01521nas a2200301   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002653002300043653002000066653001100086653002300097653001000120653000800130653001100138653001300149653001500162653002200177653001700199653001800216653001700234100001700251245008400268856015300352300001200505490000700517520067500524022002001199                                       d10aAlexandria [Egypt]10aAthens [Attica]10aAttica10aCosmic urban forms10aEgypt10aGIS10aGreece10aheritage10aPalimpsest10acultural heritage10aPublic space10atown planning10aurban design1 aLuna Khirfan00aTraces on the palimpsest: Heritage and the urban forms of Athens and Alexandria  uhttps://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-77955556508&doi=10.1016%2fj.cities.2010.03.009&partnerID=40&md5=e14e1c5e34e1a8ed5900259c18b6d80a  a315-3250 v273 aThis paper compares four layers of the urban form of Athens in Greece and Alexandria in Egypt and uses the palimpsest analogy and a methodology that combines town plan analysis and GIS to investigate the interactions between the symbolic significance of heritage, urban form, and the distinctive spirit of place The analyses reveal that the spirit of place remains constant as the urban form is reshaped They also reveal that reinterpretations of the symbolic significance of tangible and intangible heritage, combined with innovative designs and urban rituals, transform the emerging urban form into a contemporary cosmic one. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved  a02642751 (ISSN)