Figure 30 New elevations after the new open spaces

Figure 30 New elevations after the new open spaces

The following are the suggested new land-use of the Conservation Plan: The total number of plots used for housing: 55 plots. The total number of plots used for commercial activities/crafts: 30 plots. The total number of plots used for social facilities: 18 plots.

The total number of plots used as new open spaces: 31 plots.

It is also clear that the new open spaces will have new facades overlooking them. Originally these facades were not meant to be exposed, therefore a project for intervening on these facades should be prepared on a case-by-case basis.

Further discussion is needed with the local inhabitants and concerned stakeholders concerning the outcomes and suggested interventions. The local inhabitants should have a say in the suggested land-use, especially when it comes to the services needed in al-Khalifa Street Area and the permeability of the urban fabric. Local NGOs can play an important role in the involvement of the inhabitants, the dissemination of the project outcomes and the implementation of parts of the suggested Conservation Plan.

The Ministry of Antiquities can provide vital support to the suggested Conservation Plan, especially concerning the conservation of monuments and the adaptive reuse of these monuments and their buffer zones. It is essential that Cairo Governorate adopt the Conservation Plan since it is responsible for the day-to-day activities within al-Khalifa Street Area, including building permits (building, rehabilitation, demolish and reconstruction), open spaces (paving and planting) and waste collection. With the support of the other governmental stakeholders (Ministry of Housing, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Endowments, NOUH and other governmental agencies)22, this conservation plan could be a tool in the safeguarding of al-Khalifa Street Area.

Local and international donors can play an important role in the implementation of this Conservation Plan if approached appropriately. The involvement of stakeholders, inhabitants and NGO’s usually is an indication for donors that there is an interest in the upgrading of the urban fabric. A comprehensive conservation plan is another indication that a bigger picture is clear and is in progress. To this end, the current project is preparing a number of project packages that could be of interest to different donors23 .

22 Please see the Management Plan part in this report for further information. 23 Please see the section on Project Packages in this report.

5. Training and Dissemination Workshop Concerning the Conservation Plan24 .

a) Introduction

The workshop was held for three days, from the 1st to the 3rd of February, within the framework of the CPHC in collaboration with IMPAQT25 . The total number of participants were 50. The participants were students from Egyptian universities26 , part of the IMPAQT programme, as well as participants from an open call. The workshop was mainly focusing on the open spaces of the three main components of the CPHC Project:

1. Zaynhum: Public housing district of Zaynhum. 2. Al-Hattaba: Historical area that is classified as a category 2 informal area. 3. Al-Khalifa: Historical and residential area.

Concerning al-Khalifa Street Area, the workshop focused on the study of critical spots of open spaces and empty/dilapidated plots mentioned above in the Conservation Plan, with the aim of developing innovative design solutions. This comes as an essential step in the development of the Conservation Plan and the Management Plan for al-Khalifa Street Area. The number of participants who worked on al-Khalifa open spaces were 13 of multidisciplinary background (students and professionals) and five were CPHC project members.

b) Objectives

This workshop was considered a further development of the proposed Conservation Plan and Management Plan of al-Khalifa Street Area by addressing the following objectives: o Visiting the concentration of empty plots, makeshift structures, partial and total ruin buildings. o Studying the urban fabric and its permeability. o Improving the permeability of the urban fabric. o Developing proposals for a selection of open spaces and their surrounding buildings. o Implementing one proposal from the workshop outcome.

Three critical spots were selected as case studies addressing: i- interventions on dilapidated building plots; ii- open spaces connected to a monument; iii- open spaces used by inhabitants. The participants were divided into three working groups, with one spot assigned to each group. The methodology to work on the spots included the following:

24 See Annex I: Summary of the training workshop and the participants’ outcomes. 25 This 3-year project funded by the European Commission aims to breed architects capable of initiating a paradigm shift in Egyptian architecture practice. A consortium of highly esteemed partners in their fields of specialization, from Europe and Egypt, come together to realize this vision. 26 Alexandria University, Suez Canal University, and Nile University.

• Analyse available information and identify information to be collected for each typology. • Field visit to the three proposed areas to collect the required information. • Work on the proposed designs to utilise the spaces and introduce required activities. • Present the final outputs. • Choose the most appropriate proposal for implementation.

Following the workshop, further steps were prepared: • Calculate the budget required to implement the proposal. • Implement the proposal in partnership with the inhabitants. • Follow up on the open space after implementation with regards to state of conservation, management, maintenance and frequency of users.

c) Pilot Project: Development of Yarim Agha Open Space

Following the workshop, the open space of Yarim Agha was selected as a pilot project to test the proposed interventions. The area is an exceptional example of community involvement and intervention to elevate the surrounding urban spaces.

The proposal to develop the open space included a series of interventions that were divided into three phases. The first phase was implemented, while the other two will be prepared in close consultation with the inhabitants. - Phase I: includes building works, plastering and painting of the flower beds, and plastering and painting for one of the walls overlooking the square (wall of the barn), in addition to planting. - Phase II: includes a graffiti design inspired by the heritage of al-Khalifa Street Area, suggesting new uses for identified areas of the square and installation of lighting units in the open space. - Phase III: implementing the graffiti, installing a seating area and implementing the suggested uses to the square.

Interventions to upgrade and develop the open spaces began on February 10th and continued for a week until February 16th. The following works were implemented: - Building and plastering works for some flower beds. - Cleaning and planting. - Plastering and painting the wall of a building overlooking the open space. - Initial cleaning works for the open space floor.