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9 - A Proactive Social Infrastructure Model for Future Mixed-Use Housing in Egypt

from Part I - Mitigating Institutional Voids by Design

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 November 2019

By
Wafaa Nadim
Edited by
Nuno Gil ,
Anne Stafford  and
Innocent Musonda
Nuno Gil
Affiliation:
University of Manchester
Anne Stafford
Affiliation:
University of Manchester
Innocent Musonda
Affiliation:
University of Johannesburg
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Summary

Egypt’s population of 96 million is expected to double within the next twenty to thirty years. Given that Egypt has failed to meet a continuous increase in housing demand since the 1950s, there has been an expansion of informal housing, informal adaptation of formal housing and informal mixing of residential and non-residential uses. Whilst informal interventions may allow better access to affordable housing, they do not abide by building codes or regulations; thus, they burden existing infrastructure, and negatively affect the physical and psychological well-being of society.

This chapter investigates the potential for a dynamic response to a society’s changing housing needs. A case study in an informal area of the Greater Cairo Region (GCR) sought to define means of informal interventions in order to capitalize on lessons learned, and to inform future mainstream housing developments in Egypt.

It concludes that a proactive flexible and adaptable mixed-use housing model may help respond to the socio-economic and demographic dynamics of households. However, the compatibility of non-residential activities requires investigation, and any necessary measures taken before mixing with residential. This model also anticipates a reduction in commuting, which would alleviate traffic congestion and strengthen community ties.

Type
Chapter
Information
Duality by Design
The Global Race to Build Africa's Infrastructure
 , pp. 254 - 283
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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