KRI Brown Bag Seminar #5: 'Reconciling Conservation and Development: The Case of Cairo'

On 2 November 2017, guest speaker Francesco Siravo, who specializes in historic preservation and town planning, presented at the fifth KRI Brown Bag Seminar on a topic titled “Reconciling Conservation and Development: The Case of Cairo”.

Reconciling Conservation and Development: The Case of Cairo

Francesco Siravo presented an urban redevelopment initiative in Cairo that ran under the Historic Cities Programme. The Historic Cities Programme, a part of the Aga Khan Trust Programme for Culture, works to revitalize urban centres and rural sites in ways that spur social, economic and cultural development. Its main aim is to improve lives and promote models of self-sustainability which are respectful of the environmental, social and cultural traditions of the communities concerned. In line with this objective, the Cairo project has since served as an example of how revitalization can contribute to the upbringing of quality of life for communities.


Between 1997 to 2005, the Historic Cities Programme implemented the conversion of a 33-hectare wasteland, located in the core of Islamic Cairo, into a green park now known as the Al-Azhar Park. This project began with the gradual reclamation and re-shaping of the land. About a million cubic metres of fill and debris were moved, and a lake was created, along with more than 200,000 square meters of planting. Today, the Al-Azhar Park stands as a public open space that is self-sustainable, and increasingly becoming one of Cairo’s most popular attractions with over a million visitors per year from a mix of social groups. More importantly, the park served as the catalyst for the comprehensive urban rehabilitation of the historic district of Darb Al-Ahmar.


Bordering the western edge of the Al-Azhar Park, Darb Al-Ahmar is a densely built-up, low-income area. Endowed with a central location, pedestrian scale, distinctive monuments, historic buildings and still active community of residents, the district had the potential of becoming once again a vibrant residential and commercial area, as well as an alternative destination for visitors to Islamic Cairo. In addition, the Al-Azhar Park initiative further enhanced the district's positive socio-economic prospects and provided a strong impetus for parallel rehabilitation efforts in the area.


The strategy of intervention for the area combined socio-economic and physical improvement initiatives, including the upgrading and rehabilitation of infrastructures, housing, open spaces, and monuments, most of which were dilapidated and badly maintained. These different interventions were complementary and reinforced each other throughout Darb al-Ahmar to create the conditions for an enduring revitalization based on the district’s physical assets, community resources and direct participation of the residents.


One major infrastructure rehabilitation initiative involved the restoration of the Ayyubid Wall, which itself encompassed a range of activities and expertise. This included archaeological excavations, documentations, condition surveys and masonry conservation work. All of these emphasized repairs and preservation, rather than reconstruction. At the end, the improvements of the Ayyubid Wall and its components—including its gates—contributed to the visual appeal of Darb al-Ahmar, and were readapted with new functions. For instance, initially with a military purpose, the promenades of the Ayyubid Wall now offer visitors a view of the city that was previously inaccessible.  


For the rehabilitation of homes, detailed surveys and studies were conducted. Not only were building conditions inspected, residents were also engaged and surveyed in detail. By engaging with the residents, the project was able to determine and account the needs of the residents, which later on make priorities in its plan. As an outcome, this housing rehabilitation effort not only gave visual and liveability improvements, but also resulted in over 285 households being granted a secured tenancy status, thus preserving the all-important social fabric of the historic Darb al-Ahmar.


Similar principles were also applied to the rehabilitation of other monuments, infrastructures and open spaces. Historic community buildings, rather than demolishing them, were redeveloped and given new functions. Infrastructures, including public spaces, pavement, lightning and signage, too were given attention. For public open spaces, detailed studies and surveys were conducted to determine how people would like to use them and the kind of amenities they would want. Overall, improvements in these gave a visual boost, as well as enhanced its general usability and thus uplifting the resident’s quality of life.


To conclude, Francesco Siravo described that the programmes and activities carried out during the life of the project serves as a model of urban rehabilitation that is radically different from conventional planning approaches. The conventional approaches, he argued, are often based on grand and impractical schemes, which call for the demolition of the historic fabric, the displacement of residents and their economic activities, and their substitution with new functions and automobile oriented modern developments. As demonstrated by too many unfortunate examples, these massive interventions do not only destroy the physical character of an area, they also deprive it of the social base that sustains the life of the community.


The Cairo experience shows that combining conservation with development can offer a sustainable and socially responsible alternative to the haphazard and wholesale transformation of economically depressed historic areas. Such synergy is crucial to identifying employment strategies and physical improvements that make a difference in the everyday life of the residents. Furthermore, it helps to mobilize resources and restore the beauty and integrity of these neighbourhoods. The strategies employed in Cairo should not remain as an isolated example, but serve as a blueprint for rehabilitating historic neighbourhoods and improving the quality of life of the communities they contain.

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