WHAT IS AGORA

BACKGROUND:

Ancient Greeks followed the human scale in building their Cities; their cities were consistent with the size and proportions of the human being, which is one of the significant factors of the Greek culture and civilization. The lack of landscape planning in the ancient Greek cities meant defense against the enemy. Aristotle encouraged planning a part of the city and leaving the other part randomly planned to meet art and beauty with security and safety.

"Agora" in Greek literally means "a place of gathering"; a place where people can meet and express themselves. From here, the technique of "Urban Open Spaces" in Urban Planning was developed. Urban Open Spaces are one of the basic components of the architecture of any city; it is the pot that accommodates public events of a large population, where people express their opinions and engage in activities, ceremonies and rituals. Historical traces show us the importance of the Public Spaces, its role in developing past civilizations, and its impact on the people's sense of belonging, the collective freedom of expression, thus, shaping the societies. 

From the "AGORA" in the Greek cities through the "SPACE" in the Islamic cities and finally to the "SQUARE" in modern cities, we can easily monitor the important role of public spaces which gives the opportunity to the people to express themselves and verify the concept of Place Democracy that tightens the sense of belonging and efficiently links between the members of the community.

For this reason, and for the reason that the AGORA of Alexandria played a core role in shaping the current identity of the City, I chose the title AGORA Arts and Culture for an organization with the endeavor of reviving the concept of the real Agora as a gathering place and a venue for "Self-expression" through Arts Practice.