Purpose – This presentation deals with the relationship between identity and physical aspects of the urban and public places. The importance of the urban and public spaces in the communication of identity might be seen as one aspect of the broad area of research into the meaning of the urban space and its relationship to the physical form in Algiers. Typically, the urban and public spaces symbolize accepted notions of the appropriate function of the plaza and preferred public relations, such notions are in themselves profoundly important in structuring gender relations. Design/methodology/approach – The approach is based on two methodologies: • Deductive: a theoretical investigation based on the properties of the city structure, definitions, principles of design, and the dilemma of achieving modernization is as much cultural as technical. This combines information from literature reviews and the ideas of key figures in the urban development field and the place-identity, social identity and identity process as theories for cultural models of the city. • Inductive: a study of Algiers as example of historical settlements that have undergone much change processes. The study looks to elicit the images of the city main structure to support the theoretical propositions of surface and deep structural city elements. The conclusion to this part is based on an analysis of the case study. Originality/value – The city of today differs from its past in several respects: size and scale, street layout, land use patterns, architectural style and type of housing. Traditional urban form and building which would have provided information about regional and national identity have been largely replaced by forms characterizing the international and universal buildings and spaces. These changes have altered the city’s form and have given rise to questions about the impact of these changes on the image of the city in terms of size and cultural values. So the concept of urban space becomes a determinant of the ability of planners, architects, engineers and administrators to provide an environment which is adequately structured to avoid chaos and to maintain an acceptable quality of life. Practical implications – How people experience places, what constitutes a place and how identity is formed.