Preface

The urban context is important for all of us, not least because so many of us live in cities. The Programme of Integrated Urbanism and Sustainable Design recognizes the role that cities play in the lives of so many researchers and has committed itself to act in this area. Urban environments directly influence the lives of millions of citizens and, in turn, have a substantial impact on the wider environment. The Cities in the Middle East and Northern Africa need further than ever to be livable and should attempt the kind of quality of life and opportunity that make people aspire to live in them and make businesses want to advance. Therefore, this issue of IUSD Journal that is launched based on a selected topic raised in the fourth intake of Master Program of Integrated Urbanism and Sustainable Urbanism (IUSD). The working manuscripts are dedicated especially to three main themes: (first), the land and development, (second urban rehabilitation and Socioeconomic Values, and (third) Environmental Design and Energy Efficiency Resources.

In the land and development, the manuscripts under this theme discuss some cases from Cairo, Egypt; Amman, Jordon; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. They have a particular focus on the relationship with the built environment taking into consecration aspects of society and management process. ‘The Urban Rehabilitation and Socioeconomic Values’ tries to change the aspect of the built environment from being with only a culture value to be with also a valuable economic interest for the investment process. The primary objective of the presented works is to discover the alternative approaches to raising the financial estimation of the heritage that our cities have.

The manuscript “Rethinking Halted Investments” aims to investigate these projects and explore the potential for interim use. The outcomes structures on the framework of mapping potential of interim use as a temporary solution to those buildings. This will include a comparative analysis of best practice cases from Amman. In Addis Ababa, study approaches of ‘Sustainable strategies for urban renewal’ handles the issue of assessing sustainability through two major phases: the first is to identify the core issues that need to be deliberate, while the second is to design a tool used for assessment. An indicator index classified according to the four pillars of sustainability (social, environmental, economic and institutional criteria) was designed, putting into consideration the key issues identified.

The second track gives a highlight on the urban spaces from different perspectives to solve the problem that they may face in the Middle East. The scars of our city remain in each corner of our spaces, and while some of us can grasp and feel them in a way, others perceive them as disturbing and redundant, or a waste of space. The manuscript “Urban Stress Relief in Heritage Sites as a Sustaining Approach” tell a story about Port Said, Egypt. This story opens a new platform for further outlooks of researchers.

In “The Impacts of the Physical Settings and Human Activities” the author gives a comparison between settlements in Cairo. The importance of this research emerges from the shortening of the residential urban spaces within developed housing projects provided by the government, built for people who used to live.

Passing by Alexandria’s old town centre is like crossing through an open museum incorporate different architectural styles: Italian, British, Greek and French buildings stand there where it exhibits

Alexandria’s history. A Win-Win Situation of Listed Villas and Owners’ Economic Losses” aims to change the value of the listed buildings from being with only a culture value to be with also an economic interest for the owners. The primary objective of the research is to discover the best approach to raising the financial estimation of the listed villa in Alexandria until it has the same estimation of or more than the building if decimated and replaces by a tall structure, so the owners are willing to keep it and safeguard it. Accordingly, the central question of the research raised, how to achieve a win-win situation between listed buildings in Egypt and the economic needs of the users?

In “Mapping the Women’s Perception of Safety on Public Spaces”, the research sheds light broadly on the working and middle-class districts in Cairo, raising questions concerning the class dynamics and urban behaviour in these Sha’bi communities regarding various aspects. One of the topics that this research steps in are the cultural enlightenment, which is happening in such famous medieval and historic districts. It shows how the area has been a spot for cultural revitalization and has recently developed attraction points for middle-upper class communities, which can be described as cultural enlightenment projects. The researches such as “Sociocultural Dynamics in the Preservation of Historical Centres” explore the relation between the knowledge practices of preservation professionals of the Medina, adopted by the responsible authorities and institutions, its reality as a dynamic urban setting and the role of its dynamics in the preservation of its identity.

The residential sector is the largest consumer of energy globally and locally in Egypt. The third Environmental Design and Energy Efficiency Resources handles this issue. The manuscript entitled “Integrating Sustainable Energy Solutions into Urban Design” examines the projected energy yield from PV panels in comparison to energy consumption. Meanwhile, the residential sector is also the largest contributor to greenhouse gases and fuel as well. An alternative source for energy can bring the generation of clean energy which could affect directly into the residential sector as well as the whole community. Eventually, the research reaches a set of key findings which are listed to be put into consideration when developing Cairo’s informal settlements. The Cairene urban rooftops have only recently been perceived as potential resources by two competing technologies– the Agri-rooftops and the PV-rooftops that transform the roof space from the stagnating state of wasting into a new state of exploitation. The paper “Rooftops from Wasted to Scarce Resource” summarises a thesis that aimed at providing a comprehensive understanding of the potentials and constraints of the Agri and PV technologies’ adoption by the rooftops of residential buildings in Cairo.

In conclusion, the contribution of the current issue covers the topics in the region of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). These all try to solve a particular problem that had been raised from the researcher motivation. The research structure and methodology were discussed with the supervisors’ committee. The full belief of the importance of gaining and exchanging knowledge was the primary driver to present this work to the research field. Certainly, it will be of benefit to other researchers who have the same interests.

Editor-in-chief

Abeer Elshater

Cairo, September 2016