(Methodology) The study investigates the relationship between the Souq Waqif's settlement and users' levels of social interactions. Purpose) The aim of this paper is to examine how and the extent to which the urban form of the heritage site of the Souq Waqif in Doha (1) encourages the formation of enhanced levels of social and community engagement (i.e., social life) and (2) can be further implemented in order to enhance social interactions. Using such a QAD, urban professionals can quantify the effectiveness and efficiency of public spaces’ environmental and physical qualities in promoting social interactions and sociability.

Also, the research found that the sub-criteria ‘Physical/visual connection or openness to adjacent spaces’ ( Wn Sc.4.1 = 1.00), ‘Users of diverse ages’ and ‘Community gathering third places’ ( Wn = 0.750) have received the highest weights.

The research found that Inclusiveness ( Wn C1 = 4.38) and Pleasurability ( Wn C2 = 3.88) have received the highest weights. The QAD constitutes five criteria (C1 – Inclusiveness, C2 – Desirable activities, C3 – Comfort, C4 – Safety, C5 – Pleasurability), and forty-two (42) embedded sub-criteria. To achieve the aim, this research has conducted a systematic literature review applying the content analysis to explore the principles and indicators influencing and enhancing social interactions in multi-functional public space design and then performed a normalization analysis to measure the weight of each indicator. The lack of a quality assessment directory (QAD) for evaluating multi-functional public spaces motivated us to address it. Also, contextualization and definition of public spaces necessitate an evaluation of their quality. Thus, any factors influencing users’ social/public life impact the quality of public spaces. The contemporary needs of users have retrofitted or replaced the controversial public spaces such as streets, depriving the prime function of sustaining and facilitating social life. The social-spatial complexity of public spaces can be explored through the relationship between built forms and users’ daily social activities. Public spaces facilitate opportunities for social interaction and promote social life. © 2016 Archnet-IJAR, International Journal of Architectural Research. Data obtained from visual material and interviews with participants was analyzed in order to reveal how the spatial form of Italian transnational houses enhanced social capital.

In order to provide an answer to the main question, the system of social activities performed within the domestic setting was investigated. It is argued that the spatial form of houses built by Italian migrants in post WWII Brisbane was conceptualized as means of re-establishing and enhancing social activities and/or interactions, and therefore contributed to the formation and enhancement of social capital. The specific objective of this paper is to explore how the spatial form of Italian transnational houses in Australia contributed to the formation of social capital. Namely, regardless of the interest to this relationship, direct assessment of the extent to which the spatial form of transnational houses contributes to the formation and enhancement of social capital in a host built environment is still rare in the field. Scholars also stress that in the past the study of the relationship between houses' spatial form and social capital has focused on physical spatial environments at macro scale, neglecting the investigation of micro-scale housing. The literature reveals that culture, as a way of life, is a factor determining the house's spatial form, which, in turn, can contribute to the construction and/or enhancement of social capital.

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