Sidi Bou Sa'id, Tunisia

This book, profusely illustrated with original drawings and photographs, is an important case study of traditional towns and their processes of urbanization. Professor Besim Hakim undertook a landmark analysis of the village of Sidi Bou Sa'id located on the Mediterranean in northern Tunisia, working with a team of talented students. He notes that their findings echo recent scientific developments in the theory of complexity and the processes of emergence -- phenomena that can be observed and studied all around us in nature, and in social systems and urbanization processes. The case study demonstrates how a small village is in fact an outcome of similar processes, resulting in a well-ordered, high-quality built environment. This book offers important lessons for contemporary and future processes of building and urbanism.