Abstracts of MSc Theses_ 2013-2015

Š IUSD Master's Program, 2015 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Integrated Urbanism and Sustainable Design- MSc Abstracts (2013-2015) All rights reserved Compiled by: Eng. Doaa Imam Eng. Nada Hossam Disclaimer The content of this IUSD publication issue is a compilation of the Theses abstracts for the Masters of Integrated Urbanism and Sustainable Design defended from 2013 till 2015. IUSD is a double degree master program jointly organized by Ain Shams University and University of Stuttgart.

Ain Shams University Egypt

The IUSD MSc is supported by:

University of Stuttgart Germany

Forward This issue of the Integrated Urbanism and Sustainable Design (IUSD) MSc Theses Abstracts features the Master’s theses defended between 2013 and 2015. IUSD MSc is a 2 year double-degree Master's program jointly organized by Ain Shams University, Egypt and University of Stuttgart, Germany. The program aims to train and prepare a new generation of urban practitioners to face the tremendous environmental, cultural, socioeconomic and governance challenges resulting from the dynamic urban transformation around the globe. It is open to graduates and young professionals from the fields of architecture, urban planning, landscape architecture and regional planning as well as to graduates with other Bachelor degrees and with relevant professional experience.

During their final semester in the program at Ain Shams Univeristy, students are requested to conduct a MSc thesis research over the course of six In their MSc theses, IUSD students demonstrate their ability to define and carry out a relevant and suitable research task in a complex urban setting in or in relation to the MENA region. Students are expected to demonstrate their ability in developing an argument and carry it out and to demonstrate that they command the skills and tools that they have acquired during their study.

Topics of the theses are interdisciplinary, and students choose their research topics which fits into the wide interest and scope of IUSD. The MSc theses in this volume are categorized under six main themes: Urban governance and Civic Engagement Cities, Environment and Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Sustainable Construction and Energy Efficient Building Design Politics and Urbanism Development of Peripheral Settlements We hope that this issue of the IUSD MSc Abstract compilation provides readers with an overview of topics researched in IUSD MSc program. We believe that it will be of good benefit to other researches and scholars across the globe, dealing with topics within the same theme. We also consider this publication a good catalyst to initiate scientific discussions and further research related to its themes.

IUSD Team, October 2015

Theme 1: Urban Governance and Civic Engagement

Urban Governance and Civic Engagement Theme

Integrating Local Ethnic Groups in the Process of the Regional Planning: The Case of the Nubian Village of Kostol-Komombo, Egypt by Ahmed Osama Abd Elhamid Bakry supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Prof. Dr. Astrid Ley, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yehya Mohamed Serag (2015)

When dealing with the Nubia region, a set of complex issues is intermingled.

Migrations and forced displacements took place in the community at several successive times for different reasons, yet mainly for water control, building dams and reservoirs. These government-forced migrations had great implications on the community affecting their identity, the spatial structures of their villages, and thus the future of Nubian urbanism. We focus on the migration of 1964 which had the most massive implication on Nubians who left their villages to be submerged under the Nile water of Lake Nasser as a consequence of constructing the High Dam. 39 Egyptian Nubian villages were relocated to a new city. Nubians suffered much due to the relocation process, feeling wronged, politically marginalised. Nubians were not compensated for properly, their land, or houses and palms. Since the problems commenced, many Nubians have returned to their own lands.

The research focuses on understanding the socio-cultural consequences for Nubians between the displacement and re-displacement. The re- search tackles and investigates the return process for the Nubians by the Nasser Lake and its feasibility, and how their aspirations and needs can be considered in the regional plans. Following the study, better planning decisions might be made in the future. The research consists of empirical field studies on Kostol village as a prototypical Nubian example. The thesis is constructed with three complementary parts and set of chapters, each tackles a certain issue which leads to understanding, until it reaches final conclusions and recommendations. The research lies between two levels; the local and the regional. This addresses regional planning from a new local perspective, and integrates the ethnic groups in the process. â—?

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The Urban Poor within the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Agenda: (The Cairo Urban Deprivation Index as an Alternative Operationalization) by Charlotte Watermann supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Prof. Dr. Astrid Ley, Prof. Dr. Heba El Leithy (2015) This thesis claims that the emerging problem of urban poverty has been underrepresented in scientific research and by international organisations.

The current debate on Sustain- able Development Goals does not consider the increasing urbanisation of poverty. This work follows the call of urban scholars such as David Satterthwaite (2014) for a local operationalisation of the Sustainable Development Goals Agenda and suggests an approach that emphasizes the situation of the urban poor. This is done by building on the capability approach of Amartya Sen (1999) and by using a local scale to develop a multidimensional urban deprivation index. The work uses the case of Cairo to operationalize parts of the suggested Agenda. Finally it shows that the alternative urban dep- rivation index is more adequate in capturing the situation of the urban poor in Cairo. ●

Processes behind Regional Planning in Lebanon’s Hinterland: The Case of the Union of Municipalities of Jezzine and the Union of Municipalities of Tyr by Balsam Madi supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Prof. Dr. Astrid Ley (2015) Lebanon has been described as a merchant economy where “communitarianism and market- friendly policies are embedded in the heart of social and political institutions and the economic system”. Considering this socio-political context the research questions presented in order to gain an understanding of Lebanon’s alternative governance and its implications on the alternative urbanism are: (1) What tools can be used to understand Lebanon’s alternative governance and urbanism in its macro and micro levels? (2) How can these tools help reach a standardisation of what appears to be ad-hoc development? (3) Where do these tools fall in today’s bottom-

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up approaches to developing complex territorial contexts? (4) How is Lebanon’s alternative urbanism best identified by two case of regional planning in South Lebanon’s hinterland? (5) If the planning processes of territories are depicted and analysed through a narrative tool could this allow for the adoption of more suitable responses for the management of development of a territory? By answering these questions this the- sis aims to fulfill the overall aim of informing the responses considered in Lebanon’s future planning policies and practices. Today’s city has been described as “a loose agglomerate of quasi-autonomous socio-spatial entities, each evolving “independently”. This indicates that entities are continuously evolving as they are affected at their different dimensions, political, social and spatial.

Thus the responses in man- aging a territory should take into consideration its dynamic state and emerging actors to avoid fragmentation. Moreover, the series of responses adopted for a particular territory define the planning processes. ●

Rethinking Relocation in the Context of Informal Areas: Critical Analysis of Processes and the Quality of Life: The Case of Istabl Antar (Cairo) by Friederike Thonke, supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Prof. Dr. Astrid Ley, Prof. Dr. Dina K. Shehayeb (2015) Relocations occur worldwide with increasing frequency. However, if they are not planned as complete resettlements, they tend to end up as forced evictions, which are internationally considered as violation of human rights.

One possible reason that can make a relocation in- evitable is a natural disaster, like the one which happened in 2008 in an informal settlement in Cairo, where a rockslide killed more than 110 people. Following that accident, several other areas, located in similar hazardous locations on cliffs, has been classified as unsafe and life threatening. The present thesis investigates the process of relocation, which followed thereafter, by interviewing stakeholders involved, ranging from different governmental institutions to civil society organisations to affected inhabitants. Obstacles faced by all these groups and their partially contradictory aims and intentions were analysed and com- pared. After this step of examining the process before and during the eviction/evacuation, the living situation of IUSD MSc – Abstracts (2013-2015)

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both the already relocated people and the ones still awaiting relocation from the selected case study area, Istabl Antar (district of Old Cairo) was evaluated by per- forming a Quality of Life (QoL) study. The resulting findings revealed among others, an in- sufficient supportive legislative system, scarce material and human resources, a hindering institutional configuration, a distracting compensation system, and an absence of independent monitoring.

According to international guidelines, these factors lead to a classification of the conducted process as forced eviction. The focus was therefore set on the reasons and root causes for these shortcomings and deviations by contextualising and examining them. The QoL study suggested a possible influence of urban planning on the tendency of inhabitants to leave or to stay in the relocation site offered. Based on the analysed shortcomings and deviations initial acupuncture-like interventions are proposed, that could help to bring future conducted evictions and evacuations closer in line with international human right standards, as acknowledged by Egypt. ●

Connecting Urban Policy Making and Implementation: Case of Maspero, Cairo, Egypt by MennatuAllah Mohamed Hendawy supervised by Prof. Dr. Youhansen Eid, Prof. Antje Stokman, Assoc. Prof.

Dr. Marwa Khalifa (2015) If those in power claim to be concerned with sustainable urban development, then why is the urban condition not improving? The missing link between policies at the national level and practices in Egypt, triggered this research.

This research aims to explore the relationship between urban policy making and implementation in order to identify how a connection can be established, taking the case of the deteriorated historical inner city area of Maspero in Cairo.

The research follows a qualitative exploratory approach answering the following sub-questions (1) why is it important to connect urban policy making and implementation? (2) What is the relationship between urban policy making and implementation, and what happens in Egypt and Maspero? And (3) what makes ur- ban policies implementable and sustainable? The research is derived by the notion of ‘beneficial knowledge’ in Islam, a cyclic research methodology is adapted to enhance the credibility 12

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and deliverability of the research findings. This thesis starts with a general review of worldwide literature leading to conceptual framework, and a suggested model to under- stand and analyse roles and relationships in urban policies. Afterwards the Egyptian con- text is studied and the case of Maspero is analyzed. Processes are studied through notions of urban policies, while outcomes are evaluated by witnessing the impact of policies in reality; either development or deterioration. In the end, lessons and recommendations are presented leading back to the research goal.

Maspero presented a controversial case, not only that it mirrors different political agendas over time but also, it reflects the struggle of residents to stay in the area no matter what. The relationship and influence of national and local levels on each other, demonstrated the need to revisit the current processes of development, if Maspero is to be taken as a best practice. ●

“Kafr Wahb” Village as a Case of Social Innovation: Understanding Social Innovation in Rural Community Development in Egypt by Tayseer Khairy supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Prof. Dr. Astrid Ley, Dr. Marwa Abdellatif (2015) As a fact, rural Egypt has been struggling with many challenges varying from social, economic, ecological levels. Traditional approaches of rural community development focuses on only agricultural, as the economic base to enhance living conditions in such areas.

Social innovation as an alternative approach in development attracts many researchers, since by its nature is a multi-disciplinary. – It cuts across many sectors and diverse fields of action. The research aims at identifying social innovation as an alternative approach in rural community development, Identifying its contribution, actors and processes. In addition to its limitations and constraints in both internal and external environment. By using a case study approach, the research investigates the social innovation approach in “Kafr Wahb” - the Egyptian satellite village in Delta Egypt, which was promoted recently as a successful model for self-help development.

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The study suggests that adopting social innovation approach in development of rural areas is crucially needed and provides the potential of sustaining the process of development. Building on social capital and social structure of rural areas enhancing the chances of wide spreading this approach within support of new policies and programmes that embedded social innovation.

However, the study conducted here is for one village proves success of local community and grassroots in developing innovative ways of service provision and generates new ideas of projects in particular yet it remains on a small scale. The research revealed multiple constraints to generalize that’s why its relevant to encourage more exploratory researches on both theoretical and practical analysis for further understanding and for more deep analysis to investigate both possibilities and limitations of scaling up.

To identify how Egypt can take advantage from open and cooperative networks of, active citizens and communities. The research findings recommend that social innovation needed to be developed more in- coherent strategies for more proactively environment where social innovation operates regarding encouraging entrepreneurship programmes and building capacities in non-profit sector. In the meantime, the research also recommends that conducting social innovation contribution in rural areas research is highly needed to develop social innovation interpretations into more practices in real context for further understanding. â—?

Community Based Security of Tenure (Initial Framework for Squatter Areas in Cairo) by Mohammed A. Alfiky, supervised by Prof.

Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Prof. Wolf Reuter, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Marwa A.Khalifa (2014) The aim of this research is to examine the problem of tenure security of land in squatter areas in Cairo (i.e. areas on former desert state land). The percentage of population of Greater Cairo Region (GCR) living in squatter areas is over 50% (Sims et al. 2003). The research is based on literature review for the theory of tenure security and its definition in the UN-habitat discourse and the international law. It also uses interviews with representatives of various Governmental bodies, international agencies, 14

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local activists & lawyers and residents of one of these areas. The research illustrates the problem of tenure security of land in both the International Agreements and the Egyptian Laws besides, the Islamic Shari’a; as the Islamic Shari’a is the main source of legislation according to the Egyptian Constitution.

The research studies three cases in an attempt to secure tenure of residents in similar areas in Turkey and in Egypt. The case study of Turkey (i.e.

Housing Policy in Turkey), is based on literature review. Two cases from Cairo are also studied using field research along with literature review and interviews with various state bodies. The three case studies showed different perspectives when dealing with tenure security problem. Tenure security of land is a combined problem of housing policies, land management and deficiencies of local administration system. The research will provide a brief insight on the problems of local administration and land management in Egypt and how they affect tenure security of land. This in turn serves as an initial framework for dealing with the problem of tenure security of land in Cairo’s squatter areas. ●

Knowledge Sharing in Urban Development: Exploring the Networking Potential of Local Communities in Cairo by Katharina Frieling, supervised by Prof. Dr. Youhansen Yehya Eid, Vertr. Prof. Dr. Nina Gribat, Dr. Marwa Abdellatif (2014) The aim of this research study is to explore the global ‘Knowledge Sharing’ (KS) community in urban development and outline its actors and networks, as well as applied methods and tools for exchange. The concept of KS facilitates mutual sharing between participating entities and offers accessibility for all actors of each size and capability. Moreover, the strong emphasis on face-to-face exchange seeks to enable and capture the explicit and tacit dimension of highly context-specific local knowledge, and distinguishes KS from the universally applied and prevalent concept of ‘Knowledge Transfer’ (KT). KS becomes a collective activity when civic actors hold an active part in their local context and beyond and new interfaces for exchange create a common ground for multiple-way learning.

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The thesis aims to outline a paradigm shift from unidirectional KT to KS and thus highlights the substantiation of local knowledge. A local network in Cairo is examined closely, to identify the application of KS and its flows between participating entities. The context is of specific importance in this study to underline the capacity of civic actors in the field of urban development. In Cairo, governmental activities have failed to address all citizens equally, before and after the 2011 revolution. Consequently the civic actors create awareness and share knowledge in a network that is built up on common goals to represent civil society in a debate for the right to the city and public space. Those actors hold the potential to synthesize knowledge from local communities and make it available for a broader exchange.

However, the urban actors in Cairo would need to incorporate the full concept of KS to increase their impact in the city and beyond, yet they are busy to cope with their vibrant context and lack institutional capacity to prioritize KS. â—?

The Integration of Information Technologies in Urban Heritage Conservation in Egypt A Conceptual Framework for Using the Volunteered Geographic Information Approach as a Platform for Collaboration by Heba Badr, supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed Abdelbaky, Prof. Antje Stokman, Dr. Marwa Abdellatif (2014) The recent demolitions of villas and significant buildings and continuing violations have led to the deterioration of historic districts and erase of unique features of the urban fabric, which reflects the architecture of earlier eras in the history of Egypt. It is clear that the accumulation of urban problems and poor social culture have led to the emergence of this problem; lack of awareness of importance of preserving the urban heritage especially in light of the weakness of the economic situation and frozen rents, since it was identified in the fifties of the last century, in addition to lack of possible alternatives or opportunities to adaptive reuse of these buildings, and improper management of urbanization and particularly historic areas in Egypt.

So, seeking alternative solutions is an urging matter. That could be through 16

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participation among concerned public, and advocacy for the development of methodologies to be efficiently employed for safeguarding such a priceless heritage. As a result, several community-based initiatives have emerged, especially after the revolution of January 2011. Their role is to alert for this continuing loss of heritage, to address these acts of damage, and to seek community support. Most of these initiatives are promoted by young architects and archaeologists who were able to involve others with their initiative; residents or users of these significant areas who are attached due to personal memories or aesthetic value. The widespread of social media, especially after its success in the January revolution, facilitates information dissemination among initiatives which are usually in concern of a specific area. These initiatives usually share pictures and links to articles and try to highlight the changes that negatively affect the buildings which are considered as significant However, the geographic relations among the shared information are still missing; despite the fact that any attempt to develop any urban resolution needs maps to realize the problem distribution and other contextual relations. Accordingly, this study aims to integrate information technologies, especially the volunteered geographic information (VGI) which coined in the mid of the last decade as an influence to the proliferation of information communication technologies (ICT) and easy internet access. The VGI approach was applied in various fields on the international scale, and it started to be used on the national scale in the last few years. Most local applications based on the widespread use of smart phones to provide a certain service. The most famous applications deployed by the local mobile phone companies to provide information about traffic density. This research shows VGI approach with some applied examples in various fields after referring to initiatives efforts. It also aims to put a framework to use of VGI to support the bottom-up participatory approach.

The framework is based on an analytical study of problems that led to the frequent violations to urban heritage as well as an analysis of preliminary information which is collected from small sample of community through two questionnaires in order to explore the acceptability of applying VGI in the field of urban heritage conservation. â—?

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The Shifting Role of Planners with and through Development Aid Cooperations in MENA region context – The Case Study of UNHABITAT in Egypt by Insaf Ben Othmane Hamrouni, supervised by Prof.

Dr. Youhansen Yehia Eid, Prof. Dr.Philipp Misselwitz, Vertr. Prof. Dr. Nina Gribat (2013) The scope of this research is to explore and understand urban planning and the role of International Development Aid Corporations (IDAC), in MENA Regions through the case of Egypt. The main hypothesis of this research stipulates that UN-HABITAT, the United Nations of Human Settlements plays a decisive role in questioning and in shifting the Egyptian planning system towards the strategic planning paradigm and thus contribute to the shift of the Egyptian planner’s role and urban planning practices.

In order to verify the research hypothesis, Literature review, semi-structured interviews, questionnaire and field observations have been conducted to analyse the urban planning system in Egypt, and to identify the role of international organization within. Literature review is exposed in the first chapter. It is highly substantial for this research as it puts the theoretical basics to understand the concerns of different planning paradigms. It includes a parallel comparison between the rational comprehensive planning, identified as the dominant planning paradigm in the Global South and the strategic planning, one of the dominant trends of this decade and highly promoted by UN-HABITAT. It gives an overview on the major debates around planning paradigms shifts, shortcomings and potential threats and limits in exporting Global North planning approaches to the South-Western countries where the context is much more complex. The various roles of the planner are discussed in that chapter by different planning theorists to highlight the diversity of the planner’s role choices and problematize the role of the planner in the context of the Global South. The review of literature helps to have a more contextualised and critical reading of chapter 3. In this part, entitled ‘Efforts in shifting planning paradigm towards strategic planning by IDAC and the Egyptian planner’s role choices’ the complexity and shortcomings of planning in Egypt and the need for a new planning approach are highlighted. Furthermore, the role of international agencies among others in shaping the planning system is addressed. The role of UNHABITAT have been analysed through The strategic urban plans for small 18

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cities projects SUPSCP, a selected sample study to trace the process of paradigm shift in planning in Egypt and to analyse the impact of that shift on planning process, actors and subsequently the Egyptian planner. The research concluded that IDAC play a key role in implementing and supporting strategic planning in Egypt, it has demonstrated that planning in Egypt is in a shifting process however it highlights drawbacks of this New planning approach and cast the light on the necessity of assessment, and evaluation. This study calls Egyptian planners to be aware of the critical urban situation that surrounds them and to the need to redefine their role in this process of change. In closing, the research entails some recommendations, a few of which are about the strategic planning, the appropriate approach to urban planning in Egypt and about professional agenda and education. ●

Paradigms of Development in Cairo: Mobilization patterns of development organizations by Ebtihal Mohamed Zakaria Rashad, supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Prof. Dr. Philipp Misselwitz, Vertr. Prof. Dr. Nina Gribat (2013) The fast pace with which urbanisation increases in Cairo adds to the severity of its urban planning issues. Despite the excessive centralization, lack of transparency, minimal urban planning intervention, communication failures between the various administrative institutions and a doubled population since the 1960s, Cairo does continue to function. Civil society has become increasingly important as an actor in harnessing urbanization and finding solutions to poverty and urban problems, partly an effect of neoliberal reforms over the past decades that have decreased areas of state responsibility in dealing with urbanisations issues and have left more space for private actors and civil society organizations to intervene. Definitions, roles and contexts for civil societies are changing dynamically in developing countries and countries in transition.

The thesis will explore the causes and the evolution of different paradigms in the state–society relations that are active in shaping the urban environment in Cairo and their mobilization patterns, focusing mainly on the civil society’s IUSD MSc – Abstracts (2013-2015)

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role in harnessing urbanisation issues. One of the consequences neoliberalism and urbanisation is the increased demand on service provision which was particularly felt by poor people in urban areas who were unable to pay for much needed services due to the withdrawal of state from its role in providing services.

The thesis will focus on a neighbourhood in Cairo, Ard Al Liwa’ that has been subjected to rapid urbanisation in the 1970’s and will analyse three different micro-projects for civil society to illustrate the processes for dealing with the shortage of service provision in the neighborhood and represent how the city is shaped according to everyday’s needs by its residents especially post 25 January 2011 revolution. ●

Contextualizing the Right to the City, Between Squatting and Adaptive Reuse. Learning From Amman and Cairo. by Nuha Innab, supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Vertr. Prof. Dr. Nina Gribat, Dr. Marwa Abdellatif (2014) This research is dealing with the term right to the city, investigating different initiatives and urban practices, in two cities Amman and Cairo. The examined contexts are ranging between squatting and adaptive reuse. The idea is not necessarily to present extremes, but going through different experiences and contexts that have different actors. This thesis proposes that what we see in informal settlements, form squatting to service provision, independently from the government, is a form of resistance. But on the other hand in less vulnerable environment like in Amman's Eastern parts, where these parts in the city have a lack of interest from the government, but less mobilization from the community than in Cairo, they are the focus of intellectuals and activists but from another perspective.

In order to put that into a theoretical context, terms like justice and equality, anarchy and democracy, utopia and radical reform, were examined in relation to the right to the city and then highlighting concepts like justice, individualism and collective local organization, in a neoliberal context.

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The context analysis is not exclusive for the cases themselves. In order to understand certain events and evolutions in the city, one will have to go through political shifts, since space is political (Lefebvre, 1970, p.168), and to go through economic shifts that have a direct effect on our cities, like neoliberal economy, where cities are being promoted for investments and best practices (Peck & Tickell, 2002, 395). Neolibralism will be illustrated in the empirical background, as a contestation and a growing competition between the "informal" and the "gated community".

The contextual background is analyzed in order to learn from the differences from the two cities. How did historical events and political change affect the relation between citizens and their cities in Amman and Cairo? Where did the economic shift in Amman and Cairo to an open economy, locate the citizen and their rights? And how did the contestation in the city transform to look like? These are the main questions concerning the contextual and empirical background. The analysis for the cases, has counted on pointing out influences, factors that affected the outcome. And it is evolving around the question: In cities with less resources, and with bureaucratic systems, how do local independent groups work? The case studies that are analyzed under these questions are in Cairo, and located in different areas in the city.

Ard El-Liwa, Mit Oqba and Ramlet Boulaq, all are informal areas, but the three have different context, considering the vulnerability of the cases, with factors such as, land value, media coverage, involvement of the community and having influential people who are supporting the case. Therefore the cases are contextualized in reference to each other. By contextualizing the cases, meaning, pulling out threads from each context, and then find factors that are intersecting between the cases, and then measure the effects of these factors on the outcome. This process will highlight certain aspects that can be reflected on other cases, and answer questions like: Why do some local community organizations work better than the other? Though this question will not be answered explicitly, but it will be illustrated in the chapter.

The conclusion chapter includes scales for vulnerability of the cases, that will result in the shift of rights to either the citizen's side, or the state side. This scale has agents such as, land value, media, political support and the involvement of the citizens in their communities, these agents or factors were observed in the case study analysis to have major influence. Another scale is IUSD MSc – Abstracts (2013-2015)

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locating cases in accordance to their contestation, those cases are representing the right to the city. The most utopian forms of claiming rights, are the ones facing extreme radical forms of injustice, and both are in the state of contestation. The right to the city ranges from painting a wall in the street, to occupying a whole neighbourhood, this right is not abstract, or absolute, but what makes it just and unjust, is the circumstances, and the factors that affected its existence. ●

Marginalized Citizen and the Right to the City: The Egyptian Slum Upgrading Approach in Ashash al Sudan, Giza by Daniel Koschorrek, supervised by Prof. Dr. Ayman Ashour, Vertr. Prof. Dr. Nina Gribat, Assoc.

Prof. Dr. Marwa A. Khalifa (2014) This research explores informal settlement upgrading of the Egyptian Informal Settlement Development Facility in ‘unsafe areas’ in regard to inclusion or marginalization trends.

In order to examining these trends it utilizes ‘the Right to the City’ debate and the ‘de Soto formalizing paradigm’ as theoretical framework. On one hand it discusses ‘the Right to the City’s’ claims for a democratic urban governance as a conceptual tool to form a rights-based analysis, whilst on the other hand the ‘de Soto formalizing paradigm’ is employed to assess the states approach to formalize the informal settlements. In order to do so ‘The Right to the City’s’ main claims; its legal implications and institutional approaches as well as conflicting rights within ‘the Right to the City’ are discussed. Further the main proposition of the ‘de Soto formalizing paradigm’; its implications on the function of property and the reduction of legal pluralism are highlighted.

The study introduces the Egyptian, more specific the Greater Cairo context in describing planning paradigms, urban policies and politics in relation to the informal settlements. It examines the institutional setting and highlights the conflicts in the authorities and urban development aims. Further the legal framework considering the informal settlements is highlighted and connected to ‘the Right to the City’s’ legal implications.

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The theoretical framework is used to analyse the slum upgrading approach of the ISDF in Ashash al Sudan, Giza. The Ashash as area is described as basis for further analysis. In continuation it examines marginalization trends in the current and finalized upgrading as well as the marginalization of the not yet upgraded parts of Ashash al Sudan. The study discovers weaknesses in participatory approach, marginalization due to change in tenure, failure of complementary upgrading programs, unsuitable building and urban design and the provision of infrastructure. It concludes in linking the findings to the wider debates and the wider context of Egypt. â—?

Social housing between implementability and Affordability by Baher Mohamed Bahgat El Shaarawy, supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Prof. Dr. Stefan Siedentop (2013) The housing gap in Egypt represents one of the pressing problems on the current Egyptian economic and social situation and in particular the social housing. Despite of the big share of the Building & Construction sector (which increasing rapidly) in the public national budget, it does not meets the housing needs in particular for the low-income classes. It would reflect the market mechanisms which are based on the real ability of people to get their own houses. Though the great efforts from all housing providers; it is sputtered. The informal housing approach becomes the main alternative to meet the housing needs for low and mid-income groups.

This research focuses on mechanisms of social housing provisions, housing policies, actors, roles and financing mechanisms. They have been introduced through the research, presenting the historical and current situation. The research targets to deal with a gap between the recent housing mechanisms and the affordable mechanism according to the current situation in Egypt. It introduced an integrated model between different actors to provide the social housing. The structure of this research is divided into three main parts: Part One: forms the literature review, it is devoted to investigate and analyse research issue. This part is divided into three sequential chapters: IUSD MSc – Abstracts (2013-2015)

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Chapter one: Introduction: an introductory chapter that includes the target, goals and the structure of the research.

Chapter two: globally introduces the social housing problem, reaching the determination of the affordability concept, and then investigating the financial instruments for social housing including the role of the different actors.

Chapter three: Best Practices: investigates the proposed policies adopted in some best practices global wise, and the learned lessons.

Part two: Social housing in Egypt: reviews the particular problem facing the finance and managing the roles of different actors in social housing processing in Egypt. This part consists of two chapters: Chapter four: social housing system and policies in Egypt: introduces a summary of the housing system in Egypt and its challenges, demonstrating the housing and finance policies in the current situation of housing demand and supply for low-income households.

Chapter five: Case Studies - Egypt: introduces different housing programs which have been provided in Egypt within the last 25 years, focusing on National program for housing in Egypt. It analyses the selected cases to determine the success and shortcomings of these housing programs.

Part three: provides the proposed model and overall conclusions and recommendations based on the findings of previous chapters. It consists of two chapters: Chapter six: an integrated model for social housing: proposes a model for social housing, which includes the financing structure, the role and the responsibilities of each actor.

Chapter Seven: Research conclusion, outcomes and recommendations: draws the overall conclusions and outcomes of the research, and discusses the target and objectives.

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The research concluded by the importance of integrating of the roles of all actors with an attempt to reduce the role of the government on financing social housing projects. ●

Developing Informal Areas through Business Model by Mohammed Abd El Aziz Ibrahim, supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Prof.

Dr.Philipp Misselwitz, Vertr. Prof. Dr. Nina Gribat (2013) Over the past years governments spent a lot of money for developing Informal Areas (IAs), even if, the problems of IAs still exist and increase.

Developing IAs through cost recovery is aim in Egypt through Informal Settlement Development Facility (ISDF) strategy. When it comes to investment there ought to have equity between beneficiaries. The main problem is the difficulty of achieving balancing among all beneficiaries of the development project or win win situation through Business Model (BM).

The importance of this research is highlighting investment in IAs, and aims to adopt workable mode to all involved parties, which ensures a better quality of life and involves the local community in decision making. The research consists of five chapters: • Chapter 1 Introduction: where it defines the research problems, objectives, assumption, the research design and methodology, and thesis structure.

• Chapter 2 Literature review: explore on international and national level the reasons of IAs Emergence, factors the affect investment in IAs, review international and national practices for dealing with IAs and find out development losses and gains, roles and profits for stakeholders. It highlights the socio-economic value impact of IAs development.

• Chapter 3 Egyptian government response: first chapter of the empirical study presents strategies for dealing with IAs such as ISDF establishment, and international cooperation. It presents government considerations and reservations of cost recovery strategy. It presents ISDF proposed BM for Ramlet Boulaq (RB) Area IUSD MSc – Abstracts (2013-2015)

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Urban Governance and Civic Engagement Theme

• Chapter 4 Case study RB: second chapter of empirical study where it studies area status quo and analysis the findings, then adopt BM for RB based on findings from literature review and empirical study.

• Chapter 5 Egyptian BM and conclusion: it reflects all the research findings, and lessons learned to create BM for Egypt, it defines roles, and profits for community, developer, and government in this BM. It presents challenges and constraints for using the BM. Chapter includes some recommendations for all the research and further research.

The research concluded that the main reason of IAs emergence is the government due to failed policies, failed financial systems, political will absence, corruption and inability to enforce laws that governing urban development. Achieving win-win situation in developing IAs can be done through BM if there is political will to empower the community and distribute profits in equity way. There are different challenges and constraints to apply BM in Egypt. The main key factors for investment in IAs are empowering community, political power and willing, monitoring and follow up system, and finance system. ●

Participatory Development Projects in Postrevolutionary Egypt Partnering with Civil Society? by Pia Lorenz, supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Prof. Dr. Philipp Misselwitz (2013) Participation has been the mantra of development cooperation in Egypt for the last decade, especially in the context of urban development. Since the fall of the Mubarak regime, unprecedented strives for participation as well as actions for self-help have been observed in Cairo’s neighborhoods. According to the changing realities on the ground, international development organizations might have to reorient themselves in their participatory strategies in order to capitalize on this momentum. So far, little attention has been paid to how international development organizations have responded to the new societal context in the field of participatory urban development in Egypt. This research project will thus explore how the GIZ and UN-Habitat cooperate with civil society in their participatory urban development projects 26

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Urban Governance and Civic Engagement Theme

in post-revolutionary Cairo. Critical aspects about the notion of participation and civil society in political science, urban planning and development cooperation are deducted from the literature and transferred to the two projects in Cairo. National strategies of the two organizations, on-the-ground interpretations of participation and civil society, the character of collaboration with civic partnerships, their representative nature and the agencies’ interpretation of community are assessed in the context of a changing political environment.

The findings show that the interpretation of participation as well as of civil society in the assessed development projects diverges from the one proposed by western theorists. On a strategic policy level of UN-Habitat and GIZ, the political interpretation of civil society and participation is more prominent while on the project level the efficiency argument of civil society as service delivery agent plays a larger role.

Further, a large number of the aspects foreseen by critics in regard to participation in international development projects could be proven adequate. Participatory processes seem to be designed by the development experts without the involvement of the locals; participatory mechanisms do also not necessarily benefit the most economically marginalized. This is closely connected to the systemically neglected aspect of representation and grass-root connection when choosing civil society partners. Further, the argument of efficiency seems to pervade any action of both development agencies, evaluating the financial gain as more important than the democratic aim of participation.â—?

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Theme 2: Cities, Environment and Sustainable Urban Infrastructure

Cities, Environment and Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Theme

Branding Cairo (Un)-Intended: Influences on the German Tourist‘s Perception of Egypt‘s Capital by Gregor Schopf supervised

by Prof. Dr. M.Tamer El Khorazaty, Prof. Dr. Astrid Ley, Dr. Mona Helmy (2015) Nowadays places face the urgent need to brand themselves in order to compete with other places for talent, labour, investment, experts or tourists.

Egypt is a country that relies strongly on tourism. Consequently, attention is paid to the branding of the place.

Unfortunately, the recent political crisis harmed the tourism heavily and caused a severe decline in visitor numbers. Obviously, the brand of Egypt and Cairo was weakened by the unrest. This research focusses on the official branding of Cairo, and highlights the addition- al aspects contributing to the brand. Although these aspects become part of the place brand, they are free of any branding intention – the unintended branding influences are an important drive and a critical dimension for any place brand. Egypt’s and Cairo’s brand seems to have been affected negatively by them, which heightens its importance. ●

The Relationship between Built Environment and Obesity: An Assessment of Cairo’s Obesogenic Environment by Teresa Maria Fellinger supervised by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abeer Elshater, Prof. Antje Stokman (2015) This thesis is fed by two different, but equivalent parts. The first objective is to develop a theoretical framework in order to prove that a relationship between obesity and the built environment exists as well as to define parameters to be able to measure this relationship. The second objective is to examine the relationship between Cairo’s built environment and obesity based on the parameters defined in the theoretical framework.

Nearly 70% of Egypt’s adults are overweight or obese with a significant difference between urban and rural populations. Physical inactivity and IUSD MSc – Abstracts (2013-2015)

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Cities, Environment and Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Theme

consumption of unhealthy food are the main reasons that the weight status of many Caireens is out of control. At the same time, Cairo city seems to be out of control as well: overcrowding, high-volume traffic, poor air quality and lack of recreational facilities. The consequence of these conditions is the absence of the opportunity for any form of exercise.

It has been established that some diseases can be moderated by how our human environment is being designed. Therefore, it is critical for this thesis to assess if the built environment is a determining factor in the obesity epidemic in Cairo or not. After an intensive literature re- view on the relationship of the built environment and obesity, different methods, which measure Cairo’s built environment, are applied on four different Shiyakha of the Cairo governorate. The measured outcomes are correlated with the obesity data from the Urban Inequity Study (Social Research Center of the AUC) and interpreted. Research results show that a relationship exists. ●

Ruins of Urbanity: Rethinking the Prospective of Urban Voids for a Sustainable Urban Development with a Special Focus on Tunis

by Maroua Ennori supervised by Prof. Dr. Ghada Farouk, Prof. Antje Stokman (2015) This dissertation explores how to rethink the prospective of urban voids as a pressing and growing issue in order to achieve development, sustainability and liveability in inner urban fabric. The research is presented in a form of a series of international and local case studies and two main cases to develop in the focus area. In a first phase and in order to have a clear vision about the discussed issue, the research tried to understand the phenomenon of urban voids through defining the void and understanding the forces and reasons that contribute in the regeneration of urban voids and in certain cases hinder the development of those vacancies. Urban voids redevelopment scenarios are a subject that stimulated many researches and experiences through the world. In the second phase of the following study, the focus was the analysis of three international case studies: the case of Philadelphia, the case of Bab

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Cities, Environment and Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Theme

el Faraj in Aleppo and Karlsruhe in Germany. However, in this phase the focus is mainly the documentation of the strate- gies and ideas developed during the different cases. On the level of Tunis as the focus study area, previous scenarios that dealt with urban voids was explored through two case studies: El Hafsia and Oukalas,. The strategies were assessed according to circles of sustainability, considered as an important factor in any future vision. The extracted conclusions contributed in the reflection on the urban voids in Tunis, in two different locations (La petite Sicile and El Kherba) and the elaboration of a process for the revitalisation in Tunis. ●

Towards Multifunctional Water-Harvesting Landscapes – The Case of Akoura by Nada Jouni supervised by Prof. Dr. Ghada Farouk Hassan, Prof. Antje Stokman (2015) One of the most fundamental natural resources in the world is water. And for ecosystems to survive and function properly, the presence of water plays an enormous role. Further, since the whole world is facing water scarcity and crisis in most of the countries already, harvesting rainwater is an approach to using wasted water that is abundant and not let go of it.

Lebanon has water more than the rest of the Middle Eastern countries; it rains on an average of eight billion cubic meters in Lebanon a year. For centuries Lebanon has been under- going sustainable traditional practices such as having rainwater-harvesting ponds. Nonetheless, this lacks awareness and encounters major challenges within water policies in the country.

The biggest potential out of promoting rainwater harvesting is using the ponds not only for irrigating agricultural crop, but also in creating sociocultural landscapes. It is significant generating both multifunctional purposes and spaces, benefiting of the existence of several landscape layers that would also promotes the development of such purposes. ●

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Cities, Environment and Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Theme

Assessing The Potentials of Multi-functional Urban Agriculture in Egypt: Towards Cultivating The New Urban Settlements “The Case of Al Sadat City” by Dina Mahmoud Abdel Rashid Noseir, supervised by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Marwa A. Khalifa, Prof. Antje Stokman, Dr. Marwa Abdellatif (2014) Urban agriculture has multifunctional potentials. Multi-functionality, as a concept, is argued to sustain urban agricultural practices. Multi-functionality supports the establishment of the roots of urban agriculture practice on the three poles of sustainability. This multifunctional uses can contribute to securing food production, providing additional income, and reshaping the development of urban settlements. However, one of the main hindering obstacles against practicing urban agriculture is the scarcity of land in the highly urbanized cities. On the contrary, new urban settlements is still developing, and have more capability to incorporating different typologies and multi-functional urban agriculture. Thus, this thesis assesses the potentials of practicing multifunctional urban agriculture in these new urban settlements: specifically in the case study area, Al Sadat city. The approach adopted in this thesis to assess the potentials of multifunctional urban agriculture: is through the development of an assessment tool.

This assessment tool helps identify the level of multi-functionality that could be associated with the different practices of urban agriculture. In addition to identifying the potentials of the local context, in which urban agriculture is to be practices. Three scales of urban agriculture are identified to assess their potentials towards incorporating multifunctional urban agriculture; (1) Cityscale; (2) medium-scale; and (3) small-scale. The analysis proceeds with exploring potential models that could be developed to integrate different typologies of urban agriculture. The thesis demonstrates that there are more potentials to practice multifunctional urban agriculture in areas of where medium-scale urban agriculture could be achieved in Al Sadat City. In addition, this thesis demonstrates that the new settlements have more potentials to be captured by multifunctional urban agriculture, for the benefit of these new settlements. ●

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Cities, Environment and Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Theme

Landscape Aesthetics and the Introduction of Solar Energy Farms in the Western Desert of Egypt: Visual Public Preference Evaluation in “Qarat Um Elsaghir” Village by Aya Elwagieh, supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Prof. Antje Stockman, Dr. Marwa Abdellatif (2014) Egypt has been struggling with energy shortage recently that did not hit the remote and rural areas only but expanded to include big urban cities as Cairo and Alexandria. Accordingly, the government started an energy sources diversification strategy to include renewable energy especially wind and solar. As a starting point they focused on electrifying the remote villages dispersed along the Western Desert oases by using P.V. solar panels. These projects vary between individual P.V. panels for the houses to a centralized P.V. farms. These different scales will cause a significant physical alteration to the landscape and the image of the area. This interrelation between landscape and renewable energy has been discussed by researchers who acknowledged the importance of renewable energy adoption. However, they emphasized on the presence of an impact of these P.V. panels on the landscape especially on the visual landscape aesthetics and how would people perceive the place including the renewable energy layer. For that matter, evaluating the visual preference of the public towards the presence of the P.V. solar panels on the landscape and its perceived image is crucial.

Reflecting on the Western desert which is rarely physically altered by manmade feature, the visual landscape aesthetic evaluation is necessary. In order to evaluate the visual landscape aesthetic, it was important to apply the visual preference evaluation within a specified context in the Western desert, where the locality affect the public acceptance and thus shape the visual preference.

In this thesis, the public visual preference of P.V. solar panels introduction is evaluated through different proposed scenarios, locations and P.V. options in one of the Western desert remote villages called “Qarat Um Elsaghir”.In this study, the public will pinpoint their tendencies towards the preferred P.V. solar system, the preferred locations and spatial conditions by which they would visually prefer the presence of the P.V. panels in their context. In addition, the thesis attempts to understand the different socio-demographic, psychological and spatial factors that shape the visual perception of the public. Accordingly, a profound analysis and profiling to the context of the IUSD MSc – Abstracts (2013-2015)

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Cities, Environment and Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Theme

village was conducted. This research represents an investigative approach to evaluate the visual landscape aesthetic and shed light on the importance of this aspect and how it foster, promote, direct and contribute in a sustainable P.V. introduction inside the Western desert. â—?

Landscapes between Conservation and Development: Negotiating Infrastructure Development in Agglomerations in Mountainous Areas in the Northwest of Tunisia by Zaineb Madyouni, supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Prof. Antje Stokman (2013) Biodiversity conservation and human development seem to be two irreconcilable goals. Mountain areas are challenging settings to integrate both achievements. In Tunisia, Mountains in the northwest region are rich and fragile ecosystems. Despite this potential, communities living in these areas are stagnating under the load of the underdevelopment increased by the remoteness. These facts bring into question alternatives for development considering this particular context. Infrastructure is an important asset and driver of socio-economic development and has an important impact on biodiversity. In attempt to mitigate negative impacts, infrastructure planning witnessed many shifts. Green infrastructure (GI) is an emerging approach to spatial planning assumed to be of benefit to natural and human systems. Thus, the research aims at having an insight into the dilemma between biodiversity conservation and human development and examining the ideas underpinning GI approach.

Finally, a negotiation-methodological framework is developed to introduce this approach in mountainous agglomerations in the Tunisian northwest as base for biodiversity conservation and sustainable infrastructure development.â—?

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Cities, Environment and Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Theme

Cultural Tourism Planning Impacts on Saving Identity and Economic Development by Zeina Mohamed Elcheikh, supervised by Prof. Dr. Youhansen Yehia Eid, Prof. Dr. Philipp Misselwitz, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yehya Mohamed Serag (2013) The assimilation of culture and heritage into the tourism industry brought more attention to the Nubian identity, and made a vital contribution to the local economic development of some Nubian villages in Southern Egypt.

However, this integration has raised questions about saving the Nubian cultural identity, and has also linked the living culture with an image from a bygone past seen in museums. This study explores the Nubian village of Gharb Soheil and the Nubia Museum in Aswan. It assesses the impact of cultural tourism from both socio-cultural and economic angles, and investigates the stereotypes in which the Nubian culture is showcased. This study concludes that cultural tourism offers a strong motivation to save identity and to foster economic development. The impact of tourism depends on how much locals are involved, and on how much they depend on it as a main resource of income. ●

Coping with Climate Change – Reflections for Community Based Strategies in Cairo’s Urban Informal Settlements by Franziska Laue, supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Prof. Dr. Philipp Misselwitz, Prof. Antje Stokman (2013) Egyptian cities are facing dramatic impacts of climate change pushing public debates to consider responses such as adaptation. Cairo‘s urban areas are particularly vulnerable due to heat related impacts.

The purpose of this study is to explore community based adaptation options (CBA) in unplanned neighborhoods of Greater Cairo as an approach towards increasing urban resilience and sustainability.

In the first part, the theoretical and conceptual contexts on climate change adaptation and Egypt are presented. These show that adaptation on different levels can be a crucial option for Cairo but still lacks in depth analysis. The informal urban area of Ezzbet El Nasr was chosen as a case study to illustrate IUSD MSc – Abstracts (2013-2015)

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Cities, Environment and Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Theme

vulnerabilities and adaptive capacities and the ongoing CBA process. Hard and soft adaptation measures were identified and discussed according to their applicability. This was followed by a discussion on how the introduction of these measures can go along a CBA process in the community, which in turn resulted in potential scenarios.

The research revealed, that despite multiple constraints there are intrinsic chanX ces to respond to climate change through CBA, which potentially can be a strategy synergetic with other developmental approaches and participatory community work. CBA requires the commitment of the local community and has the potential to be introduced by local civil society and international actors. This can again contribute to the resilience of the city as a whole. ●

Encouraging Bicycling as a Means of Sustainable Urban Transportation in Cairo by Eric Puttrowait, supervised by Prof. Dr. Youhansen Yehya Eid, Prof. Antje Stokman, Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen (2014) This thesis deals with the issue of cycling as a sustainable means of urban transportation in Cairo.

Cycling is one of the healthiest and most efficient means of transportation.

However, Cairo has few cyclists and rising numbers of private cars cause congestion and pollution. This document analyzes the causes of the lack of cyclists and discusses possible interventions to raise the share of cycling trips for transportation. It suggests that the use of bicycles provides solutions for two relevant problems: Firstly, it can help to relieve Cairo´s streets from congestion, and secondly, it can provide independent, affordable mobility for people with low income, who are the majority in Cairo. The document analyses the status quo of Cairo´s cycling culture to examine potential for development. It also discusses contemporary approaches to traffic planning and how they can 38

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Cities, Environment and Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Theme

influence the development in Cairo. Because the urban fabric of this megacity is very diverse and the different districts have particular physical characteristics as well as socially and culturally distinguished populations, the possibility for a uniform cycling development vision for Cairo is limited.

Limited is also the implementation of conventional approaches, which work well in European or North American cities. Instead, this thesis presents analyses of three particular districts, which are evaluated and compared by their potentials and obstacles. Finally, three specialized, integrated cycling development concepts, corresponding to the particular characteristics of each analyzed district and one general strategy for whole Cairo are offered.â—?

Multi-Functional Urban Waterfronts Case study – The Nile River in Central Cairo by Ayham Abdul Razzak Mourad, supervised by Prof.

Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Prof. Antje Stokman, Dr. Ahmed Sami AbdElrahman (2013) Rivers are considered the magnetic hub of all cities. The Nile River in Cairo has been the life artery for all Egyptians since the time of the Pharaohs. It has been used for multiple functions such as agriculture and irrigation, transportation network for trading purposes and recreational space in addition to its spiritual role in religious beliefs in the Pharaohs era. However, after the industrial revolution, hasty urban and economic growth, building streets along the river, exploitation of waterfront for private and governmental uses, and the lack of public spaces and recreational activities, difficult accessibility for the public to the riverbanks has resulted and extreme dis-integration with human interaction has emerged. Thus, the Nile River has begun to lose its connection with the city of Cairo after it was an integral part of it.

Therefore, the research aims to achieve a clearer understanding of the potential of the integration of the Nile waterfront with the public and urban activities in Central Cairo in order to bring the river back to the city. To achieve that aim, the research introduced the multi-functional urban waterfront as an approach for creating integrated public spaces along the Nile River in Central Cairo, where by this integration, a better connection to IUSD MSc – Abstracts (2013-2015)

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Cities, Environment and Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Theme

the river will result and thus bringing the river back to the city. Accordingly, the research depended on three sequential studies: empirical, theoretical and design which were distributed in four chapters. The first chapter presented a generic overview of the urban waterfront. Then, in the second chapter, an empirical study of the Nile waterfront in Central Cairo was displayed. This study enabled to define the core problems of the selected area, and which in turn helped in the third chapter along with the ‘Place making’ approach to define two case studies as best practices in the developed countries which dealt with similar problems. Finally, a number of design proposals were developed in the fourth chapter and a set of recommendations and suggestions for further development were displayed.●

Designing Landscape as Infrastructure by Lisa Deister, supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Prof. Antje Stokman, Prof. Dr. Aly N. ElBahrawy (2013) Situated in a desert region, Egypt is a country facing water scarcity. One approach to deal with this situation is to reduce water consumption, especially where it is not urgently needed, e.g. irrigation of green open spaces. This thesis explores opportunities of water sensitive open space design, an approach to reduce water consumption when irrigating green open spaces while increasing their amenity value and maintaining a lush green appearance. The gated community Al Rehab in New Cairo on the desert outskirts of Cairo is chosen as a case study area. Two conceptual design proposals are developed to point out options for interventions in the existing built environment and in the planning stage. Conceptual design proposal I shows how the implementation of different measures can lead to a more attractive landscape design while large amounts of water are conserved. The second design proposal presents ideas on how to substitute potable water as a source for irrigation. The thesis demonstrates that various strategies and measures already exist and can be adapted to achieve water sensitive open space design. ●

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Cities, Environment and Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Theme

Coastal Landscape between Resistance and Resilience to Sea Level Rise: Climate Change Adaptation Strategies for Coastal Landscape by Lobna Mohamed Mitkees, supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Prof. Antje Stockman, Prof. JosĂŠ Luis Moro (2013) Climate change is expected to affect considerably the coastal communities in specific, through the coming century. Sea Level Rise will be one of the greatest challenges that will confront the coastal region. This will be associated by increase in the flooding risk, coastal erosion, and increase in storm surges, so as many other climatic events. Coastal communities in the Egyptian Nile Delta are highly vulnerable to the threat of SLR, given that the vulnerability is determined by its social, institutional, economic capacity to respond to change.

The current paradigm in dealing with the coastal communities is towards mitigating the impact and increasing protection measures. However this arguably, establishes resistant coastal community on the account of its resilience (Klein et al 1998). The current measures conducted to reduce coastal hazards proved to increase vulnerability of the coastal communities.

Hence, this requires change in paradigm from conventional, protection thinking towards a more holistic approach in coping with future threat.

Resilience is a new prominent paradigm that offers more flexibility in coping with change. The term resilience has become a prominent topic that recently emerged in dealing with changes and very much confined within the discourse on climatic change. The resilience of a community, of its physical and built environment, of its homes, buildings and built infrastructure, can be viewed as its ability to withstand, and adapt to, the changing circumstances.

This will require understanding the natural environment and incorporating it into the design process. Therefore, hazard can be viewed as a natural phenomenon rather than a threat in designing new coastal cities. The study will present Alexandria as a resistance paradigm. Then will offer resilience measures for the newly proposed City of New Motorbus. â—?

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Cities, Environment and Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Theme

Analyzing the Public Transportation in Amman: The Case of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) by Muna Abd el Karim Sha’lan, supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Prof. Dr. Wolf Reuter, Vertr. Prof. Dr. Nina Gribat (2013) Public transportation is faced with many challenges, especially in developing countries, like in the case of Jordan. This becomes more problematic, especially in an ever-changing urbanized context. The development of (public) transportation system in such a context is under-researched within the Jordanian academia; therefore, this master thesis is an excretion of efforts to study this relation following a case study approach in Amman city.

More specifically, the research focuses on analyzing the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), which has been touted as a flag-ship project to deal with the illstructured transportation system in Amman city. A mix between quantitative and qualitative research methodologies invokes the course of this research.

The envisaged output of this research contributes in filling the knowledge gap of how the BRT could satisfy the needs of the local community in Amman and achieve sustainability in the city at large. This is addressed by a set of policy recommendations, which are derived from the results of analyzing the case of the BRT project in Amman after conducting semi-structured interviews with key informants and evaluating the public perception of the layperson as well, about such a project. It is envisaged that the findings of this research will have a far-reaching impact on the urban policies of Amman city in its efforts to achieve sustainability. ●

Towards an Integrated Transport Planning Approach in Amman by Sandy Raji Jalil Qarmout, supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Prof. Dr. Stefan Siedentop, Prof. Dr. Markus Friedrich (2013) Amman, the capital of Jordan, is a thriving city with a population of about 3 million inhabitants. By 2025, its population is expected to double and the number of cars to triple. Thus integrated transport planning (ITP) is the only pathway towards addressing current and future mobility. ITP is a holistic

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Cities, Environment and Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Theme

approach that considers developing the current transport situation in parallel to planning the future of mobility within cities.

The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM), and for the first time, considered transport and mobility beyond private cars that are overwhelming Amman at the moment. Public transport functions were only added to GAM in late 2007. As a result, there has been always very little investment in this field.

GAM completed the Transport and Mobility Master Plan (TMMP) in 2010 for solving the mobility challenges of Amman. The integration within the different suggested transport modes and the surrounding land uses within this master plan is the subject of this research.

The implementation of the TMMP is currently facing several obstacles.

However, if no direct action is taken now to solve the problem of transportation, then future challenges will increase rapidly in relation to the continuous population growth and urban sprawl. Therefore, ensuring the implementation of the TMMP's program of integrated transport measures is critical for the city.â—?

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Theme 3: Sustainable Construction and Energy Efficient Building Design

Sustainable Construction and Energy Efficient Building Design

Biophilic Design (Strategies for hospitals retrofit) by Sara Mohamed AbdelMeguid, supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Prof. Jose Luis Moro, Dr. Bakr Mohamed Gomaa (2014) This research aims to revitalize the society’s contact and interaction with nature. It is an attempt to close the existing gap that continues to expand nowadays as a result of modernity. Thus, rejuvenating biophilic design that once existed, since this is how buildings were built in the past, is an approach to bridge this gap. Biophilic design is not limited to greening the buildings, but also re-establishing the nature-human being mutual relationship. In other words, the mechanism through which nature is affected by the built environment and conversely how human ambition and experience is affected by nature. Therefore, the domino effect and the correlative relationship between the built environment, nature and human beings, and the extent of effect that each directly has on the other.

Currently, architecture is tending to encourage environmental degradation, overexploitation, and distancing humans from all natural systems due to modern engineers’ empowering humans to disregard genetic and natural heritage. Civilisation is supposed to mend and ameliorate the natural world and not to desolate it. This research employs the premise of how nature affects human wellbeing and therefore validates and recommends natural attributes to be retrofitted in existing and new health care facilities. These natural attributes are deduced from the design approach that is known as biophilic design. The sequence of the paper explains what the guidelines of biophilic design are through defining each element, illustrating how it impacts human health and further by scrutinizing the strategy of each element. Thereafter, suitable examples that were designed with biophilic design were analysed and compared with reference to the table created with BD guidelines that was used as a guide. Finally, the case study was visited and certain areas was selected to have the model or table checklisted and the presence of the elements assessed and measured in the hospital. The table of guidelines and strategies of BD was initially used as a simple pass or fail criterion and this is the tool that aided in the selection of the area to be analysed. The area of the room was also considered. ●

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Sustainable Construction and Energy Efficient Building Design

Assessing Indoor Thermal Comfort of Residential Building Designs in Semi-Arid Climate The Role of the Building Envelope in Improving the Indoor Thermal Environment by Abdalrahman H. Alshorafa, supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Prof. Jose Luis Moro, Prof. Ingo Helmedag (2014) Achieving a comfortable indoor environment is one of the main goals that designers have to achieve in their projects. However, achieving this goal reflects on occupants’ productivity, satisfaction, in addition to cost reduction and many other issues. And in meanwhile involves multiple disciplines. As this sense started to rise within the concerned bodies in the developing region. Hence, the Jordanian capital – Amman was chosen as a case study for this research. By concentrating on contemporary building techniques and materials, this research focus on the effects of building envelope components upon improving indoor thermal comfort for occupants in residential buildings. Furthermore, results can be reflected on heating/cooling loads of the building and consequently energy consumption.

A combination of literature and computer-based studies was forming the research methodology. This method is based on reviewing the state of art in the field to build a base for the following computer-based studies. Then, reflect and link results to it. However, computer-based simulation studies on its own- lack reality, so results of verification case was compared with results of the same case published by a professional body in the field, to approved it. By manipulating the main three components of building envelope; roofs, exterior walls and opening size, the research ran computer simulation for 27 different scenarios aiming to investigate the impact of heat transfer co-efficient. A typical apartment was modeled and two critical located rooms in the most critical year periods, were chosen as representatives. Results were assessed upon Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) index by Fang which gives score -out of seven points- for the thermal conditions. Later on, advanced scenarios were proposed aiming to enhance the critical results to reach the best thermal sense in the indoor environment. ●

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Sustainable Construction and Energy Efficient Building Design

Towards an Integrative Discourse on Traditional and Modern Building Techniques as Sustainable Alternative to Current Practices: The case of residential buildings in Egypt by Rasha A. Abodeeb, supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Prof. Jose Luis Moro, Dr. Hend Farouh (2014) In Egypt, typical modern construction techniques have been adopted in the last decades, which had many drawbacks on energy consumption and environmental impacts. However, traditional construction techniques that were used before were environmentally and financially more efficient. This research evaluates modern and traditional building techniques in terms of indoor thermal environment and financial aspects. The aim is to develop possible hybrid approaches that suit the construction market. The applicability of proposing new technique was investigated though onsite interviews and surveys with consultants and architects. A discussion is drawn about limits and constrains of applying new techniques for further research and investigations according to the Egyptian context.

Building sector is responsible for at least 40% of energy use in most countries. Nowadays, modern buildings use Skelton structures, reinforced concrete columns and beams, fired and industrial bricks that consume very huge amounts of energy to be manufactured. Yet, those building materials have many drawbacks in terms of environmental impacts, energy consumption and thermal comfort. Simultaneously, traditional building techniques and materials are applied in very limited conditions, While traditional techniques and materials are consume less energy and more environmentally friendly, it do not compete with modern building techniques and materials that meet the demands of the people.

This research selected several representative residential cases of modern and traditional building techniques and materials to be evaluated. Furthermore this research explores possible potentials to converge between benefits whether in traditional or modern techniques and materials. An evaluation is provided between the different techniques and materials through developed assessment criteria with specific parameters, such as environmental impact which includes: LCA (embodied energy, CO2 emissions) considering the cost, labor’s intensity and thermal behavior of the building materials. This IUSD MSc – Abstracts (2013-2015)

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comparison showed differences between traditional and modern techniques and materials, potentials and provided recommendations for enhancing the residential building practices in Egypt.â—?

Climatic Sensitive Landscape Design: Enhancing the Microclimate of Public Schools Courtyards in Egypt by Wesam ElBardisy, supervised by Prof. Dr. Germin el Gohary, Prof. Antje Stokman, Dr. Mohamed Fahmy, Dr. Bernd Eisenberg (2014) The climatic quality of the space in Egypt, recently, has received attention among climatologist and urban designers. In most cases the Climatic Sensitive Landscape Design (CSLD) is absent on the planning and the site design level.

Thus, it is essential to highlight the importance of landscape climatic design and the welfare of the outdoors space, not only among the urban planners, designers, but also, students and children in schools, our future generation.

Unfortunately, the courtyard design guidelines developed by the General Authority of Educational Building (GAEB) is not applied in most of the public schools. This is mainly due to the limited budget set for constructing public schools. This limited budget urges GAEB to design and construct buildings only with considering the courtyard as a leftover space based on priorities.

In El-Sherouk primary school, the case study school, the students suffer from a high range of thermal dissatisfaction. Therefore, field observations and various ENVI-met simulation runs and tests were done during elevated temperature in summer times. Through the simulation, different landscape design possibilities were run and analyzed, after setting the boundary conditions for the climate and the possible landscape patterns.

The results revealed that trees among other landscape elements strongly ameliorate the microclimate. Within the school small size, trees significantly a) attenuate the direct solar radiation; b) modify wind speed and direction modification; and c) fairly reduce temperature and change humidity. Also, it was found that students comfort level is strongly influenced by: a) landscape 50

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elements; b) the spatial location; and b) the type of clustering. In addition to the sustaining and benefits dimension. Based on these results, a tailored definition for Climatic Sensitive Landscape Design (CSLD) is proposed for public schools.

Subsequently, some recommendations are proposed to GAEB for future incorporation of CSLD toolbox within the courtyard design guidelines, taking into account the case of constrained fund. Also, CSLD toolbox is recommended to aid the design processes for researchers and landscape designers.

At last not least, it is crucial for landscape architects and urban planner to include ENVI-met software as a tool to use in the phases of outdoor spaces design. ●

Energy Efficient Urban Configurations for Residential Projects in Cairo by Eslam Mohamed Mahdy Youssef, supervised by Prof. Dr. Youhansen Yehia Eid, Prof. José Luis Moro, Prof. Ingo Helmedag (2013) The scarcity of energy sources in Egypt is one of the most challenging issues for urban development. To meet the escalating demand on housing, hundreds of residential projects are being constructed all over Cairo.

Simultaneously, buildings are responsible of a big share of energy consumption and as such, working for a more energy efficient built environment is very crucial. Many substantial approaches to implement energy efficiency principle on the built environment are available, but this research focuses specifically on the fundamental role of urban design in energy conservation.

The research draws out twelve main design principles that outline energy efficient urban configurations in residential projects in Cairo. The twelve design principles have been extracted from diverse literature sources focusing on the design principles of eco-districts and climatic urban design principles adapted from the urban configurations of the old Arabic Medina.

Those principles are then used to assess and evaluate the urban IUSD MSc – Abstracts (2013-2015)

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configurations of two recent residential projects in Greater Cairo. Through analysing the case studies the research traces the main deficiencies that impede the development of energy efficient urban configurations of recent practices in Greater Cairo. Furthermore, the research draws attention to current urban planning regulations and their relation to energy efficiency.

The results depict that the urban design of the selected case studies do not fulfil most of the energy efficiency design principles, hence consuming a lot of energy and wasting resources. This emphasizes the necessity to develop ongoing design practices and update current urban planning regulations to optimize energy efficient urban configurations in the urban environment. â—?

Parametric Analysis for Daylight Autonomy and Energy Consumption in Hot climate Regions by Mohamed Amer Mohamed Hegazy, supervised by , Prof. Dr. Ahmed Atef Faggal, Prof. JosĂŠ Luis Moro (2013) This thesis discusses the significant contradiction that arises when designing buildings facades in the hot climate region. It discusses the challenging decision that the architect takes when it comes to the fenestration design characteristics. The challenge is to reach a design that achieves reduced energy consumption (achieved through less glazing ratio) as well as Daylight Autonomy (achieved through large glazing ratio). This thesis is based on a Parametric Analysis to study the quantitative effect of the Window proportion, Glazing and Shading type on Daylight Autonomy and Energy Consumption in the hot climate regions. Moreover, it presents an evaluation process to be used in the early stage designs, to assess the different results produced by the different design options.

The way used to examine parameters of fenestrations design is through the use of a shoebox that presents a single residential zone in Cairo. This shoebox went through several parallel processes of simulation. Design Builder run together with Energy plus simulation engine were used to calculate Energy consumption (heating & cooling). On the other hand, DIVA for Rhino simulation software run together with Radiance were used to calculate the 52

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Daylight Autonomy and lighting energy consumption. The results were graphically represented to assess the effect of fenestrations designs on the daylight autonomy and energy consumption, in addition to Glare Probability, achieving View and Privacy throughout a newly developed evaluation assessment criteria. The results and outcomes were discussed at the end of the research and a list of possible further researches was also introduced. ●

Alternative Building Materials and Components for Affordable Housing in Egypt: Towards Improved Competitiveness of Modern Earth Construction by Mona Farouk al Kabbany, supervised by Prof. Dr. Ahmed Atef Faggal, Prof. José Luis Moro, Prof. Dr. Hend Farouh (2013) Building material is an important aspect within the design and construction process, having a big influence on the cost and quality of the built environment. In Egypt, the construction sector has a large share in the national economy, yet, a significant shortage in the affordability and sustainability of housing occurs. Efforts for improving the competitiveness of sustainable building materials are a contribution to improve the quality and affordability of the built environment, as well as the ecological balance and sustainability.

The current research aims to investigate the potential of using the techniques of modern earth construction in the Egyptian construction sector, and the possible means to encourage its utilization, within appropriate contexts, to provide sustainable and affordable housing. Earth has been an ancient and a widespread building material for vernacular and popular construction in Egypt, and in modern times, there have been several attempts for its revival with the same traditional techniques. A few experiments for using the techniques of compressed earth blocks (CEB) and Rammed earth (RE) have been undertaken; however, the potentials for its contribution towards offering affordable and sustainable housing are still undermined. This research investigates the factors causing the underutilization of earth as a modern sustainable building material in the Egyptian construction sector through a group of interviews with experts and practitioners in the field, as IUSD MSc – Abstracts (2013-2015)

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well as analyzing some cases that experimented modern techniques of earth construction – particularly CEB and Rammed earth - in Egypt. The research uses the “Value Chain analysis” which is a concept from business management that was first created by Michael Porter (1980). It is a method for describing the activities taking place along a supply chain of a product, such as a building material, and identifying the constraints it is facing and the opportunities for its improvement. Recommendations based on the analysis of the constraints and opportunities were as follows: improving the social perception about earth as a building material, the appropriate choice of production methods and construction techniques, knowledge exchange and dissemination, promotion and marketing, creating a role model, offering incentives, improving planning policies and regulations, developing codes and specifications, encouraging industry and empowering local contractors. ●

Towards an Integrated Neo-Vernacular Built Environment.

Design guidelines for the living environments inspired by sociocultural and environmental aspects – Qārrat Um-Āsaġīr Village, the Western Desert of Egypt by Nahla Nabil Makhlouf, supervised by Prof. Dr. Youhansen Yehya Eid, Prof. José Luis Moro, Dr. Mohamed S. Asar (2013) Demands of the remote desert and less developed communities have become challenging by the rapid industrialization and aspired expressions of modern living. The indigenous ethnic groups of those areas developed their unique way of living that fulfills their lifestyle needs, however, for those communities, manifestations of the urban invasion are affecting this inherited uniqueness. The vernacular architecture of those communities expresses accumulative attempts of acclimating the living environments to their needs. This master’s research is based on a case study methodology applied in Qārrat ʾUm-Āṣaġīr Village. It discusses an integrated neovernacular approach for the current developments in the distinctive remote desert areas. The integration between advanced high- and traditional lowtechniques as an approach to achieve the contemporary needs of its segregated community is one of the research’s significant results. The study 54

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is conducted to outline the responses towards the contemporary sociocultural and environmental needs, by tracing the architectural development of the housing typologies. This study is based on an analysis for the culture, traditions, and lifestyle of the villagers, in addition to analysing the hierarchical urban configuration of the case study village. The research is based on a fieldwork survey conducted in Qārrat ʾUm-Āṣaġīr Village.

Participant-observation, direct and guided observations, in addition to community meetings and interviews with the villagers and the different governmental entities, had been its pillars. Based on analysing the criteria affecting the design and construction of the different living environments, a set of design guidelines is developed. These guidelines contribute in improving the future developments and in providing an integrated contemporary neo-vernacular living environment in remote desert areas. ●

Assessing Thermal Comfort in Secondary Schools in Egypt by Omar Wanas, supervised by Prof. Dr. Ahmed Atef Fagal, Prof. José Moro, Prof. Mohamed S. Asar(2013) The educational is the main vehicle by which individuals discover their potential and acquire his self-esteem and self-accomplishment through playing an effective role in life and society. For a county living in a political, economic and social transition phase like Egypt, Economic growth and political maturity is highly dependent on the efficiency and equity of the educational system (Chatman house, 2012).A main part of insuring efficiency is tending to the physical structure in which the student receives education and spends a significant amount of his daily life. Unfortunately post the 1992 earthquake, the Egyptian government has focused on the quantitative aspect of classrooms and schools continuously aiming at providing a targeted number. This governmental approach to school construction led consequently in standardizing and limiting the school building design to fixed schools prototypes which are being duplicated all around Egypt regardless the climatic context resulting in a major drawback in the interaction between the student and the surrounding environment by creating uncomfortable indoor conditions. These conditions span from heat stress, lack of adequate ventilation, glare to exposure to excess solar IUSD MSc – Abstracts (2013-2015)

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radiation.

The aim of this research is to calculate the magnitude of the thermal discomfort within classrooms of these standardized prototypes in Cairo by using computerized thermal simulation software. Post to this thorough evaluation, several single passive retrofitting measures are applied to the school prototype and the extent of enhancement in the indoor thermal conditions are recorded. Finally, the combinations of retrofitting measures that lead to the thermally optimized classroom environment are recommended and their effect is quantified. The results of this research should enable decision makers to issue evidence based, precise and resource efficient decision concerning the thermal retrofitting of these schools that form the physical infrastructure of the largest educational system in the Middle East and Africa. â—?

Impact of Urban geometry on Outdoor thermal comfort in hot climate: An approach to enhance outdoor thermal conditions in Baghdad, by Sari Abdullah, supervised by Prof. Mohamed A. Salheen, Prof. JosĂŠ Moro, Prof. Ingo Helmedag (2015) This study is an initial attempt to investigate the relationship between the urban morphology and outdoor thermal comfort. More precisely to analyse the impact of modifying urban configurations such as compactness, height to width ratio and orientation of streets for residential neighbourhoods on air temperature, sun access and thermal comfort. The main objective of this research is to understand this relation and the methods of assessment with the aim of formulating an urban configuration in the city of Baghdad. The study focuses on summer season, when the problems of heat stress and thermal discomfort outdoor are clearly visible. The methodology depends on assessing outdoor thermal comfort in traditional and modern neighbourhoods of the city during the months of July and January as typical summer and winter months, relying on available thermal measurements, field survey and computer simulation.

Thermal measurements were collected mainly throughout local weather 56

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station. The field survey consists of two questionnaire, the first one, targeted inhabitants in modern and traditional neighbourhoods of Baghdad, in order to investigate thermal sensation of the inhabitants. The second one targets experts working in the field of urban design and other related fields to find out to which extent climate is being considered in the work and regulations of the city. The simulation method were applied on specific streets of the case studies for analysing PMV, air temperature and sun access outcomes.

Relying on results of these methods, new scenarios were tested for getting the optimum outdoor thermal comfort during summer and winter by modifying height-to-width ratio, orientation of streets and compactness. The results showed that it is possible to improve outdoor thermal conditions by modifying urban configurations. Results were discussed as sets of recommendations and guidelines for future climate conscious urban design. â—?

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Theme 4: Politics and Urbanism

Politics and Urbanism Theme

Refugee Setting and Urban Form and Governance: The Predicament of Syrian Refugees in Navigating Cairo’s Urban Spaces and the Complexities of Governance in Turbulent Times by Rasha Arous, supervised by Prof. Dr. Youhansen Yehya Eid, Prof. Dr. Philip Misselwitz, Vertr. Prof. Dr. Nina Gribat (2013) This paper looks at the ways in which the recently arriving Syrian refugees negotiate their ways through the capital metropolis of Cairo. It examines refugee spaces through extensive field engagement with a wider look into the socio-political organization of the city and the regional, country-wide and local dynamics of change and political settings. Cairo has its own particular characteristics for refugees with its huge scale, urban compositions and fragmented and contested spaces. It provides multi-choice avenues and offers various prospects of asylum experience. However, it marginalizes the poor and positions them into vulnerable assistance and protection structures yet teaches them survival strategies. Spaces of refuge are products of physical structures and dynamic relationships, flows, sensations and embody convoluted meanings and aspirations. They are further incited by the formal and informal political, economic, social and psychological attitudes of the organization of city spaces. They result from a complex interplay of push and pull factors that are related to the socioeconomic and political background of refugees and to the variety of experiences that the city offers. Refugees cluster around certain commonalities, form communities and move from-to and within the city in search of better options. The humanitarian concern of refugees’ protection seems to have been much affected by local social settings and politics in a contrasted way in between three paradigmatic urban spaces: a gated city, a remote housing project and an informal settlement. These urban spaces show mechanisms of the provision of assistance and protection to refugees that are pertinent to their modes of governance. Cairo’s future as a place of refuge with the turbulences it is undergoing today seems to have multiple scenarios, yet for the Syrians, it is uncertain and vague and is connected to predictions on the country’s future political stability. ●

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Public Spaces and Sectarian Tensions in Beirut: The Production of Space in the Context of Sectarianism and Neoliberalism by Irmtraud Eckart, supervised by Prof. Dr. Youhansen Yehya Eid, Vertr. Prof.

Dr. Nina Gribat, Dr. Shadia Husseini de Araujo (2014) The paper aims at investigating the production of public space in the context of neoliberalization and “sectarianization�. Thereby it is asked in how far public spaces can function as sites for inter-religious rapprochement. The model of Lefebvre about the Production of Space (1991) is taken to hand in order to de-construct the processes, which are constituting public space between diverse actors based on their agendas. Therein the strength is to not just to investigate material elements of spatial production (regulations, signs, design patterns etc.) but also immaterial ones. The productive character of material and immaterial elements is approached by initially asking how neoliberal and sectarian representations are affecting the official urban planning in Beirut.

In a second step, exactly these elements and their respective influence on users in specific public spaces are examined. The focus is on the particular constitution of the chosen case studies regarding their potential to function as shared spaces in the sense of an inter-religious reconciliation in the specific environment of Beirut. Marking-off from other research in the field, the study is neither solely focusing on an architectural view-point nor on mere politico-sociological implications as explained in the State of the Art (chapter 2). But it is elaborated on the correlation between both aspects by focusing on the concept of public space. The Empirical Findings (chapter 5) are based on a Theoretical-Philosophical Framework (chapter 3) that is rejecting any essentialist implications and instead acknowledges the contractedness of any societal element, including public spaces and the discourse about them. According to the Lefebvrian (1991) concept of space (conceived, perceived, lived space) and a Foucauldian (1972, 1986) understanding of hegemonic knowledge the constitution of six case study sites is investigated by applying an integrated single-case design, as explained in the Research Methodology (chapter 4).Ensuing from the research it is stated that in Beirut, the production of public space takes place in a bi-polar continuum which ranges from neoliberalism as one pole to

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sectarianism as its antipode. In both cases the development of interreligiously shared space is hampered by dominant representations of space.

They either negate any religious implications in space completely (neoliberal seeting) or solely allow for certain manifestations by suppression (sectarian setting). According to that, a neutral but not neutralizing environment needs to be fostered together with certain incentives to make people mix up in and use public space (chapter 6) .Further research about the broader political impact on public spaces, in the sense of clientilism, as well as the general understanding of “the public” in Beirut´s society would enhance the findings of the study. ●

Innovation and Refugee Camps: The Role of Innovation in Developing the Humanitarian System with Special Focus on Al Zaatari Refugee Camp, Jordan by Adham Sannaa supervised by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yehya Serag, Prof. Dr. Astrid Ley (2015) “Humanitarian innovation” is the new trend evolving and expanding in the Humanitarian field. Borrowed originally from the private sector, the concept aims to develop the way the system works by introducing new partnerships, technologies and policies. It claims to have practical, sustainable, durable solutions that help refugees living in urban and camp contexts. Scholars, universities and independent organisations adopted the term of “Humanitarian innovation” and started to participate in the discussion to crystallise and conceptualise the idea. Supporters of this “movement” claim that innovation is currently working on two levels, the top-down: by transforming the humanitarian systems and structures and the bottom-up level: by supporting refugee’s ideas and skills to create innovative, sustainable solutions. Nevertheless, practical examples show that refugee’s opinions are frequently marginalised, their needs are usually assumed, and their skills are disregarded. In many cases the use of technology leads to more dependency rather than self-sufficiency. The interest of the private sector raises questions of accountability. The involvement of many actors challenges ethical constraints, damages local power dynamics, and increases cultural sensitivities. In order to have a better understanding of humanitarian

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innovation we examine the case of Al Zaatri, the biggest Syrian refugee camp.

Since 2012 this camp started to witness innovations on a daily basis which made it an example of change. This research aims to investigate what role innovation plays in Al Zaatri camp, and how can innovation find solutions for the current, complex challenges in the region. ●

Place Attachment of Different Influx Groups in West Amman, Jordan: The Case of Palestinians and Iraqis by Jude Al Issa Zada supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Prof. Dr. Astrid Ley (2015) This thesis aims to investigate the influx groups that live in west Amman and their attachment to the city. It concentrates on three of the in- flux groups which are: Jordanian nationals who were displaced from Palestine in 1948, Jordanian nationals who were displaced from the West Bank in 1967, and Iraqi refugees who were displaced as a result of the Iraq War be- tween 2003 and 2007. This topic is of importance because of the political security of Jordan in its geographical context it has been welcoming several waves of immigration flows into the country in the past few decades; thus causing quick and unnatural changes in the country’s demography at a large scale and in social and community ties on a smaller scale. The assumption is that with each of these influx groups arriving at different points in time, holding different economic, social and emotional levels, they have developed different bonding and attachment levels with their host environment.

In this research, this bond is investigated according to Scannell and Gifford’s (2010a) tri- partite framework which studies the person, process and place aspect of attachment. It was concluded that these influx groups and residents of Amman do have attachment to Amman with slightly different extents.

1948 Palestinian refugees rank the highest attachment between the influx groups. Attachment seems to be affected by different factors such as age, length of residency, legal status, memories, scale and type of place that they are attached to. ●

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Urban Implications of Palestinians Obtaining Israeli Citizenship in Jerusalem, Palestine by Tariq Nassar, supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Vertr. Prof. Dr. Nina Gribat, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yehya Mohamed Serag (2014) This research examines the urban implication of Palestinians obtaining Israeli citizenship in Jerusalem. In order to understand this phenomenon, the research examines the policies that have been implemented in Jerusalem. Some of these polices were translated into plans and regulations and other policies were translated into restrictions on mobility and residency status. All the policies aimed to exclude Palestinians from the city. The historical conflict between Israeli – Jews and Palestinian – Arabs is the core of the problem. Each side approaches the city with its own specific history and sense of identity. In case of Jerusalem as an ethnically divided city the Israeli government used planning and policies as tools instead of weapons in a civil war. Jerusalem city become a ‘gray city’ with two sides of brightness and blackness. For Palestinians a sustained housing crisis is the main result from Israeli planning policies for over 46 years. Fear of displacement and losing the right to reside in the city are the main reasons for Palestinians to obtain Israeli citizenship in Jerusalem. Most of Palestinians in Jerusalem believe that there is no longer an option for a future political solution between the Israeli government and the National Palestinian Authority. The research conceptualizes the right to the city of Palestinians in Jerusalem as the right to reside. The research examines the legal and perceived benefits of Palestinians obtaining Israeli citizenship regarding the access to basic services, property and political power. The research found that Israeli citizenship with no further political solution as a first scenario is giving Palestinians more right to the city including better access to basic services.

In addition, obtaining Israeli citizenship also comes with the right to access alternative housing units outside the city in the West Bank area with no future of political power as perceived benefits. The exclusion lines of offering Israeli citizenship in Jerusalem for Palestinians is to split the minority of Palestinian community and to exclude them from the option of living outside the city. In comparison to other Palestinians with permanent residency status Israeli citizenship gives Palestinians less fear of displacement and widens the options to freely choose their place of residence. The urban implication of Israeli citizenship in East Jerusalem which is largest inhabited IUSD MSc – Abstracts (2013-2015)

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by Palestinians could change the shape of the future political solution between Israeli government and National Palestinians Authority. The existing arguments regarding a divided city with Palestinian selfdetermination in East Jerusalem could be second scenario, which will result on those Palestinians who obtained Israeli citizenship for another displacement with a highest risk of housing crisis could be occur in this scenario. Bi-national city with administrative organization as capital for two states and a third party could be involved in managing between the two sides as a third scenario. In this scenario a different displacement would happen for these people with less housing crisis than the second scenario. These two scenarios will be a further research to study in deep. ●

Resistive Urbanism in the Spatio-Genesis of Self-Awda: Spatial and Non-Spatial Variables of IDPs’ Self-Repatriations to Palestinian Depopulated Villages by Maram Sha’ban supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Prof. Dr. Wolf Reuter, Dr. Fatima M.AlNammari (2015) This thesis broadly addresses Self-Awda in terms of speculative expressions of collective and alternative self-organized spatial patterns and usages developed by Palestinians to realize their right of return. Despite their legitimate right to return to their depopulated localities, Palestinian refugees and internally displaced Palestinians (IDPs) are yet banned to perform AlAwda [return] due to Israeli legislative and spatial employed power. Inside the green line (i.e. present-day Israel), empirical forms of different types and levels of ‘self-repatriations’ are emerging in multiple Palestinian depopulated villages. It is true that these token, other more deliberate, selfrepatriations appear only in few depopulated localities. Nevertheless, since IDPs remain a core issue with regards to the right of return and struggle of Palestinian existence, these self-repatriations could be seen as a new form of civil spatial resistance in the context of Palestinians. In light of this, the research attempts to explore relevant literature and news that covered the self-repatriation scene. It explores these self-repatriations seeking to understand the reasons behind having only a small number of ‘active’

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depopulated villages out of a total of 531 other ones. This is achieved through investigating and identifying self-repatriation variables by taking Galilee and Haifa as a case. In other words, the aim of this research is to understand possible incentives for IDPs’ self-repatriations through the identified variables. The milestone of this research lies in the thematic framework it attempts to offer with regards to the identified variables while it opens doors for future re- search. Along with the variables and incentives associated with self-repatriation, self-repatriation ladder and two paradigms are offered as main outputs from this research. ●

Host Communities between Solidarity and Hardship: The Trends of Housing Transformation in Border Cities Hosting Refugees: The Case of Mafraq City by Razan Alshadfan supervised by Assoc. Prof.

Dr. Yehya Serag, Prof. Dr. Astrid Ley (2015) Eighty Kilometres to the North of Amman lies the Za’atari camp, which appears as a white strip across the horizon from the Jordanian city of Mafraq.

Being the first city after the Jordanian-Syrian border, Mafraq has become the city of arrival to thousands of Syrian war refugees (Buryan, 2012). As Za’atari camp was created around three years ago in a dust- filled border zone lacking the basic services to host the refugees, the vast majority of Syrians decided to reside outside the camp and were hosted by the local community of Mafraq. Un- able to cover its own people’s needs, Mafraq was overwhelmed with the newcomers, thus leaving both the locals and the new Syrian inhabitants with social tensions, housing short- age poor services, unemployment and unbearable living expenses (Ali et al., 2014). In 2014, REACH declared, in one of its reports, that the housing issue is a major driver of tension be- tween the host and refugee communities, and stated that the main incentive for social tensions is the lack of affordable housing.

Consequently, this research attempts to add to this line of inquiry by investigating, assessing and mapping the trends of housing transformation in the host city of Mafraq after the Syrian crisis. It attempts to accomplish that through joining what has been mentioned in secondary data analysis regarding the Syrian crisis and the housing problem in Mafraq with the field findings, observations, and interviews. This is achieved by analysing the IUSD MSc – Abstracts (2013-2015)

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crosscutting challenges and underlying drivers of tension, evaluating the Syrian crisis response programs, and revealing the influencing factors behind the housing crisis. This research will further inspect the foreseen risks posed by the housing problem on the host country, in an attempt to identify and allocate some access points for future interventions in the area. ●

Camp Cities between Planning and Practice: Mapping the Urbanisation of Zaatari Camp by Ayham Dalal, supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Vertr. Prof. Dr. Nina Griba, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yehya Mohamed Serag (2014) Camp cities are increasingly dotting the landscapes of the Middle East. The crystallisation of Palestinian camp cities into spaces of exclusion and marginalisation is the consequences of uncontrolled, unguided, and sometimes oppressed process of urbanisation. International attention towards this fact has resulted into a ‘paradigm shift’ towards human development and rights. However, without studying refugee camps as urban sites, this paradigm shift failed, and camp cities have been declared to be ‘no refuge’. With the escalating crisis of Syrian refugees, this research links and compares the fragmented documents, surveys and reports produced about the camp, with field observations and interviews in order to explain why and how Zaatari camp is urbanising and trying to become a city. Since urbanisation is a complex process; a focus on space, economy and power relations was chosen in order to provide a crisscrossing insight into this process. A synthesis of findings has clearly revealed that while Zaatari camp became a field of tensions between a humanitarian agenda and a Syrian socio-cultural agenda; it has been rapidly and uncontrollably urbanising by Syrian refugees who are eager to be a mere population of victims. The failure of the camp model to contain and steer an inevitable process of urbanisation urges the need to revise and restructure it, not as a state of exception; but as opportunities, developments and win-win solutions. ●

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Real Estate Nationalism: The Market Substitute for the Palestinian State by Athar Mufre, supervised by Prof. Dr. Ayman Ashour, Vertr. Prof. Dr. Nina Gribat, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yehya Mohamed Serag (2014) The aim of this research is to reveal the ways in which the market economy, and real estate developers in particular, are leading de facto in a Palestinian state-building project. In the absence of a defined governmental planning vision and institutions, these land developers are creating a market-oriented notion of citizenship and identity practices tied to emerging urban brands.

This research focuses on understanding the ongoing urban transformations in the West Bank, especially the Ramallah Governorate, since the first Oslo Accord in 1993. It looks at the ways in which the growing relationship between the private sector and the Palestinian Authority is inscribed in space and policy and analyzes geographical, urban, and architectural aspects, besides the interrelated practices that form and strengthen these aspects.

The study aims to critically position the current economic investment in building construction, through reviewing complex historical events, and policies undertaken in the international forums, particularly those which concern the growing influence of the private sector. The basic premise of this research is to investigate the economic reorientation which occurred after the first Oslo Accord, in order to find the links between evolving peace policies and the establishment of economized urban spaces by large real estate firms such as Massar, Bayti, Amaar, Ettihad, and Tabo, among others. â—?

Integrating Urban Agriculture into Refugee Camps Development

by Manal Salim Fakhouri, supervised by Prof. Dr. Youhansen Yehia Eid, Prof. Antje Stokman (2013) Food production in the form of urban agriculture can significantly contribute to refugees’ nutritional security, income employment opportunities to achieve self-reliance, as well as to make a productive use of underused space, urban waste and natural resources. Husn refugee camp in Irbid (Jordan) is chosen as a case study, where the open spaces inside the camp are the most limited despite the vast agricultural areas surrounding IUSD MSc – Abstracts (2013-2015)

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the camp and there is a need for survival and subsistence. Many refugees were found to grow their own food by practicing intra- and peri-urban agriculture as a solution to their food insecurity, poverty, unemployment and socioeconomic isolation. The fact that food production is strongly influenced by the camp dynamics and spatial development there is necessity to introduce urban agriculture as an integral part of spatial, social, economic and ecological systems in the camp improvement plans. This thesis presents three conceptual design proposals of productive open space to increase accessing to available land and water by exploring alternatives for water sources such as harvesting rainwater from rooftops and reusing grey water from households and installing irrigation system to collect storm water from the Wadi stream to support farmers irrigating their leased agricultural farmlands. â—?

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Theme 5: Development of Peripheral Settlements

Development of Peripheral Settlements Theme

Dynamics of Development in Rural Egypt to New Desert Communities: The Case of the Basaisa
by Dina Samir Ahmad Mahdy supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Prof. Antje Stokman, Prof.

Dr. Hamed El Mously (2015) Nearly 57.2% of the Egyptian inhabitants live in rural areas, where most of the labour force works in agriculture (CAPMAS 2015 ). Village in Egypt is defined according to the number of inhabitants which varies from 1,000 to 15,000 inhabitants. However villages can be categorised as small minor villages that neighbour and belong to a central village, which is called the mother village, which has basic services provided by the government. The satellite villages (qurah tabe’a) are not provided with governmental institutions such as hospitals, administrable services, and schools.

Accordingly life is mainly dependent on agricultural activities (Amin 1994), next to trading and investment activities. Nevertheless the policy of regional development planning was more directed to the role of rural areas by empowering the economical growth and involving industry within agricultural activities (Singer 1943). This subsequently lead to openness on the national level, reducing emphasis on agriculture, leading to the deterioration of rural areas. Such policies encouraged the transfer of resources and raw materials, and internal migration from rural to urban areas seeking better resources, income and job opportunities (Unwin 1989).

The previous phenomenon lead to intensification of migration to urban cities and resulted in clusters around major cities either in formal or informal areas. However, there is an attempt from the government to construct new satellite villages in the desert. This research aims to study the development of rural urban villages in Egypt through a socio-cultural and economical study focusing on the main factors of development that lead to the creation of new communities adopting the twining (mirror communities) concept.

The Basaisa is a rural village in Sharkeya governorate which was chosen due to its transformation and development to form a twin new community in the desert of south Sinai as the new Basaisa village. The development started in 1974 when a team from the American University in Cairo lead by Prof. Salah Arafa decided to carry out an integrated educational participatory development project with the villagers aiming at rural development. The research is based on studying the case of the Basaisa as a model for rural IUSD MSc – Abstracts (2013-2015)

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development that lead to creating a twin village in the desert in at- tempts to find recommendation and proposals for future desert development strategies. First: Carrying out a socio-cultural and economical profile of the origin Basaisa village through different time intervals to measure the level of development through time reaching the point when the development started to grow to initiating a new twin community in the desert. Sec- ond: A detailed study of the new Basaisa village to understand the founding process, social structures and its relation t context, as a model for Sustainable new community (in relation to internal migration, employment problems, resources, services and infrastructure. This contributes to understanding the dynamics of development that took place and the role of all the involved stakeholders leading to the generation of a new community. As a result the documentation of both the origin village and the twinning process of the new desert com- munity will provide adequate data for future research and strategies for the construction of new cities. ●

Towards a Water Sensitive Development Strategy for Siwa Oasis

by Lisa Gänsbauer supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Prof.

Antje Stokman (2015) The past years have witnessed a rapid urbanisation process impacting on water-resources and the environment. With regard to Egypt, cities and villages are facing problems of water scarcity and wastewater, boosted by rapid population growth, urban sprawl and missing strategic planning.

Tackling these problems, This master’s thesis aims at outlining a Water Sensitive Development Strategy, which is a strategy that considers the water cycle in a holistic way and integrates the cycle within the urban environment.

Developing the strategy, the thesis considers the theories of Water Sensitive Urban Design, Integrated Urban Water Resource Management, Green Infrastructure, Commons and community- based knowledge. To explore the opportunities of water sensitive, bottom-up solutions and setting up a Water

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Development of Peripheral Settlements Theme

Sensitive Development Strategy, Siwa Oasis serves as a case study. On-site, local stakeholders in interdisciplinary stakeholder workshops propose water related development challenges, principles for future development and important measures to take. The proposals are complemented with expert interviews, literature reviews and site visits. A catalogue of exemplary measures is set out to help Siwa in overcoming challenges and move towards a more sustainable development.

The study demonstrates that interdisciplinary stakeholder workshops are a valuable method- ology for gathering local experts, exchanging knowledge and engaging the community in an important discourse. They facilitate outlining well-needed, feasible and socially acceptable solutions as well as raising awareness about challenges and opportunities. It is expected that local stakeholders can benefit from the methodologies introduced and measures pro- posed in this thesis. Further, they can offer valuable knowledge and guidance for other arid urban landscapes. â—?

Shalatin (Egypt): Between Urbanism & Nomadism by Mohamed Mahrous, supervised by Prof. Dr. Youhansen Yehya Eid, Prof. Antje Stokman, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yehya Mohamed Serag (2014) Shalatin is one of the most peripheral and isolated human settlements in Egypt. However, recently the State has been applying different Sedentarization strategies targeting the Bedouin population in the region and attracting outmigrants from the Nile valley as well. Thus, this recent transformation towards urbanization of the city has resulted in: inconsistent urban growth, the negligence of inhabitants’ spatial needs, and discarding their cultural diversity and ecological context. Hence, this research aims at investigating the urbanization process taking place in Shalatin and evaluating the associated socio-ecological transformation. Moreover, it illustrates the city growth to grasp reasons behind such transformation. In this respect, three methods have been adopted to carry out this research.

Firstly, literature reviewing of publications and official documents that has been conducted to understand more about the Egyptian Nomadic groups and analyze urban approaches adopted by authorities targeting different IUSD MSc – Abstracts (2013-2015)

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ethnicities within the city and the resulting influences on shaping the city of Shalatin. Secondly, field research visit has been conducted; in order to track actual dynamics and the on ground socio-ecological and spatial factors.

Afterwards, collected data is visualised and compared through tracing and analyzing the city maps; to monitor the existing urban conditions and patterns formed by inhabitants. Eventually, the research achieves set of key findings and conclusions regarding the importance of integrating the ethnic backgrounds and socio-ecological differences of Shalatin. By the end of research, set of recommendations is listed towards improving the urban growth of Shalatin and the associated urban development framework. â—?

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Theme 6: Heritage and Urban Conservation

Heritage and Urban Conservation Theme

Port Said - No Future without the Past Integrated Rehabilitation Concept for the Urban Heritage by Stefanie Anna Maria Wladika supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Prof. Dr. Astrid Ley, Prof. Dr. Dalila ElKerdany (2015) Port Said, a former colonial city located at the edge between the Mediterranean See and the Suez Canal at the north coast of Egypt, is struggling between new urban development and urban heritage preservation. A fight between nostalgic memories and modern life style dreams, between feared responsibility and aimed economic benefit, and between lost urban identity and appreciated globalisation, amongst others.

This research identifies the threatened urban heritage of Port Said, its current conditions and the reasons behind the on-going urban development processes - seemingly out of control - before discussing a possible integrated rehabilitation approach for the threatened urban heritage of Port Said.

Detailed in selected scenarios, regulating the future development and proposing a new urban vision for the en- tire city based on the historic city centre and its unique urban heritage. In order to understand the complexity and various layers of on-going processes within the historic urban landscape of Al-Afranq and Al-Arab Quarter in Port Said a theoretical framework towards urban rehabilitation in the context of city and community is developed. Based on the meaning of historic urban areas towards the urban identity of its inhabitants and threats due to on-going urbanisation processes and increasing influences of globalisation. Urban heritage and rehabilitation within the context of historic cultural landscapes and the ‘Operational Guidelines’ of the UNESCO as a conceptual backbone for the development of an individual urban rehabilitation concept for Port Said.

Ending in the outlook, if Port Said is unique in its outstanding value or if the combination with the Suez Canal, its cultural landscape, including Port Said is the outstanding inter- national monument, representing the historic abilities of Egypt. ●

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Understanding the gap between heritage conservation and local development in Egypt: Towards an integrated strategic model for Pompey’s pillar and the Catacombs area in Alexandria by Mohamed Aniss Mohamed Abdelwahab ElGamal, supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Vertr. Prof. Dr. Nina Gribat, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hebatalla Abouelfadl (2014) For decades, Egypt has been facing many challenges in the fields of heritage conservation and local development. These challenges continue to increase due to rapid urbanization in historical cities thus resulting in complicated juxtaposed contexts of heritage resources and deteriorated dwellings, where slum areas are dotted with heritage structures. Nowadays, these complicated contexts are characterized by their severe deteriorated conditions as the majority of them lack of basic amenities and suffer from many socioeconomic problems. In parallel, many archaeological sites suffer from a continuous destruction due to the deteriorated conditions of their surroundings as well as the lack of a sustained maintenance.

This situation reflects the conflict between heritage conservation and local development in Egypt. It further indicates the incapacity of different stakeholders including national and local Egyptian governments, NGOs, and the community to deal with the complexity of such urban contexts. In this regard, the thesis studies heritage conservation and local development aiming to understand the gap between both practices in Egypt. The main objective of the research is to develop an integrated strategy for archaeological sites and deteriorated areas in juxtaposed contexts in Egypt, and to introduce an integrated strategic model for the main case study area ‘Pompey’s pillar’, the ‘Catacombs’ in Alexandria, Egypt. First, the relationship between conservation and development is thoroughly examined and linked to wider literature reviews. This examination discusses their different definitions, approaches, perceptions as well as shifting agendas aiming to understand the evolution of their trajectories, highlights potentials to bridge the gap, and develops evaluation criteria to analyze related case studies. Afterwards, both practices are discussed in reference to a number of case studies in cities of the Global South, i.e. Porto Alegre, Brazil, Agra, and Mumbai. Profound analyses of these case studies are conducted aiming to 80

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Heritage and Urban Conservation Theme

investigate the main key aspects of success through cross case studies analysis (Matrix). This matrix could help create a delineation of an integrated strategy for future interventions in similar contexts, namely the case study of Alexandria, Egypt. Afterwards, the research shifts to study the gap between conservation and development in Egypt by exploring its historical background. The study traces the gap through the modern history of Egypt from the second half of the nineteenth century, and studies the discourse between both practices. Furthermore, the Egyptian administrative system that manages archaeological sites and deteriorated areas is reviewed. The study contains analyses of laws and regulations regarding urban management and heritage conservation on national, regional and local levels. It further determines different governmental entities that manage the Egyptian urban context. In order to bring about a better understanding of the Egyptian context, the examination is discussed in reference to three case studies in Egypt, Ezbet Khyrallah, ElMatarya and Al-Drab Al-Ahmar, Cairo.

Thus, the research highlights shortcomings that cause the gap in Egypt. It further examines applicability of the main key factors of success, which have been identified earlier, in the Egyptian context. Consequently, it builds the foundations upon which a properly integrated strategy will be developed in their regarding. Subsequently, the thesis introduces the main case study in Alexandria, and provides profound analyses of its physical characteristics, socioeconomic patterns as well as different positions of actors and institutions involved in the area.

Additionally, the study analyzes former interventions carried out by different entities in the area showing their impact on the welfare of residents.

Ultimately, the research develops an integrated strategy for heritage conservation and local development in Egypt based on analyses of the gap and learning from successful case studies in the Global South. Furthermore, an integrated strategic model for the main case study in Alexandria is proposed based on the examination of the Egyptian context, analyses of successful case studies in similar contexts and analyses of the case study area. â—?

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Urban Space and Politics of Transition in Contemporary Cairo by Mahy Mourad Nowier, supervised by Prof. Dr. Mohamed A. Salheen, Vertr.

Prof. Dr. Nina Gribat (2014) At the turn of the twenty-first century, Cairo’s modern spaces are continuously defined and redefined according to the shifting political powers, economic regimes and social dynamic. In 1974, Henery Lefebvre has urged us to shift our attention from the ‘things in space’ to the actual ‘production of space’; he argued that every society, hence every mode of production, produces a certain space of its own. This thesis traces the change in the representation and perception of architectural and urban aesthetics in contemporary Cairo throughout the twentieth century through focusing on Heliopolis, a remarkable modern urbanizations that has distinguishing architectural style and eclectic aesthetics. Today, Heliopolis is also having its own community initiative and preservation group; monitoring, defending and preserving its modern heritage; they ought to extend their positive effect on the city of Cairo.

The first part of this research is a historical narrative that profoundly analyses the process of making of the belle epoch aesthetics at the outset of the twentieth century during the era of foreign hegemony. After the 1952 revolution, the aesthetics that was conceived during a ‘colonial’ era were ignored and perceived as irrelevant to the national character of a newly independent country; Egypt. The research also explores the socialist governmental endeavors to restructure urban space and the aspects of national aesthetics. Further the research examines the process of distortion of the origin heritage under the liberal and neoliberal states; that have evoked nostalgia and interest in the belle epoch heritage. During that economic liberalization era, new developments were consuming the city’s modern heritage; however, the perception of belle epoch aesthetics was rediscovered and appreciated. Moreover, the research explores the most recent acts of reclaiming Cairo’s modern heritage by the various community movements that are currently unfolding in the city post 2011 revolution. ●

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Urban Upgrading of the Historical Town as a Step towards Sustainability – Development of a Generic Sustainable Urban Upgrading Strategy for the Historical Town in Syria Applied to the old Town of Jableh by Ghevar Mohamed Ismaiel, supervised by Prof.

Dr. Youhansen Yehia Eid, Prof. JosĂŠ Luis Moro, Prof. Dr. Ahmed Atef Faggal (2013) The urban upgrading of historical towns is considered one of the most complicated processes, as it requires an integrated aspect of management, which is constantly elaborating procedures starting with programs and plans' settings, and ending by the implementation phase, which includes applying several intervention policies upon the historical fabric and its different assets; such as restoration, rehabilitation, reuse, redevelopment, and maintenance.

However, implementing urban upgrading strategies requires adequate degree of comprehensiveness and integration in order to sustainably include the various upgrading considerations that contribute to solve the existing problems and fulfill the users' needs and claims on social, economic, physical, and environmental levels. It is worth mentioning that the upgrading considerations are variable factors due to time and place, therefore the strategy should be adaptable, able to sustain itself, and appropriately keep up with modernity and developments.

On the other hand, most of previous studies addressed the upgrading in inconvenient approaches, that are not efficient for all the considerations of this crucial process, for instance, some studies assumed strictly concrete criteria for all case studies, whereas, some others consider the upgrading process for historical sectors not different from those for modern fabric, paying no attention to the uniqueness value, and to our responsibility of safeguarding it as our heritage which is not accepted to be compromised on.

Accordingly the research elaborate a sustainable integrated upgrading strategy for the historical Syrian towns, based on analyzing the efficiency of the various upgrading and sustainability factors, then evaluating them to achieve the most applicable and comprehensive upgrading alternative, which is the high- 10 comprehensive partial upgrading alternative; comprehensive IUSD MSc – Abstracts (2013-2015)

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for all upgrading parameters, and partial in each parameter's objectives.

For the empirical study, the research chooses the old town of Jableh to apply the strategy adopted alternative, as this town is elected by the State Management of Projects and Developments, showing the implementation techniques that are related to the Jableh town specificity, potentials, and the local community adaptation to change and participate, in addition to prove the strategy flexibility and applicability to other Syrian historical towns. â—?

Towards a strategy for regaining cultural identity in the urban reconstruction of the war-ravaged city center of Homs, Syria by Sana Kassouha, supervised by Prof. Dr. Ayman Ashour, Prof. Dr. Wolf Reuter, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yehya Mohamed Serag (2014) This thesis focuses on the urban reconstruction of the war-damaged city center of Homs in Syria, which was destroyed during the recent war (2011 today). It presents an approach of reconstruction which extends beyond the reconstruction of physical aspects, with special focus on cultural identity.

Particularly, it explores how cultural identity interacts with and impacts on post-conflict recovery processes, and how heritage can be used to assist in regenerating war-torn communities. This thesis suggests that heritage is an active process containing the meaning and values of the past, present and future, and how all this can influence the ways in which people recover and develop in the wake of the war trauma.

The research firstly deals with the context of urban reconstruction after disaster (war) in theoretical and conceptual terms, and makes reference to past experiences (Beirut, Mostar). Secondly, it uses a detailed case study of Homs city center, draws an analytical framework about the urban history of the city, the conditions of the community and the city prior to the disaster.

This study focuses on finding new perspectives and uses judgments made by the inhabitants of Homs concerning reconstruction strategies, mainly taking the aspect of cultural identity, through semi-structured interviews. It 84

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proposes a way of capitalising on people's initiatives, maximising the use of available resources, to solve existing problems and improve conditions using developmental process. â—?

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