Downtown Cairo Regeneration
Home to the emblematic Tahrir Square, the Egyptian Museum, Egypt’s Belle Époque architectural legacy as well international hotels based around the Nile, Downtown Cairo comes as a unique location given its significant importance within the history of greater Cairo. During the period between the late 1860 and1940, Downtown Cairo witnessed a major building boom that gave birth to a unique architecture combining European styles with local influences and materials. However, the introduction of new property laws in the mid 1950’s and 1960’s triggered a change to the setup in Downtown Cairo. These laws resulted in minimal returns for owners who lost interest in their properties and gave little attention to the upkeep of their buildings which caused a major deterioration of the area’s building conditions. The Government of Egypt has manifested its intent to redevelop the Downtown Cairo area since 2008 through a number of major plans such as the Strategic Development Plan for Greater Cairo Region 2050, and subsequent Urban Plan for Downtown Cairo (completed in May 2010) and the declaration of the area as an Urban Protectorate under the Urban Harmonization Authority in 2008. A number of additional studies were also carried out on Downtown area as focus studies or as part of Greater Cairo, such as by JICA, the World Bank, and the Institute for International Urban Development. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (“EBRD” or the “Bank”) is considering financing there furbishment of a number of real estate assets located in Downtown Cairo intended primarily for commercial use.
Develop a clear implementation plan for an integrated and sustainable regeneration of Downtown Cairo. Under this task the Consultant is to conduct a comprehensive review of all masterplans or urban plan studies developed by the Government of Egypt, Cairo Governorate, and various other stakeholders on the regeneration of Downtown Cairo. The review is expected to combine desk research and field research that includes stakeholder consultation and interviews.
Accordingly, the Consultant is expected to develop an implementation plan with a clear set of recommendations for the sustainable regeneration of Downtown Cairo.
Study for:
EBRD (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development)
In cooperation with:
Cairo Governorate, Misr Real Estate Asssets, Al Ismaelia
Project Partners:
e7, OHK
Financed by:
BMF (Bundesministerium für Finanzen)
Duration of the study: 2016 - 2017