Informal Areas: Shortcomings and New Perspectives in Post-graduate Programmes
Based on the argument that Cairo’s recent urban development projects took place at the expense of the urban poor, this article aims to reconsider the processes of urban practices towards informal areas in Egypt. Until now, solutions put forth by the government have been informed by physically-orient...
Zapisane w:
| Wydane w: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/ema, |
|---|---|
| 1. autor: | |
| Format: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Język: | Anglais |
| Wydane: |
Égypte/Monde arabe
2014
|
| Hasła przedmiotowe: | |
| Dostęp online: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Streszczenie: | Based on the argument that Cairo’s recent urban development projects took place at the expense of the urban poor, this article aims to reconsider the processes of urban practices towards informal areas in Egypt. Until now, solutions put forth by the government have been informed by physically-oriented thinking: upgrading and merging informal areas within formal city districts, buffering them, or eradicating them. In this regard, these are approaches that ignore the social aspects of informal neighbourhoods. Moreover, there has been a long-term inability of the government and the private sector to provide enough affordable accommodation for a majority of urban dwellers. This article argues that one of the reasons for the discrepancies in informal neighbourhood policy originates in the way they are tackled in local architecture school curricula. Courses dedicated to informal areas focus on the gap between the designer’s anticipations and actual use; this is partly due to the designer’s deterministic attitude shaped by a long tradition in the profession. The article also offers some specific suggestions for new courses that could help with these shortcomings. |
|---|