deal with residential neighborhoods, each according to its location and the surrounding urban context, and trying to develop the relevant laws and regulations. In addition, the study stressed the importance of not dealing only with the residential buildings in terms of numbers and proportions (such as height, setbacks, the building ratio), but also the necessity of taking into consideration aspects of urban planning and aesthetic and environmental factors.