A Strategy for Achieving Sustainable Urban Development in Coastal Informal Areas through a Participatory Approach.

Document Type : Research Studies

Authors

1 Teaching Assistant at Horus University & MSc. Student at the Architectural Engineering Dept. Faculty of Engineering, Mansoura University

2 Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering – Mansoura University

3 Department of Architecture – faculty of Engineering – Mansoura University

Abstract

Coastal areas have highly productive economic values for its residents, with huge potentials in fisheries and marine resources. The human factor with social capitals is vital potential in these coastal areas. The inhabitants work on fishing activities, intermediary traders, and other coastal related businesses. However, some of these areas are characterized with unplanned areas, poor livelihood, deteriorated buildings, with no green or public spaces. Moreover, these areas also suffer due to its far locations from cities’ centers and their eliminating from the urban development plans. In general, these problems have transformed them into coastal informal areas.
Previous studies proved that there is no common methodology for dealing with coastal informal areas in Egypt. Furthermore, there is a gap between development plans and realities as they only focus on urban upgrading without considering participatory approaches, human factor, or spatial characteristics. Hence, this paper aims to formulate a strategy for achieving urban sustainability in the upgrading of coastal informal areas using a participatory approach. A comparative analysis is carried out for three coastal case studies in Indonesia, Nigeria, and Egypt to evaluate the impacts of urban upgrading using a participatory approach according to the dimensions of sustainability: social, economic, and environmental.
Finally, the evaluation ends with recommendations for a participatory framework to attain sustainable upgraded coastal informal areas in Egypt. The proposed framework forms of eight drivers for attaining sustainability; economic inclusion, financial sustainability, cultural preservation, spatial inclusion, social and human capital, quality of life, environmental quality, and urban management.

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