Dynamics of urban green space in an arid city : the case of Cairo, Egypt

• Main Author: Kafafy, Nezar Atta-Allah
• Published: Cardiff University 2010
• Subjects: 307.760962
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.584897

Green spaces are the lungs of any city. Egyptian cities are historically characterized by high densities and compacted urban forms, developed through cultural, religious and climatic factors. In such arid contexts, the golden thread weaving sustainability concepts together is 'greening'. The sustainability challenge facing such cities is finding new and more appropriate ways of greening high density, compact and diverse urban environments. The main aim of this thesis is analysing the dynamics of green space, by studying both the demand and supply of green spaces in Cairo, a city suffering from bad and worsening health. Addressing the problem requires a sophisticated and realistic analysis of the dynamics of open space provision and consumption. The thesis adopts a mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods and approaches to collecting and analysing data in order to achieve a deep understanding of the reasons behind the city's green space performance problems. The aim is to give a scientific diagnosis of the city's problems as a basis for further attempts to solve and tackle the problems. The idea for the research reported in this thesis starts from the observations that (a) The amount of green space in Cairo, capital of Egypt, is diminishing through urban encroachment of agricultural land; (b) Recreational green space has historically been provided at a very low level compared to other cities globally and in the region; (c) Much of the green space that is provided - by municipal government or private entrepreneurs - is provided as a club good, enclosed and charged for either by membership fee or entry toll. These observations provide both encouragement and challenge to policy makers aiming to make Cairo more sustainable. The analysis is broadly structured to understand both the supply of and the demand for green space in Cairo. Chapter Six focuses on the mechanisms of supply that have emerged at different times in the city's history. Chapters Seven and Eight explore residents' demands and requirements based on a systematic multi-stage cluster survey of the entire city, stratified for different green space supply institutional and morphological types. In a city like Cairo, where natural resources are very scarce and opportunities for spending on green infrastructure are very rare, it is pivotal for any new developments to be based on a clear understanding of the situation in the city. This thesis tries to draw the clearest picture yet achieved of urban green space provision in Cairo. It is offered to policy makers, planners, entrepreneurs and investors to help enrich the lives of the future generations of this great and ancient city.