The perception of Mediterranean cities through walking. The Landscape of Béjaïa in Algeria and Loulé in Portugal

Walking is the simplest and most effective way to perceive the landscape. It is a way to stop and think about the values we recognize in the surrounding spaces. Walking is considered both a practice and a phenomenon, a dynamic that is happening here and now and that shapes the city landscapes of Béjaïa in Algeria and Loulé in Portugal while we experience them. In the article, two case studies are shown to present the act of walking as a relevant way to understand Mediterranean cities, especially those landscapes. The result involves reasoning through walking journals that help us to reconsider the importance of landscape values, including genius loci, architecture, culture, colors, rhythm, and more. The reading of a landscape leads to different levels with both scientific and humanistic approaches. As a living structure, the landscape is constantly evolving; therefore, its analysis must also consider the dynamic elements of the landscape. The text discusses the importance of maintaining a walking journal as a research method in the two case studies. A popular tool among academics worldwide, particularly those who use qualitative approaches, the walking diary enables the documentation of characteristics seen when exploring areas, both inside and outside of cities. In this research, special attention is given to sketching and drawing as methods of recording perceptions and making sense of the landscape as a whole. Artistic sensitivity is something extra, sometimes unnecessary, but it can make a difference in contemporary design that is increasingly conscious, researched, but also open and communicative. The article aims, therefore, to show the results of that practice of analysis through a sensory exploration of two different Mediterranean cities by walking.