Urban Communities as Alternative to Slums: A Case Study of Egypt's Asmarat

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Al Asmarat area, part of the the social housing project in Mokattam - Cairo, Egypt, June 2022 (c) Shutterstock

Summary

Egypt is one of the most prominent countries that are facing serious housing and informal settlements issues. The state has, at different times, developed many policies and development programs to deal with these issues. During the last decade, Egypt has witnessed a new development in addressing the issue of informal settlements: the establishment of new urban communities as alternative areas for rehousing those living in slums. This paper analyzes the Asmarat area as the most prominent governmental project in this regard, asking the following questions: To what extent do resettlement areas meet the basic needs of the population? Does the Asmarat project achieve economic, social, and cultural sustainability as a suitable housing project?

The paper reviewed the Asmarat general plan in terms of the density of residential units, the road network, the distribution of commercial activities, green areas, and open spaces. The paper presents the geographical location of the study area, which is the Mokattam neighborhood in Cairo Governorate, and it reviews the general plan and the footprint for the area to be built; the three phases of the project; and the financial cost, which exceeded 3.35 billion Egyptian pounds (about US$69.8 million), according to what was announced on official websites.

The paper uses the framework of economic, social and cultural rights as an indicator to assess the area. The first indicator assesses the methods of legal security of tenure. All legal safeguards that protect residents from forced eviction should be in place. The second indicator measures access to natural resources, safe drinking water, energy for cooking, heating and lighting, sanitation, waste disposal, drainage, and access to emergency services. The third indicator assesses the adequacy and affordability of housing costs in relation to personal income and the cost of daily living for individuals and families. The fourth indicator assesses the suitability of housing for family size in terms of space and protection from cold, humidity, heat, and the spread of infections. The fifth indicator assesses access to adequate housing for all those affected by the removal of their homes, and the need for alternative housing. The sixth indicator assesses the suitability of the housing location in terms of the availability of employment opportunities, access to basic and health services, access to health care and education services, and access to social services. The seventh indicator assesses the expression of the housing’s cultural and social identity, and the adaptation of the exterior and interior design and landscaping to this end.

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Introduction

Egypt has historically faced serious challenges in the form of housing crises, resulting in the proliferation of informal housing areas. Government policies in the 1960s and 1970s were instrumental in creating a gap between supply and demand in the housing market, leading to an increase in the size of informal settlements. This rise continued at an accelerated rate – with the succession of Egyptian governments and the increase in internal and external migration during the second half of the last century – until informal areas became an integral part of the Egyptian reality. In the new millennium, they were even used as a tool to serve the political interests of governments.

In the last decade, Egypt has witnessed a major development in addressing informal settlements. This development comes in the context of the Cairo 2050 Plan, which was prepared in 2008 by the General Authority for Urban Planning. This project aims to eliminate informal areas in Cairo. The Egyptian government began addressing the problems with these areas in an order determined by the Slum Development Fund’s categorization of unsafe areas into four categories according to their degree of severity.

In light of the Egyptian government’s treatment of informal areas and their inhabitants, this paper seeks to evaluate the state’s general policies for establishing new urban communities as areas for rehousing residents in unplanned and replanned areas. The Asmarat area in the Mokattam neighborhood was chosen for the study; it is one of the government’s most prominent urban development projects launched in the last decade to provide alternative housing for relocated residents from a number of informal areas selected by the government for demolition. Asmarat is a new area and has not been the subject of academic studies, except for a few published urban research papers.

At the beginning of the research process, the paper poses a key question: To what extent do alternative urban settlements meet the basic needs of the population? Does the Asmarat project achieve economic, social, and cultural sustainability as an appropriate housing project?

This paper analyzes Asmarat as a suitable residential area within the framework of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the Unified Building Law and its executive regulations for unplanned areas and replanning areas, and Law No. 10 of 1990 on expropriation.

The views represented in this paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Arab Reform Initiative, its staff, or its board.