Introduction ..........................................................................................................................................1

1. Introduction

The research is discussing the topic of communities in rural cities of Egypt. Most problems of these areas are due to inadequate infrastructure, solid waste accumulation and agglomeration. Although the aforementioned problems can be easily defined by the inhabitants and the visitors. The social problems aspect usually goes by unnoticed, which creates an even bigger problem in peri-urban societies. Our project takes place in Shubra El Kheima where all the aforementioned inadequacies take place. To create urban solutions for the city’s problems, one must watch closely the local’s assets, needs and behaviors and manage to use them in an efficient way to create interventions. Otherwise, all the interventions will cease to exist, if they didn't respond to people’s needs or if people’s behavior didn’t match it. Thus, through this research we will explore the area of Shubra El Kheima and analyse both its resources and inhabitants, in hope to produce alternatives of intervention that would benefit them if applied.

2. Aim

The aim of the project is to create a better living environment for the people of Shubra el Kheima, through interventions which address the infrastructure of the district, in addition to other secondary issues, which are usually not given the same scope of attention, but indeed are also important, such as leisure and social ties of the community. Consequently, higher levels of the Maslow Triangle will be addressed, in addition to the lower ones, whilst paying attention and respecting the culture and behavioral patterns of the place.

3. Objectives

• Enhance the performance of the infrastructure of the district • Provide a solution for the dominant issue of the district – the accumulation of garbage, in a way that would consider it a potential, rather than a constraint. • Allocate spaces for leisure, for the different age groups of the area. • Efficient and effective design and usage of the available spaces and street dimensions.

4. Methodology

The process was iterative, researches were made, alongside interviews and observations to analyze the state of the area, the needs assessments followed, which allowed alternatives to be produced to enhance the standards of living in Shubra El Kheima. People’s opinions were documented, which iterated the process to come up with new alternatives that are more suited to their way of lives. 1. Research tools: An abundance of research tools were used to make sure most of the aspects were covered. The aforementioned research tools include: Site visits,