Achieving Sustainable Urban Development Priorities (Asud) - Egypt

The ASUD Project in Egypt tries to tackle the multi-dimensional context of urban planning and management and the challenges faced in the implementation of Strategic Urban Plans. The problem of the increasing share of sub-standard, informally developed areas in the cities and towns of Egypt cannot be resolved without reframing informal development to deliver sufficient spatial standard as well as explore unconventional urban development mechanisms in new cities developed on desert land in order to safeguard the valuable agricultural land. The realities necessitate finding the ways of making sure that the informal development is channeled to provide acceptable spatial standards and services by introducing other means, than legislation unsupported by effective enforcement, or planning that is never implemented, or providing alternatives in locations that are not economically viable for target population groups by development that is not affordable to them. <?xml:namespace>

The main objective of the project is to ensure that the rapid urbanization process is achieved in a controlled and sustainable manner, and that the expected socio-economic benefits deriving from this process translate into an equitable and efficient urban settlement pattern. By redefining the informal development pattern and exploring sustainable results for new city developments in relation to existing urban areas ASUD may contribute to sustainable urbanization in Egypt through well-conceived and appropriately placed action on the ground, complementing and coordinating efforts with the other development partners in the urban sector. Hereby, the project aims to introduce innovative concepts and tools in order to explore processes and methodologies for enhanced and more sustainable urban practices. It targets on-the-job learning, institutional capacity building, knowledge services and transfer as well as the drawing of national policy recommendations based on lessons learnt and best practice during the implementation of two pilot interventions, both focusing on city extension. Moreover, the project will support national and local stakeholders in developing appropriate methodologies for the two types of city expansions currently being applied in the Egyptian context:

Pilot Intervention 1:

Development and implementation of a city extension area, preparation of a Detailed Neighborhood Plan and Action Plan for implementation in a secondary city. The pilot intervention will be located in a city that have been supported by previous or ongoing UN-Habitat projects (i.e. Strategic Urban Plan for Small Cities in Egypt (SUPSCE) Project) and will take into consideration the protection of valuable agricultural land and the revitalization/ densification of the respective inner city area. By applying the Participatory and inclusive Land Readjustment (PiLAR) methodology, the outcome of the project will provide a well-planned city extension within the urban boundaries of the city that have been defined in the approved Strategic Urban Plan. It will consider the issue of public spaces and a well laid out street network. In addition to that, the project aims to implement vital infrastructure and basic urban services in the respective area by employing Community Contracting mechanisms.

Pilot Intervention 2:

Guidance and technical support in the preparation of a Strategic Urban Plan for the development of a new city in the proximity of an existing city. In the past two years, the Government of Egypt developed a National Spatial Plan which outlines the priorities for urban development in the upcoming 10 to 15 years. Here, the Suez Canal Region was highlighted as a key development area which by 2052 shall develop into an international industrial hub. The three major urban centers are Ismailia, Port Said (2nd largest port city in the Mediterranean area) and Suez that currently accommodate 1.5 million inhabitants. The eastern extension of the three main cities is envisioned to accommodate 6.5 million inhabitants while contributing to socio-economic welfare of Egypt as a whole. The creation of job opportunities in the sector is considered vital for realizing this development vision. ASUD will support the planning of Eastern Port Said as a new city development on desert land made available by the Government of Egypt and while promoting good urban planning and governance practice, a model for all new city expansions in the country will be elaborated. It will follow the concept of “Green Cities” and bring about new innovative ideas for city expansions towards sensible city density in relation to infrastructure systems as well as promote high water and energy efficiency.