{"id":7570,"date":"2016-05-26T04:08:47","date_gmt":"2016-05-26T04:08:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.creativecitiescairo.org\/conference\/?page_id=7570"},"modified":"2024-09-14T00:40:10","modified_gmt":"2024-09-14T00:40:10","slug":"panels","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/creativecitiescairo.org\/?page_id=7570","title":{"rendered":"Panels"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row bg_type=”bg_color” bg_override=”ex-full” enable_overlay=”enable_overlay_value” overlay_color=”#ffffff” overlay_pattern=”08.png” overlay_pattern_opacity=”30″ css=”.vc_custom_1464243462182{margin-top: -50px !important;margin-bottom: -90px !important;padding-top: 40px !important;padding-bottom: 90px !important;}” bg_color_value=”#ffffff”][vc_column el_class=”wpb_animate_when_almost_visible wpb_left-to-right”][vc_tta_tabs alignment=”right” active_section=”1″][vc_tta_section title=”Panel 1 >” tab_id=”1464222473476-54127417-9c33″][vc_text_separator title=”Is Gentrification Inevitable?” style=”double” border_width=”2″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1478672878117{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Panel Summary:<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1480887406004{padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #dddddd !important;}”]The first panel was moderated by Mona Abaza from the Department of\u00a0Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, and Egyptology, School of Humanities\u00a0and Social Sciences at the American University in Cairo (AUC), who\u00a0introduced questions regarding the gentrification of downtown Cairo.\u00a0She noted that it is important to include a discussion of the state\u2019s\u00a0growing attempts to gain control over the public sphere. These attempts have involved \u201ccleaning up\u201d Downtown, by means such as superficially\u00a0beautifying select buildings and evicting the street vendors. This\u00a0\u201cbeautification\u201d has been undertaken by the state alongside an increased\u00a0militarization of the area through the erection of walls and checkpoints.\u00a0Referencing Galila El Kadi\u2019s book on Downtown Le Caire: Centre en\u00a0<\/em>mouvement<\/em>, Abaza questioned the links between the possible current\u00a0gentrification of Downtown and the phenomenon of the nomadism of the\u00a0rich, in particular toward Dubai-style gated communities and compounds\u00a0in the desert satellite cities inspired by military models of urban planning.\u00a0Citing El Kadi\u2019s description of the old bourgeoisie\u2019s prior departure from\u00a0decaying Belle \u00c9poque<\/em> residences like \u2018Abdin, Qasr al-Nil, \u2018Imad al-Din,\u00a0and Hilmiya to move on toward new areas such as Zamalek, Muhandisin,\u00a0Heliopolis and Duqqi, Abaza noted: \u201cif we are speaking of Downtown we\u00a0have to keep in mind that the dream of the new rich is not Downtown.\u201d\u00a0Raising the question of whether the gentrification of Downtown is inevitable,\u00a0Abaza interrogated whether investing in public spaces for the arts could\u00a0be a way of mitigating further urban violence, at the risk of erasing political\u00a0memory, asking: \u201cHas culture or rather revolutionary culture become the\u00a0means per se to pacify the city and erase the memory of urban wars?\u201d<\/p>\n

The panel\u2019s first speaker, historian Lucie Ryzova of Birmingham\u00a0University, addressed downtown Cairo as a site of multiple claims: social,\u00a0cultural, political, and economic. She explained the long-standing socially\u00a0porous space of Downtown, with its flexible boundaries of class and\u00a0gender, and celebratory or carnivalesque qualities in relation to Michel\u00a0Foucault\u2019s concept of heterotopia. Ryzova characterized Downtown\u2019s\u00a0diverse publics; including intellectuals and artists, expats and activists,\u00a0old-timers, young men, and people from the lower middle class as\u00a0enjoying \u201cradical autonomy\u201d and \u201crelative freedom\u201d in the area. She\u00a0claimed these figures pass each other \u201clike ships in the night,\u201d presenting\u00a0Downtown as \u201ca space belonging to no one, but available to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Describing Downtown as an upscale neighborhood of shopping and\u00a0leisure in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Ryzova\u00a0charted its eclipse as a hub of power and influence, and the rise of its\u00a0bohemian, liminal character. She located this decline less in the years of\u00a0President Gamal Abdel Nasser , and more in the \u201copen door policy\u201d years\u00a0of President Anwar al-Sadat\u2019s administration \u201cwhich started a process of\u00a0urban segregation that continues to this day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryzova claimed the growing interest in downtown Cairo on the part\u00a0of government, capital, and sections of the educated Egyptian public\u00a0should be understood within the broader context of neoliberalism and in\u00a0relation to the urban flight by Egypt\u2019s middle and upper middle class to\u00a0newly built desert cities and gated communities. She pointed to Egyptian\u00a0government agencies\u2019 cultural habilitation of core parts of Downtown\u00a0and \u201cgentrification plans\u201d by private companies such as Al Ismaelia\u00a0for Real Estate Investment, whose model of urban regeneration she\u00a0argued aims to encourage and exploit Downtown\u2019s creative and artistic\u00a0elements.<\/p>\n

Ryzova postulated that the non-hegemonic quality of Downtown is\u00a0not only a product of the 2011 revolution, but that its \u201cheterotopic\u00a0infrastructure\u201d is a result of a culture that has persisted over more than\u00a0a century and that she foresees being \u201cmore resilient than any of its\u00a0enemies are able to imagine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryzova was followed by Akram Ismail who represented Misr Real\u00a0Estate Assets, an insurance sector company responsible for many of\u00a0the renovation projects taking place in Downtown. Ismail presented\u00a0examples of the firm\u2019s past and future renovation plans. He explained\u00a0that the company owns 192 buildings in Egypt, of which 108 are located\u00a0in Cairo alone, with 18-20 of these buildings to date refurbished to their\u00a0original state.<\/p>\n

Misr Real Estate Assets cooperates with the Cairo governorate and\u00a0the National Organization for Urban Harmony (NOUH) and as such, the\u00a0company prioritizes buildings that are of first interest to the governorate.\u00a0They have developed plans to renovate the outer appearance of the\u00a0buildings as well as the interiors, including plumbing and carpeting.<\/p>\n

The final speaker was Ernesto L\u00f3pez-Morales of the University of Chile\u2019s\u00a0Architecture and Urbanism Faculty. He gave a presentation on case\u00a0studies of creative redevelopment in Latin American cities, addressing\u00a0the shortcomings of state-led gentrification in Latin America as part of\u00a0the post-industrial economic boom. L\u00f3pez-Morales argued that neoliberal\u00a0approaches to gentrification, involving the stigmatization of poverty\u00a0in Latin America, the eviction of residents from \u201cheritage protection\u00a0zones,\u201d and militarized police control over public space, have led to the\u00a0creation of \u201cspaces of exclusion\u201d across the Latin American continent.<\/p>\n

L\u00f3pez-Morales referred to Richard Florida\u2019s concept of the creative class,\u00a0which posits that the movement of creative professionals to city centers\u00a0fuels regeneration. He discussed its influence on development in Latin\u00a0America, pointing to its impact on policies including the rescue program\u00a0in Mexico City\u2019s historical center, which marginalized \u201cundesirable\u201d social\u00a0elements, resulting in the total displacement of street vendors in the area.\u00a0L\u00f3pez-Morales further presented the transformation of the district of\u00a0Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires.<\/p>\n

As a result of state-promoted local and foreign investment, the district\u00a0was developed into one of the most sought-after residential districts for\u00a0young creative professionals in the 1990s, the profits of which accrued\u00a0to private forces. Likewise, he gave examples of neoliberal approaches\u00a0that disempower local residents including the accelerated tourist-led\u00a0gentrification of Panama City.<\/p>\n

L\u00f3pez-Morales gave numerous examples of policies that attempted,\u00a0but failed to protect local residents. In Quito, Ecuador for example,\u00a0government policies of de-gentrification sought to keep housing\u00a0affordable for the public, but still regulated public spaces, relocating\u00a0street vendors and sex workers. Another alternative he discussed, the\u00a0Uruguayan Federation of Housing for Mutual-Support Cooperatives\u00a0(FUCVAM), Uruguay\u2019s oldest social movement, is a collective following\u00a0principles of self-management and collective ownership. L\u00f3pez-Morales\u00a0argued their work on housing and development provides an example of\u00a0responsible, non-gentrifying, non-oppressive urban development.<\/p>\n

The ensuing discussion and interventions by the audience not only\u00a0highlighted the complexity of the gentrification process, its multiple\u00a0actors and their competing interests, but also revealed the nuances\u00a0within the definition of the term itself. The discussion pointed to\u00a0the gap between state-led policies and tools for urban renewal,\u00a0addressing their critiques by scholars and activists as well as\u00a0alternative approaches undertaken by civil society organizations.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1464221853867{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Speakers:<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482667744631{padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #11c3f0 !important;}”]Ernesto L\u00f3pez-Morales:<\/a><\/strong> Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, Universdad de Chile.\u00a0View Profile.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Lucie Ryzova:<\/a><\/strong> Department of History, University of Birmingham. View Profile.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Akram Ismail:<\/a><\/strong> Board Vice Chair for Technical Affairs, Misr Real Estate. View Profile.<\/a><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1464219990867{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Discussant:<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1477806318803{padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #11c3f0 !important;}”]Mona Abaza:<\/strong> Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology and Egyptology, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, AUC. View Profile.<\/a><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_text_separator title=”Panel Videos” style=”double” border_width=”2″ css=”.vc_custom_1464237525923{padding-top: 25px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482666298989{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Presentation by Lucie Ryzova<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/dF_Dzy6YIx8″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482666330669{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Presentation by Akram Ismail<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/teGQIroAmKA”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482665952420{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Presentation by Ernesto Lopez Morales<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/my4Q2dlppdI”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482666384508{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Q & A<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/O_fuKdxr6_s”][vc_single_image image=”8037″ img_size=”full” onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” link=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLH66VuA4aOHzfx2fQpPzgKzjhLavXZyUl”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Panel 2 >” tab_id=”1464237606985-ae5e2c97-71f1″][vc_text_separator title=”Artists as Urban Catalysts” style=”double” border_width=”2″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1478672892053{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Panel Summary:<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1480882274951{padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #dddddd !important;}”]Moderated by Cairobserver<\/em>\u2019s Mohamed Elshahed, the second panel\u00a0addressed the role of artists and art organizations as urban catalysts,\u00a0and the effect they have on their local communities, as well as their\u00a0battles for funds and working space.<\/p>\n

Jane Hall of the London-based collective Assemble opened the\u00a0panel by speaking about the interaction between design and making,\u00a0and how to involve the public in the transformation of urban space.\u00a0Assemble employs culture and creativity to \u201cphysically shape and\u00a0change the city.\u201d Their grassroots activity works in recognition\u00a0that artists are not only drivers of the economy, but also often of\u00a0gentrification.<\/p>\n

Assemble\u2019s interventions on the fringes of the London Olympic Games attempted to work against the tide of gentrification in the area by\u00a0converting both a gas station and an overpass into movie theaters that\u00a0could function as social and cinematic spaces.<\/p>\n

In a radical bid to involve the community in Balmarnock, East Glasgow,\u00a0Assemble developed the Baltic Street Adventure Playground where\u00a0they encouraged children to engage in free play in the unstructured\u00a0space of an unused plot of land, which evolved into the community\u00a0articulating its vision for the development of the plot. Hall says that\u00a0such initiatives show how Assemble try \u201cto instigate the understanding\u00a0of what space can be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hall presented Assemble\u2019s studio, the Sugarhouse, as an experiment in\u00a0the creation of new space. The collective was designated by a London\u00a0local council as a temporary \u201coccupier\u201d in an industrial neighborhood\u00a0slated for redevelopment. In this role, Assemble designed and selfbuilt\u00a0workspaces for makers and artists within their own studio as well\u00a0as on adjacent industrial plots, creating a hub of shared activity.\u00a0While the Sugarhouse was funded by the London Legacy Development\u00a0Corporation, other projects of theirs need continuous funding through\u00a0arts councils, which has been an ongoing issue. Hall argued that\u00a0this speaks of the political will to gentrify through the arts, but not\u00a0necessarily to support their costs.<\/p>\n

Hall was followed by William Wells of Townhouse Gallery of\u00a0Contemporary Art in downtown Cairo, founded in 1998 and now an\u00a0anchor of the independent contemporary arts scene. He recounted his\u00a0experience setting up the gallery in an area of Downtown considered\u00a0lower class, full of workshops and car mechanics. Wells spoke of\u00a0the initial need to overcome a mutual mistrust between the artistic\u00a0community and local residents. They eventually developed a symbiotic\u00a0relationship, forming \u201cgeographically, a working community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wells spearheaded these changes by fostering conversation,\u00a0observation, and engagement, which brought all parties together.\u00a0Activities with local children transferred artistic skills and created new\u00a0horizons. He said, \u201cif somebody enters into our space, we have to be\u00a0thinking about who they will possibly interact with.\u201d Traffic on the street\u00a0increased due to Townhouse\u2019s activities, bringing economic benefit to the\u00a0tradespeople, while artists learned about materials, techniques, and ways\u00a0of making from them. \u201cWhether we like it or not, or whether we set out to\u00a0do it or not, we do change the societies we live in,\u201d said Wells.<\/p>\n

Wells spoke of Townhouse\u2019s struggle with dwindling funding for the\u00a0arts, and the establishment of corporate sponsorship with real estate\u00a0company SODIC, in return for creating a gallery in one of SODIC\u2019s gated\u00a0communities. \u201cWe are now faced with the challenge of trying to replicate\u00a0the same symbiotic relationship in a very wealthy neighborhood,\u201d\u00a0said Wells.<\/p>\n

While Hall and Wells focused on the interaction of community, space,\u00a0and art from the bottom up, Karim Shafei of Al Ismaelia for Real Estate\u00a0Investment provided a developer\u2019s vision of community building\u00a0through the renovation of Downtown\u2019s dilapidated structures. When\u00a0Al Ismaelia was established in 2008 and began purchasing buildings,\u00a0Shafei estimates they found 30 percent of the apartments vacant, 20\u00a0percent locked, and most of the remaining apartments occupied by\u00a0low employment businesses. They began to settle complex ownership\u00a0disputes and purchased deteriorating buildings Downtown. Al Ismaelia\u2019s\u00a0spaces include Radio Theater, the Viennoise Hotel, and the famous\u00a0al-Shurbagi building. Meanwhile, they took note of the area\u2019s cultural\u00a0activity, which Shafei credits as one catalyst of the 2011 revolution.<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s for-profit vision for a \u201cDowntown for all\u201d sought to\u00a0capitalize on two trends that Shafei states Al Ismaelia identified as early\u00a0as 2008: the \u201cEgyptianization of Egypt, and a move by the contemporary\u00a0art scene back into Downtown.\u201d They were particularly interested in\u00a0making disused buildings active, such as the conversion of the Radio\u00a0Theater into the studio for Bassem Youssef\u2019s TV show Al-Bernameg<\/em>, and\u00a0later Abla Fahita<\/em>. They further sought to tap into the arts scene to attract\u00a0people to Downtown, through the co-establishment with Studio Emad\u00a0Eddin of the Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (D-CAF), and the\u00a0renting of spaces to artists and art organizations.<\/p>\n

Shafei stressed that Al Ismaelia is a profit-seeking company, but that they\u00a0are committed to engaging with other stakeholders in the development\u00a0of Downtown. He argued that a viable business model is the only way\u00a0to preserve Downtown\u2019s urban fabric, since the neighborhood cannot\u00a0continue to rely on government renovation funds or personal individual\u00a0donations. He put forward Al Ismaelia\u2019s vision for the future: to encourage
\nthe creation of a NGO or board of trustees that would oversee the\u00a0responsible development of Downtown for all Egyptians.<\/p>\n

Rounding off the discussion was Youssef Shazli of the relatively young\u00a0alternative cinema venture, Zawya. Launched in March 2014 as a project\u00a0under Misr International Films, the arthouse cinema set up shop in\u00a0the smallest hall of Cinema Odeon, and has a separate entrance from\u00a0the cinema\u2019s back door in a Downtown alley. Originally, this secondary\u00a0entrance to the building was thought to be undesirable, though the\u00a0cinema\u2019s patrons, who come in large numbers from all over Cairo, now\u00a0make up a significant portion of customers at a local coffee shop situated\u00a0in the passageway.<\/p>\n

Shazli suggested that Zawya\u2019s unexpected success at the box office has\u00a0proven the commercial potential of arthouse movies, and has shown how\u00a0creative activities can transform and sustain thriving urban environments.\u00a0He said that even though their business model mainly focuses on\u00a0box office revenues, Zawya still relies on a wide range of corporate\u00a0sponsorships. Shazli said Zawya is considering expanding to another,\u00a0larger location, and is currently searching for another Downtown venue.<\/p>\n

The discussion highlighted the role of artistic and architectural\u00a0interventions in the urban regeneration of decaying or underserved\u00a0neighborhoods, critically examining the interests and positions of both\u00a0real estate developers and civil society organizations. This set the\u00a0stage for the conference panels that followed, which engaged the role\u00a0of government and small businesses in Downtown\u2019s development.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1464221853867{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Speakers:<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482667730174{padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #11c3f0 !important;}”]Jane Hall:<\/a><\/strong> Assemble, UK.\u00a0View Profile.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

William Wells:<\/a><\/strong> Townhouse Gallery of Contemporary Art. View Profile.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Karim Shafei:<\/a><\/strong> Chairman, Al Ismaelia for Real Estate Investment. View Profile.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Youssef Shazli:<\/a><\/strong> Zawya. View Profile.<\/a><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1464219990867{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Discussant:<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1477806715773{padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #11c3f0 !important;}”]Mohamed Elshahed:<\/strong> Cairobserver. View Profile.<\/a><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_text_separator title=”Panel Videos” style=”double” border_width=”2″ css=”.vc_custom_1464237525923{padding-top: 25px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482667344517{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Presentation by Jane Hall<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/uPJkNNLTVNs”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482667555148{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Presentation by William Wells<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/pUsrlI6upmA”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482667408551{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Presentation by Karim Shafei<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/FCfMDk8nz_c”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482667433013{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Presentation by Youssef Shazli<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/ea0Zp2tQD08″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1481775619490{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Q&A<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/4qWdd4zKjUw”][vc_single_image image=”8037″ img_size=”full” onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” link=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLH66VuA4aOHzfx2fQpPzgKzjhLavXZyUl”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Panel 3 >” tab_id=”1464237967960-4bac4f01-c231″][vc_text_separator title=”Cultural Policies and Urban Governance” style=”double” border_width=”2″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1478672904965{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Panel Summary:<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1480887329882{padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #dddddd !important;}”]The Cultural Policies and Urban Governance panel was moderated\u00a0by Khaled Abdelhalim, Professor of Public Policies at the American\u00a0University in Cairo (AUC\u2019s) School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, who\u00a0pointed out the importance of clear, well-communicated public policies\u00a0with regard to Khedival Cairo or Downtown, and sought to investigate\u00a0what public policies of the state influence this important area of the city.<\/p>\n

He asked how Downtown might be influenced by cultural policy and the\u00a0preservation of its urban and architectural character, questioning the link\u00a0between urban polices and cultural policy in general. Abdelhalim noted\u00a0that there is a need for a clear framework for resource management,\u00a0a clear public policy, a legal framework, an institutional framework,\u00a0and a funding framework to implement policies in addition to an\u00a0applied framework that makes clear how policies will work in practice.\u00a0Abdelhalim emphasized that Cairo is still experiencing the aftermath of\u00a0the 2011 revolution, raising the need for a clear legal framework upon\u00a0which management and governance can be based.<\/p>\n

The first presentation was by Emad Abou Ghazi from the Department\u00a0of Libraries, Documents and Information at Cairo University, who was\u00a0Minister of Culture between March 5 and November 20, 2011. He gave\u00a0a brief history of cultural policy in Egypt prior to the establishment of\u00a0the Ministry of Culture in 1958, from Rifa\u2018a al-Tahtawi<\/em>, to Taha Hussein\u2019s\u00a01938 publication The Future of Culture in Egypt<\/em>. He detailed how various\u00a0cultural policies often suffered weak execution, presenting the example\u00a0of President Husni Mubarak\u2019s government having had the intention of\u00a0protecting historically significant buildings in Cairo by registering them in\u00a0cooperation with the National Organization for Urban Harmony (NOUH),\u00a0founded in the early 2000s. NOUH, however, never had the executive\u00a0power to protect the buildings, and often found its decisions overturned\u00a0in court. This led Abou Ghazi to raise the question of what institutions do\u00a0have the power to execute cultural policy.<\/p>\n

Abou Ghazi also raised the issue of the relationship between the state\u00a0and public space in the city. He spoke of the state controlling public\u00a0space in the city through monumental architectural constructions,\u00a0as a means to impose its authority. He provided the example of the\u00a0Muhammad \u2018Ali mosque, built on a high hill so it can be seen from around\u00a0the city as a symbol of the authority of the modern state. He detailed\u00a0the establishment of Khedival Cairo, and Khedive Ismail\u2018s installation\u00a0of statues memorializing military and public officials. \u201cIn Cairo, it took\u00a0two revolutions and 50 years for there to be representations of populist\u00a0public figures installed in public spaces,\u201d said Abou Ghazi. He described\u00a0some of the history of populist statues in Downtown, including the\u00a0example of Mahmud Mukhtar\u2019s Nahdit Masr<\/em> statue, which represents\u00a0the 1919 Revolution, and adopted the symbol of the Egyptian farmer.\u00a0He noted the statue represents popular revolution, and, in this way, both\u00a0the people and national governments worked towards its completion:\u00a0\u201cWhen a constitutional coup carried through, the work on the statue\u00a0stopped, and when a national government returned, the work resumed.\u201d<\/p>\n

He noted that cultural control in recent years has taken the form\u00a0of restrictions to independent artistic practitioners, notably the\u00a0prohibition of the El Fan Medan<\/em> art festival that took place regularly\u00a0in \u2018Abdin Square and across the country until one and a half years\u00a0ago. He concluded by noting that the utilization of public space\u00a0for independent cultural activities has always faced opposition\u00a0by the security apparatus, and the state continues to reject the\u00a0expansion of independent cultural activity in public space in\u00a0Cairo\u2019s center.<\/p>\n

In the second presentation Ahmed Ragheb from the National\u00a0Community for Human Rights and Law introduced the issue of\u00a0municipalities as they relate to decentralization, and the role\u00a0they should play in urban planning. He stressed the potential of\u00a0municipalities to democratize public space, if only the government\u00a0were willing to decentralize and distribute executive, legislative\u00a0and judicial power among them. Ragheb gave a brief history of\u00a0municipalities in Egypt, from their creation by law in 1913 to their\u00a0early manifestations as district councils, formed in the aftermath\u00a0of the 1923 revolution. At the time they possessed a wide range\u00a0of authority, with members both appointed and elected. In the\u00a0era of President Anwar al-Sadat, these powers expanded, and a\u00a0clear separation was made between the appointed members of\u00a0the executive council and the elected members of the popular\u00a0council. In Mubarak\u2019s presidency, these advances were reversed.<\/p>\n

Ragheb stressed that the core issue facing local municipalities is that\u00a0they act as subordinates to the state. He noted the state has often\u00a0sought to reserve the right to appoint the heads of local units, from the\u00a0governor to the mayor, which limits their independence. However, the\u00a02014 constitution grants the opportunity to elect the local council and\u00a0governor.<\/p>\n

Ragheb stated that having elected governors and councils would not\u00a0only democratize the municipalities but also public space, and that it\u00a0is in the interest of citizens, scholars, architects and urban planners to\u00a0hold a clearer vision of local governance and advocate for strong local\u00a0administrative councils, independent from the central government.<\/p>\n

Finally, Galila El Kadi, Director of Research at the Institut de recherche\u00a0pour le d\u00e9veloppement en \u00c9gypte (IRD) gave an overview of the cultural\u00a0authorities\u2019 three waves of restoration efforts over the past two decades,\u00a0and discussed her participation in the third and most recent effort, begun\u00a0in 2014. After the 1992 earthquake, which damaged many buildings in\u00a0Cairo, the private sector selected 14 landmark buildings Downtown to\u00a0rehabilitate, strengthening foundations, upgrading electrical and sewage\u00a0systems, and removing groundwater. The governorate focused on the\u00a0process of reducing vehicular traffic and increasing pedestrian traffic in\u00a0the main walkways of al-Alfi Street, Zakariya Ahmad Street, and Saray\u00a0al-Azbakiya. In al-Bursa area, the government cooperated with private\u00a0investors who partially funded the rehabilitation of the area.<\/p>\n

The second phase of rehabilitation efforts was dominated by\u00a0beautification projects such as the painting of building fa\u00e7ades, and\u00a0was undertaken after the establishment of NOUH, in 2003-2004, in\u00a0coordination with the Cairo Governorate.<\/p>\n

El Kadi described numerous missed opportunities to learn from\u00a0prior projects, characterizing a failure to take on board accumulated\u00a0experience and knowledge as \u201cstarting from point zero and reinventing\u00a0the wheel.\u201d She referred to the European Union-funded Heritage\u00a0Conservation and Management in Egypt and Syria (HERCOMANES)\u00a0project between 2000\u20132006, which undertook research on the\u00a0preservation of Cairo and Aleppo\u2019s nineteenth and twentieth century\u00a0heritage sites, as \u201cthe first real conservation plan for Downtown,\u201d but said\u00a0not all of its findings were implemented. She emphasized the need for a\u00a0holistic regeneration plan for Downtown, highlighting the benefits to be\u00a0gained from urban renewal.<\/p>\n

El Kadi spoke of the sometimes limited role that consultants to the\u00a0Governor are able to play in urban renewal, but on a positive note\u00a0suggested that there is an improved level of transparency and willingness\u00a0to cooperate among government entities.\u00a0Over the course of the three presentations, speakers gave a\u00a0comprehensive overview of the historical and contemporary factors\u00a0affecting cultural policy and urban governance in Cairo. A common\u00a0thread, as Khaled Abdelhalim noted in closing, was the state\u2019s interest\u00a0in imposing its presence at the heart of those policies by representing\u00a0its authority and control over public space and urban management in\u00a0general. This is reflected in the limited devolution of executive, judicial\u00a0and legislative power from the center, which according to Ahmed\u00a0Ragheb is crucial for more productive urban planning and preservation.\u00a0Despite increased cooperation between government departments, the\u00a0projects related by Galila El Kadi also told of some resistance to outside\u00a0experience and visions. Greater consultation\u2014with as many specialists,\u00a0non-specialists, and community stakeholders as possible\u2014arose as a\u00a0key concern with regard to a future vision for cultural policy and urban\u00a0governance in Cairo.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1464221853867{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Speakers:<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482667702796{padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #11c3f0 !important;}”]Emad Abu Ghazi:<\/a><\/strong> Department of Libraries, Documents and Information, Faculty of Arts, Cairo University.\u00a0View Profile.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Ahmed Ragheb:<\/a><\/strong> National Organization for Human and Legal Rights. View Profile.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Galila El Kadi:<\/a><\/strong> Director of Research, Institut de recherche pour le d\u00e9veloppement en \u00c9gypte. View Profile.<\/a><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1464219990867{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Discussant:<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1479233721694{padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #11c3f0 !important;}”]Khaled Abdelhalim:<\/strong> School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, American University in Cairo. View Profile.<\/a><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_text_separator title=”Panel Videos” style=”double” border_width=”2″ css=”.vc_custom_1464237525923{padding-top: 25px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482667887498{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Presentation by Emad Abou Ghazi<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/G1jSWAVipVM”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482667798096{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Presentation by Ahmed Ragheb<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjI1NjAlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjIzMTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGTXhBa3NicVdMbTglMjIlMjBmcmFtZWJvcmRlciUzRCUyMjAlMjIlMjBhbGxvd2Z1bGxzY3JlZW4lM0UlM0MlMkZpZnJhbWUlM0U=[\/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482667933779{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Presentation by Galila El Kadi<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/pKkCjbrZbmo” css=”.vc_custom_1481233436565{background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1481454555591{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Q&A<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjI1NjAlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjIzMTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGRnkwT0VuVDJPeXMlMjIlMjBmcmFtZWJvcmRlciUzRCUyMjAlMjIlMjBhbGxvd2Z1bGxzY3JlZW4lM0UlM0MlMkZpZnJhbWUlM0U=[\/vc_raw_html][vc_single_image image=”8037″ img_size=”full” onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” link=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLH66VuA4aOHzfx2fQpPzgKzjhLavXZyUl”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Panel 4 >” tab_id=”1464238127710-a10a4336-ee9e”][vc_text_separator title=”Whose Public Space? Security and access” style=”double” border_width=”2″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1478672920979{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Panel Summary:<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1480888590185{padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #dddddd !important;}”]This panel addressed issues concerning public space, its ownership\u00a0and the right to the city. Raising the question of increasing\u00a0securitization, which imposes new limits on the public\u2019s imagination\u00a0and use of public space, the panel brought together planners,\u00a0sociologists, academics and experts in law and rights. Moderator\u00a0Lina Attalah, Director of Mada Masr<\/em>, opened the conversation\u00a0by posing a series of questions regarding the shifting nature of\u00a0public space. Noting that city management is an element of public\u00a0policy, she asked how the government deals with public space as\u00a0a social space. Given that a social space has requirements related\u00a0to day-to-day activities, such as the ease of circulation, mobility\u00a0and accessibility; and at the same time may have unexpected\u00a0movements and energy: How to balance between the needs of\u00a0everyday activities and the political potential of public space?<\/p>\n

Sahar Attia of Associated Consultants reflected on how to\u00a0create a better relationship between citizen and space. Attia\u2019s\u00a0firm was the winner of a 2010 government competition to propose\u00a0a comprehensive revitalization plan for Downtown. Through an\u00a0overview of this project she addressed the need to develop the\u00a0public realm through safe, social and green spaces. Her renovation\u00a0plan included connecting Downtown to the waterfront on one side,\u00a0and to Islamic Cairo on the other, through a green public corridor that\u00a0envisioned improving pedestrian mobility and circulation around\u00a0the city.<\/p>\n

A key concept was creating \u201clivable neighborhoods\u201d to attract residents\u00a0back to Downtown. Attia claimed that the broken connection between\u00a0citizens and space is evident in the lack of respect towards the city\u00a0environment, which results in people throwing trash and wastewater in\u00a0the River Nile and elsewhere. Attia pointed out that the solution must be\u00a0found in the willingness to prioritize public space and create a city that\u00a0citizens would love and take care of.<\/p>\n

Attia concluded that the solutions are not only in the hands of the\u00a0government and the designers but also in the public whose interests\u00a0should be heard and addressed. She proposed the creation of collective\u00a0solutions to how unused public spaces can be used, and cited good\u00a0governance and a strong monitoring authority as the necessary\u00a0preconditions for the implementation of any Downtown revival project.<\/p>\n

Amr Abdelrahman of the Law and Society Research Unit at AUC and\u00a0the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) discussed the roots\u00a0of increasing security policies in Cairo. He argued that discussions are\u00a0typically limited to only two aspects of the security issue; that of the\u00a0prohibition of peaceful gatherings and demonstrations in the public\u00a0sphere, and that of neoliberal economic policies leading to the eviction of\u00a0street vendors, street children and residents of certain neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

Abdelrahman discussed the state\u2019s mechanisms for controlling public\u00a0spaces using legal means (the protest law of 2013, and the older\u00a0assembly law of 1914), as well as security and economic controls.\u00a0He noted the emergence of a new aspect of moral control over\u00a0public space, with claims to preserve both public health and ethics.\u00a0Abdelrahman argued that with the pretext of moral authority, the state\u00a0has targeted both religious and sexual minorities. He reported that\u00a0public holidays of religious minorities have been called off, specifically\u00a0Shi\u2018a Muslims, in past years, and through a systematic campaign\u00a0guided by the investigation of public morals, there have been crack\u00a0downs on gatherings of homosexuals in the city. This campaign\u00a0included the 2014 case of the Bab al-Bahr bathhouse Downtown, in\u00a0which dozens of men were charged with practicing fornication in the\u00a0public sphere, and later acquitted.<\/p>\n

Abdelrahman argued that the concept of the public sphere itself\u00a0needs to be reconsidered. He noted that the idea of public space\u00a0in the Egyptian context is used in correlation to civil society, civility\u00a0and secularity, remarking: \u201cThe idea of civil life states that rational\u00a0people who go out from the private sphere to the public sphere\u00a0leave behind, in the private sphere, all that is related to affection,\u00a0feelings and passion that can be sub-categorized to include religion,\u00a0sexual identity, etc.\u201d He suggested that rather than talking about the\u00a0concept of a single public space, we ought to accept the existence\u00a0of several \u201cpublics.\u201d Following this logic, Shi\u2018ites and homosexuals\u00a0would be free to express their religious and sexual identities as\u00a0they transverse public and private boundaries. Abdelrahman\u00a0championed the idea of \u201ccivicity\u201d over \u201ccivility,\u201d conceiving of a\u00a0public realm that invites everyone from different backgrounds\u00a0and with different identities to use public space as they wish.<\/p>\n

Abdelrahman concluded by stating that security policies may be\u00a0viewed as a reaction to the failed neoliberal policies of the 1990s.\u00a0Instead of creating the utopia the Egyptian elite dreamt of, they\u00a0paved the way for a city out of control, resulting in increasing security\u00a0efforts to maintain the neoliberal order. He argued against the trend\u00a0of subjugating civic life to economics, and the neoliberal strategy of\u00a0stirring moral panic against segments of society who threaten the\u00a0neoliberal development plan, e.g. street children, pointing to the urgent\u00a0need to \u201cdesecuritize public space.\u201d<\/p>\n

Professor Jerold S. Kayden from the Department of Urban Planning\u00a0and Design at Harvard University argued that public space will always\u00a0be contested because it raises questions of what rights individual\u00a0groups may have with regard to its use. What complicates the matter\u00a0further is the fact that ownership of public space is not necessarily\u00a0linked to accessibility. This particular ambiguity is manifested in\u00a0the case of privately owned public spaces (POPs), a worldwide\u00a0phenomenon prevalent in New York City, which grant provisions for\u00a0privately owned companies to erect larger buildings in return for
\nopening a portion of the space to the public.<\/p>\n

Kayden used the example of Occupy Wall Street to \u201cdemonstrate\u00a0how diverse ownerships, city governance structures, civil society\u00a0participation and typologies of public space all can lead to diverse\u00a0outcomes anywhere in the world.\u201d Occupy Wall Street as a group took\u00a0over Zuccotti Park, a POP in New York, and in Kayden\u2019s words: \u201cat least\u00a0for a while enjoyed greater rights in that privately owned public space\u00a0than it would have enjoyed in a publicly owned city park right next to\u00a0the city hall several blocks away. How can private property provide\u00a0greater rights than a public property? Who and what determines the\u00a0nature of rights to public space?\u201d<\/p>\n

Kayden included Occupy Wall Street in the category of increasingly\u00a0popular \u201cguerrilla\u201d urban movements noting that \u201cthe most popular\u00a0movement today is thinking about urbanity in terms of temporality\u00a0in addition to permanent structures.\u201d Kayden indicated such thinking\u00a0would have important implications for design, asking: \u201cShould rules\u00a0for public space demand spatial pluralism?\u201d He enquired whether,\u00a0as the occupation of Zuccotti Park extended for weeks, the right to\u00a0political protest began to give way to the broader public\u2019s right to\u00a0access and enjoy the space. He noted in closing that \u201cthere is no\u00a0such a thing as a non-political public space,\u201d because politics are\u00a0pervasive, and this is what makes our public spaces so vibrant.<\/p>\n

Mona Abaza from AUC\u2019s Department of Sociology, Anthropology,\u00a0Psychology and Egyptology began her presentation by quoting\u00a0Janet Abu Lughod on the phenomenon of the rebirth of two cities\u00a0in the center of Cairo: what she called the militarized city versus\u00a0the gentrified city. She spoke of the concept of walls in Downtown\u00a0and in the city of Cairo generally, as an outcome of an increasing\u00a0securatization, dividing the city and hindering free movement. The\u00a0walls, she said, ought to be seen in the light of security policies that\u00a0aim at controlling the streets as a part of the global \u201cwar on terror.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parallel to this, Abaza noted, the expansion of gated communities in\u00a0satellite desert cities, and the billboards advertising them, created an\u00a0exclusionary urban visual imaginary fuelled by neoliberalism. \u201cSatellite\u00a0gated communities become the havens of peace and isolation,\u201d\u00a0she said, referencing the \u201cCairo 2050\u201d plan involving a Dubai-style\u00a0modernization. Abaza continued to argue that the chaos before and\u00a0after the 2011 revolution, surprisingly, did not cause a collapse in\u00a0the real estate market. Instead it created a massive flood of gated\u00a0communities that came to stand for a peaceful alternative to the\u00a0crowded and chaotic streets of Downtown. Once again, new walls had\u00a0been created to exclude others and maintain order.<\/p>\n

In this context Abaza called attention to the graffitied walls Downtown\u00a0as what she termed a true battleground between the revolutionaries\u00a0and neoliberal agendas. She addressed the rupture between\u00a0preserving the memory and experience of urban spaces, such as the\u00a0graffiti imagery in Muhammad Mahmud Street, and the neoliberal\u00a0agenda that is concerned with erasing traces of struggle and urban\u00a0guerrilla warfare.<\/p>\n

Throughout the four presentations and ensuing discussion, the panel\u00a0raised questions about securitization and control, through both tangible\u00a0and intangible means, walls and laws, in the context of increasing global\u00a0trends toward securatization and neoliberal policies. The examples\u00a0from downtown Cairo and New York, juxtaposed with suburban gated\u00a0communities, highlighted the need to reconsider the notion of a\u00a0monolithic public, towards\/in favor of multiple and competing publics.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1464221853867{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Speakers:<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482668169807{padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #11c3f0 !important;}”]Sahar Attia:<\/a><\/strong> Head, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University, MD at Associated Consultants Egypt.\u00a0View Profile.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Amr Abd al-Rahman:<\/a><\/strong> Law and Society Research Unit, American University in Cairo. View Profile.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Jerold Kayden:<\/a><\/strong> Department of Urban Planning and Design, Harvard University Graduate School of Design. View Profile.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Mona Abaza:<\/a><\/strong> Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology and Egyptology, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, American University in Cairo. View Profile.<\/a><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1464219990867{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Discussant:<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1477807450022{padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #11c3f0 !important;}”]Lina Attalah:<\/strong> Chief Editor, Mada Masr. View Profile.<\/a><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_text_separator title=”Panel Videos” style=”double” border_width=”2″ css=”.vc_custom_1464237525923{padding-top: 25px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482668225450{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Presentation by by Sahar Attia<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/BslcwseeDCY”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482668243816{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Presentation by Amr Abdelrahman<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjI1NjAlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjIzMTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGZHZFM0xydS0yWnclMjIlMjBmcmFtZWJvcmRlciUzRCUyMjAlMjIlMjBhbGxvd2Z1bGxzY3JlZW4lM0UlM0MlMkZpZnJhbWUlM0U=[\/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482668284915{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Presentation by Jerold Kayden<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/sKVke5KwLdE”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482668304381{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Presentation by Mona Abaza<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/qFhyIiVh6rc”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1481369457984{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Q&A<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/TJaA0J7guIo”][vc_single_image image=”8037″ img_size=”full” onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” link=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLH66VuA4aOHzfx2fQpPzgKzjhLavXZyUl”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Panel 5 >” tab_id=”1464238308695-978ab791-d3d5″][vc_text_separator title=”Heritage and Urban Culture” style=”double” border_width=”2″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1478672932737{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Panel Summary:<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1481371566041{padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #dddddd !important;}”]Session five was moderated by May Al-Ibrashy from Megawra, who\u00a0opened the discussion with a brief overview of the various complications\u00a0facing the preservation of urban heritage in city centers such as\u00a0Downtown, in particular as relates to the preservation of living heritage.\u00a0She spoke of the problematics of both moral and legal ownership, noting\u00a0the conflicts that arise as a result of multiple constituencies\u2019 stakes\u00a0in Downtown. She gave the example of Downtown representing the\u00a0cultural fa\u00e7ade of the government at the same time as it is viewed as\u00a0representing the spirit of the 2011 revolution. She also asked who inherits\u00a0Downtown, given the gap between previous upper middle class residents\u00a0and the current residents. Finally she emphasized the need to preserve\u00a0not only the tangible elements of Downtown, but also the intangible\u00a0elements, including its political and social histories.<\/p>\n

The first presentation was given by Soheir Hawas from the Ministry of\u00a0Culture. Cairo\u2019s heritage is unique, Hawas argued, because its evolution\u00a0can be seen from district to district, unlike many cities where periods of\u00a0development are buried layer by layer in the ground.<\/p>\n

Hawas described how she spent six years surveying and documenting\u00a0the fa\u00e7ades of Downtown for her book Khedival Cairo<\/em>.<\/p>\n

She noted that while Downtown was a symbol of Modernity when it\u00a0was founded, evincing architectural comparisons with Paris, later often\u00a0illegal additions led to a deterioration of its heritage. Hawas emphasized\u00a0the need for a system of heritage management with clear values. She\u00a0reported that recent laws protecting heritage represent a step forward,\u00a0enabling the preservation of buildings as heritage structures as well\u00a0as the registration of entire districts as historic, such as Islamic Cairo,\u00a0Zamalek, Garden City, Ma\u2018adi, and Heliopolis.<\/p>\n

The first law issued to protect heritage was Law 144 of 2006, which has\u00a0been responsible for the preservation of multiple buildings, however\u00a0she noted the law has been vulnerable to circumvention, resulting in the\u00a0demolition of some of its protected buildings.<\/p>\n

Making use of the existing legal framework and with investment from\u00a0the government, donations, private companies, and banks, Hawas and\u00a0her team have undertaken restoration work Downtown. She noted how\u00a0renovating a space can change the tone of its use, as in al-Alfi Bey\u00a0Street, which has been transformed from an undesirable alleyway into a\u00a0pleasant pedestrian area.<\/p>\n

Hawas spoke of the challenges that Downtown preservation projects\u00a0have faced, including the lack of historical references for buildings\u2019\u00a0original incarnations, as well as legal obstacles to restoration\u00a0efforts. She noted that the Cairo Government is currently prohibited\u00a0from undertaking interior renovations, which is leading to a state\u00a0of decay in many buildings Downtown, and emphasized the need\u00a0for the reactivation of the Occupants Federation Law to promote\u00a0the maintenance of buildings from the inside. She encouraged\u00a0young architects to come together to undertake this much needed\u00a0maintenance of Downtown building infrastructure.<\/p>\n

George Arbid of the Arab Center for Architecture (ACA) in Beirut spoke\u00a0of \u201cModern heritage\u201d in Lebanon being regarded as a contradiction or an\u00a0oxymoron; an assumption he considered to be connected to a certain\u00a0lack of recognition for Arab modern architecture. He argued that in order\u00a0to comprehend the importance of modernist architectural heritage,\u00a0identity must be perceived as something dynamic. In line with this, it\u00a0must be acknowledged that the Arab world has produced Modernism\u00a0and continues to do so. He presented the modernist design of the Dar\u00a0Assayad publishing house, a work by the Polish architect Karol Schayer,\u00a0Lebanese architect Wassek Adib, and Lebanese structural engineer\u00a0Bahij Makdisi as an important example of local heritage, rather than an\u00a0imperialist infraction on identity. He noted that this and other examples\u00a0of Modern building in Lebanon were produced through local building\u00a0regulations, and in relation to local needs and requirements.<\/p>\n

From this perspective, Arbid argued that original Modernism in the\u00a0Middle East deserves the status of heritage, and gave an illustrated\u00a0narration of its development. He described state-sponsored public\u00a0buildings, factories, and utilities, such as the electricity company\u00a0building in Beirut, whose original design featured an accessible\u00a0public space.<\/p>\n

Arbid went on to speak of the building design of certain reconstruction\u00a0efforts that followed the cessation of hostilities in the 1990s, and were,\u00a0in Arbid\u2019s opinion, catastrophic for Lebanese architecture. \u201cThe buildings\u00a0that were reconstructed after the war have usually followed one of two\u00a0directions: first are the glass boxes, as if Modernism could be reduced to\u00a0that form. Second is the pastiche replication of heritage.\u201d Furthermore,\u00a0pro forma public spaces were created that were made inaccessible due to\u00a0excessive securitization.<\/p>\n

Arbid pointed his finger particularly at real estate company SOLIDERE\u00a0for encroaching on the public space of downtown Beirut in the name of\u00a0restoration. He showed how many historic buildings have been replaced\u00a0by exaggerated replicas or disappeared altogether. \u201cThe war ruined a lot\u00a0of the country, but the reconstruction ruined more,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Arbid ended his talk by describing the NGO he founded, the ACA, which\u00a0aims at preserving modern heritage and maintaining an online archive.\u00a0The ACA focuses on architecture as \u201ca cultural product and not only\u00a0a technical one,\u201d and tries to \u201cdevelop the contemporary image of\u00a0architecture, and to provide a platform for meetings and discussions.\u201d\u00a0They are looking forward to collaborating with CLUSTER in sharing and\u00a0connecting the contents of their archive with other like-minded, regional\u00a0organizations. The ACA is also addressing ongoing issues of heritage in\u00a0Beirut, including the proposed plan to develop Dalieh, which is a historic\u00a0public area on Beirut\u2019s coast.<\/p>\n

Choucri Asmar from the Heliopolis Heritage Initiative recounted his\u00a0experience organizing local community members into a grassroots\u00a0initiative to preserve the architectural nature of the district, which\u00a0was founded in 1905 and is built mostly in the Baroque-Islamic\u00a0style on Cairo\u2019s desert fringe. Heliopolis was constructed as both a\u00a0residential and industrial neighborhood by the Khedive Isma\u2018il, who\u00a0worked together with the investors Baron Empain and Boghos Nubar\u00a0Pasha. A tramway from both \u2018Abbassiyya and \u2018Ataba connecting the\u00a0neighborhood to the rest of the city were established, along with a\u00a0local tram, and recreational spaces such as the Heliopolis Sports\u00a0Club, Heliopolis Palace Hotel and Merryland were built to attract\u00a0residents and investors to the area.<\/p>\n

The Heliopolis Heritage Initiative began in the months following the\u00a0revolution, in part as a response to the increased pace of demolition\u00a0and neglect as a result of lax government enforcement in protecting\u00a0heritage during that tumultuous period. For example, six villas from\u00a0the wide Zifti Street were replaced with a concrete building, and\u00a0a garden was demolished to make space for a 12-story building.\u00a0Objecting to these and other demolitions, a group of Heliopolitans\u00a0realized they did not have any legislative tools or knowledge to do\u00a0so effectively. This led to the creation of the Heliopolis Heritage\u00a0Initiative, guided by the idea that \u201cthere shouldn\u2019t be a complete\u00a0disconnection between policymaking and quality of life,\u201d in Egypt,\u00a0said Asmar.<\/p>\n

The Initiative was granted legal status in October 2015, and works on\u00a0several fronts, including heritage sites, public green spaces, public\u00a0transportation, awareness raising, and public cleanliness. They raise\u00a0awareness through photography competitions, organize meetings\u00a0with stakeholders, and defend against the destruction of unlisted, but\u00a0historically relevant buildings, as well as organize walking tours \u201cto\u00a0introduce residents to the living heritage that surrounds them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Initiative is now running the project \u201cHeliopolis Eyes\u201d which aims to\u00a0register all buildings built in Heliopolis from 1910 to the present. They\u00a0are also in discussion with the Federation of Banks to reactivate the real\u00a0estate funding law, which would allow investment in rehabilitating the\u00a0interior of historic buildings. While the Initiative is concerned with the\u00a0preservation of historic buildings, it also has activities in other realms\u00a0including waste management, public space, and transportation; the\u00a0governorate has been removing stretches of old tramway in Heliopolis,\u00a0which the Initiative argues should be renovated and saved.<\/p>\n

Having started out as a non-political group, they soon realized that\u00a0political connections would be necessary to make change. As such, they\u00a0managed to meet with the governor and the head of Heliopolis district\u00a0to make progress on the legislative front. They have worked with other\u00a0groups to lobby for Article 50 in the constitution, which explicitly protects\u00a0heritage, since current laws regulating heritage protection (Laws 144 and\u00a0119) are ineffective and filled with loopholes, according to Asmar.<\/p>\n

Asmar said they are working on a project to develop the tram lines,\u00a0parts of which have already been removed by the government due to\u00a0their dilapidation. The government has received pledges of EU 750\u00a0million from the International Monetary Fund, he said, but there is no\u00a0clear plan or dialogue about it with the government as yet.<\/p>\n

Asmar was followed by Takween\u2019s Kareem Ibrahim, who broadened\u00a0the discussion of heritage, arguing that its preservation is often\u00a0treated in isolation from the city as a whole. This began in the\u00a0nineteenth century, with the introduction of a mechanism to define\u00a0certain buildings as having heritage value, which led to policies that\u00a0separated the buildings from their contexts, such as the buffer zones\u00a0that were introduced to protect monuments. Moreover, he argued that\u00a0the process of selecting what qualifies as heritage is political, often\u00a0based on institutional or individual conceptions of what elements\u00a0in the city are valuable and what are not. One of the driving forces\u00a0for preservation Downtown has been nostalgia, with a view towards\u00a0reviving the Belle \u00c9poque aspects of Khedival Cairo. Yet he argued that\u00a0heritage should also consider the importance of modern as well as\u00a0contemporary heritage. He said that public space and public memory\u00a0are especially important Downtown given the deep contestation of\u00a0these notions during and after the revolution.<\/p>\n

Ibrahim addressed the issue through two Downtown examples of the\u00a0battle for contemporary memorialization: the governorate\u2019s erasure\u00a0of the graffiti-covered wall on Muhammad Mahmud Street; compared\u00a0to the official monument erected in honor of the revolution in Tahrir\u00a0Square. While the graffiti wall can be read as an informal monument to\u00a0the revolution, it was later partly demolished by the AUC in early 2016;\u00a0while the Tahrir Square monument only bore the names of government\u00a0officials, and was vandalized by outraged youth within hours of its\u00a0erection.<\/p>\n

In another example, Ibrahim described the eviction of the popular El\u00a0Fan Medan<\/em> festival from \u2018Abdin Square. He spoke of the demand for\u00a0public space for cultural activities, and questioned whether these\u00a0needs were being taken into account in the current plans for \u2018Abdin\u00a0Square, which have not been open for public discussion.<\/p>\n

Ibrahim also discussed the influence of ownership on the preservation\u00a0of the urban fabric, namely the purchase, development, and\u00a0subsequent abandonment of some large buildings, which has hurt\u00a0the city as a whole, most notable the quality of life of its residents.\u00a0The importance residents place on quality of life within the general\u00a0framework of heritage preservation and public self-realization has\u00a0given birth to a number of heritage movements such as the Save Alex\u00a0group (Alexandria) and Athar Lina (Cairo), which aim at preserving\u00a0heritage defined as both physical structures, public space, and general\u00a0quality of life.<\/p>\n

Ibrahim ended his discussion by asking, \u201cWhat is the vision for\u00a0Downtown?\u201d He argued this vision should not be limited to the\u00a0preservation of fa\u00e7ades and their documentation, though this may be\u00a0a valuable effort. He argued in favor of a political project to deal with\u00a0Downtown. He defined \u201cpolitical,\u201d not as a state project, but as a cultural\u00a0project, which is put forth by the people, and which the people may\u00a0debate. He stated, \u201cI think one important aspect of our conference is to\u00a0bring these issues up for discussion. I don\u2019t think that we can make any\u00a0real progress unless this type of discourse is brought to the table and\u00a0broader segments of society are invited to the table.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1464221853867{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Speakers:<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482668965005{padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #11c3f0 !important;}”]Soheir Hawas:<\/a><\/strong> Ministry of Culture \/ Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University.\u00a0View Profile.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

George Arbid:<\/a><\/strong> Arab Center for Architecture, Beirut. View Profile.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Choucri Asmar:<\/a><\/strong> Heliopolis Heritage Initiative. View Profile.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Kareem Ibrahim:<\/a><\/strong> Takween Integrated Community Development\/TADAMUN: The Cairo Urban Solidarity Initiative. View Profile.<\/a><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1464219990867{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Discussant:<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1477807753520{padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #11c3f0 !important;}”]May Al-Ibrashy:<\/strong> Megawra. View Profile.<\/a><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_text_separator title=”Panel Videos” style=”double” border_width=”2″ css=”.vc_custom_1464237525923{padding-top: 25px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482668852834{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Presentation by Soheir Hawas<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/hDvTM9xc9Qg”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482668873902{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Presentation by George Arbid<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/UUlc_fGtBkI”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482668931098{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Presentation by Choucri Asmar and Ahmed Mansour<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/luwEh8gWzuY”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482668981639{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Presentation by Kareem Ibrahim<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/aRRv8FPaH50″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1481457579440{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Q&A<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/EjVxeFutFdo”][vc_single_image image=”8037″ img_size=”full” onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” link=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLH66VuA4aOHzfx2fQpPzgKzjhLavXZyUl”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Panel 6 >” tab_id=”1464238477517-75dfe667-47a0″][vc_text_separator title=”Re-Framing Downtown: Alternative approaches” style=”double” border_width=”2″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1478672945328{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Panel Summary:<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1480942553178{padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #dddddd !important;}”]Tarek Atia, publisher of Mantiqti Wasat al-Balad<\/em> newspaper, chaired\u00a0the final panel consisting of local stakeholders, including urbanists,\u00a0academics, entrepreneurs, and preservationists, exploring alternative\u00a0approaches to the redevelopment of Downtown. Atia began the\u00a0panel by relaying his own experience as the founder of Mantiqti<\/em> (\u201cMy\u00a0Neighborhood\u201d), a hyper-local newspaper on Downtown.<\/p>\n

Atia spoke of how one morning, almost two years ago, he and his\u00a0partner arrived at their office in the small pedestrian \u2018Ulwi Street, to find\u00a0white boxes painted to indicate the spaces into which the government\u00a0intended to move the street vendors, who at that time had overtaken\u00a0the main streets of Downtown. The local residents and businesses,\u00a0like Atia, were frustrated not to have been informed of the decision or\u00a0even to know who was responsible for it. Recognizing people\u2019s desire\u00a0to play a role in the decisions that impact their neighborhood, Atia and\u00a0his partner were inspired to establish a newspaper under the name of\u00a0Mantiqti al-Bursa<\/em>, providing locals with news about al-Bursa as well as\u00a0maps, infographics and practical information. Later their coverage was\u00a0expanded to the entire Downtown area and the newspaper became\u00a0Mantiqti Wasat al-Balad<\/em>. They print 10,000 copies of the paper, and use\u00a0a distribution strategy that allows several people to share one copy,\u00a0further promoting a sense of community. Reflecting on this experience,\u00a0Atia noted the common goal of the conference and of Mantiqti<\/em>: to\u00a0address a lack of information about Downtown, and to provide a\u00a0platform for discussion.<\/p>\n

The session continued with Omar Nagati and Beth Stryker, co-founders\u00a0of CLUSTER and conference co-organizers, who spoke about CLUSTER\u2019s\u00a0Cairo Downtown Passageways<\/em> project, which focuses on Downtown\u2019s\u00a0passageways and back alleys \u201cas a framework for reimagining and\u00a0re-envisioning Downtown.\u201d Nagati spoke of CLUSTER\u2019s approach\u00a0to passageways not only as an interesting urban typology, but also\u00a0as an in-between space that offers the potential for intervention.<\/p>\n

\u201c[The passageway] is a space of mediation and negotiation between \u2026\u00a0the public realm and the private realm,\u201d said Nagati. \u201c[It exists] between\u00a0formal capital architectural design, vernacular architecture, street\u00a0vendors, and what is happening on the street \u2026 More metaphorically,\u00a0the passageway is truly a transitional space or a liminal space\u00a0between two different orders.\u201d Nagati noted that at a time when Cairo\u00a0is undergoing a process of transition politically and on an urban\u00a0level, CLUSTER seeks to use this metaphor to test \u201chow can we as\u00a0citizens of the city engage in a small scale exercise, to see how can\u00a0we renegotiate our position vis-\u00e0-vis different stakeholders … the\u00a0owners, the shop keepers, the vendors, the residents and so on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nagati and Stryker discussed CLUSTER\u2019s working model of taking a\u00a0hypothesis that is later tested on a small-scale urban project. In this\u00a0case, their aim was to explore the role that art and culture may play as\u00a0a catalyst for revitalization in the \u201cKodak\u201d and \u201cPhilips\u201d passageways,\u00a0neighboring but different types of passageways Downtown. In the first\u00a0phase of the project CLUSTER undertook the refurbishment of the Kodak\u00a0passageway\u2019s storefronts to accommodate a solo exhibition of Egyptian\u00a0artist Hassan Khan, his first in Egypt in ten years, curated by Stryker as\u00a0part of the Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (D-CAF).<\/p>\n

In a second phase of development CLUSTER, in cooperation with the\u00a0Danish Egyptian Dialogue Institute (DEDI) and the Centre for Culture and\u00a0Development in Copenhagen (CKU), undertook a workshop with Danish\u00a0and Egyptian designers and artists to explore the redevelopment of the\u00a0public spaces of the \u201cKodak\u201d and \u201cPhilips\u201d passageways. The outcome\u00a0of the workshop was two concepts for the two passageways, a \u201cGreen\u00a0Oasis\u201d and a \u201cLight Oasis\u201d respectively. The design development and\u00a0implementation of the two passageways were then undertaken by\u00a0CLUSTER in dialogue with local stakeholders. This was an important\u00a0aspect of the process, involving decision-making around design elements\u00a0such as trees, flowers, tiles, benches and lighting. Nagati presented these\u00a0pilot cases as experiments in urban diplomacy, that offer alternative ways\u00a0both to experience, but also to develop Downtown.<\/p>\n

At the end of their presentation Nagati and Stryker announced the launch\u00a0of CLUSTER\u2019s new website (Passageways.clustermappinginitiative.org),\u00a0which aims to map Cairo\u2019s downtown passageways, exploring cultural\u00a0and entertainment highlights, spaces of memory and heritage sites\u00a0alongside downtown\u2019s back alleys. The website provides a database\u00a0on Downtown passageways and in-between spaces that CLUSTER\u00a0has mapped over three years: including activities, patterns of use,\u00a0typology and genealogy, materiality and texture, circulation and\u00a0access, roofing and proportion, in addition to territoriality and tools\u00a0of demarcation, and other spatial and visual documentation and\u00a0analysis. The website also features interviews with local community\u00a0members and stakeholders, and seeks to offer the opportunity to
\nre-envision Downtown through its back alleys, as an alternative\u00a0framework for the development and revitalization of Downtown.<\/p>\n

The session proceeded to speakers Nadia Dropkin and Dina\u00a0Abouelsoud, who are the entrepreneurs behind Dina\u2019s Hostel, the caf\u00e9\u00a0Kafein and the restaurant Eish + Malh. Central to their discussion was\u00a0the emphasis on their personal contribution to the neighborhood, and\u00a0the creation of alternative spaces. Dina\u2019s Hostel, which was started by\u00a0Abouelsoud as a clean and safe alternative for tourists, developed into\u00a0a space that local residents also visited for film screenings, exhibitions\u00a0and workshops.<\/p>\n

Dropkin described the community efforts that helped her and\u00a0Abouelsoud renovate the space for Kafein. Relying on a combination\u00a0of loans, savings, and support from friends, the caf\u00e9 opened its\u00a0doors in 2014, and hosts regular art exhibitions in the K Project\u00a0Space which emphasizes interdisciplinary artworks. Similarly,\u00a0the restaurant Eish + Malh also hosts music evenings, food\u00a0markets, and film screenings, organized with local makers.<\/p>\n

Dropkin acknowledged that the question of gentrification is a challenging\u00a0one for them as entrepreneurs, but noted that as residents of Downtown,\u00a0their businesses are personal investments in their own neighborhood, not\u00a0only of money but of time, energy and creativity. She further noted that\u00a0they did not force people out of the places where they have established\u00a0their businesses. She said that they are cautious to do business in a\u00a0way that avoids replicating class structures in relation to consumption.\u00a0Additionally, questions of cosmopolitanism come into the reading of\u00a0these enterprises, run by Dropkin, an American, and Abouelsoud, an\u00a0Egyptian. Dropkin recalled a review of Kafein characterizing the caf\u00e9 as a\u00a0\u201cBerlin-like hipster place.\u201d In this way, she posed the question of whether\u00a0the global\/local dichotomy is the only framework within which we can\u00a0understand Downtown.<\/p>\n

Next, Tariq Zulficar and Emad Farid of the private company Environment\u00a0Quality International (EQI) described their project, begun in 2012, to\u00a0restore the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, (commonly known as\u00a0the Egyptian Museum). With funding from the German Foreign Office\u00a0Zulficar and his colleagues undertook a study of the building, a national\u00a0monument in the Beaux-Arts style. They compared the present-day\u00a0museum with illustrations of when it was newly finished in 1902, and\u00a0spoke of an ambition to return the museum to its original state.<\/p>\n

EQI\u2019s pilot projects were the architectural restoration of the Tutankhamun\u00a0Gallery and other halls, as well as a bomb shelter on the gallery\u2019s roof.\u00a0Reflecting the wishes of donors and supporting companies, they also\u00a0attempted to cultivate a relationship between the museum and the\u00a0community surrounding it, particularly schoolchildren. Their initial\u00a0research found that most stakeholders in the area had a rather negative\u00a0perception of the museum, which was connected to the fact that the\u00a0museum staff did not have strong experience in dealing with visitors.\u00a0Farid said: \u201cThose [members of the public] outside don\u2019t enter, and those\u00a0inside don\u2019t know how to deal with the public.\u201d So the company initiated\u00a0several programs to engage the local community and schools, showing\u00a0them the customs and traditions of the ancient Egyptians. These were\u00a0well received.<\/p>\n

EQI was also surprised to discover the connection between the\u00a0museum and the river Nile that had existed in the museum\u2019s early\u00a0years. Many of the artifacts had been transported to the museum\u00a0on the Nile, and the land stretching down to the Corniche\u00a0historically belonged to the museum. Based on this knowledge\u00a0the company designed a plan to re-establish this connection\u00a0by proposing an extension of the museum and an expanded\u00a0botanical garden on the land linking the museum to the Nile.<\/p>\n

The last speaker was political scientist Heba Raouf Ezzat,\u00a0from the Faculty of Political Science and Economics at Cairo\u00a0University, who gave a personal testimony as a long-time resident\u00a0of Tahrir Square, describing her relationship to the neighborhood,\u00a0and the \u201cdifferent layers of culture and memories\u201d it comprises.<\/p>\n

Raouf Ezzat explained how the area around the square was\u00a0difficult to perceive as an actual neighborhood because nonresidents\u00a0claim ownership of it, which was most evident in the\u00a0uprisings of 2011. She recalled coming home one day to find that\u00a0protesters had mounted a massive banner covering the entire\u00a0windowed fa\u00e7ade of her building in the name of the revolution.\u00a0Asking \u201cWho owns Downtown?\u201d Raouf Ezzat used this example\u00a0to stress that when one occupies an area, even in claiming it for\u00a0the people, there is the potential to take away rights from other\u00a0citizens.<\/p>\n

Expanding on these tensions, she discussed how certain cultural\u00a0boundaries used to divide the area when she was a child. She also spoke\u00a0about how what she perceives as the spiritual aspect of Downtown, is\u00a0being neglected in favor of a secular Modernist vision.<\/p>\n

Raouf Ezzat warned that we are \u201cmoving from the iron and glass vision\u00a0of Walter Banjamin to be more like Paris, to the iron and glass vision of\u00a0Dubai.\u201d Thus, the public has been fragmented into several publics and\u00a0the question is how they can be united. Raouf Ezzat finished with the\u00a0question: how can one reconcile these two visions, the traditional and\u00a0the Modernist, the religious and the civic, when imagining the future of\u00a0downtown Cairo?<\/p>\n

The question and answer session emphasized the ways in which there\u00a0need to be more opportunities for the public to engage and have a say in\u00a0the development of their neighborhoods. Tarek Atia reflected that perhaps\u00a0Downtown could offer a test case for a different form of constituency\u00a0building, as well as a demand for the representatives of Downtown, both\u00a0on the local councils as well as on governorate level, to be by election.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1464221853867{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Speakers:<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482669580341{padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #11c3f0 !important;}”]Omar Nagati <\/a><\/strong>(View Profile)<\/a> and Beth Stryker <\/a><\/strong>(View Profile)<\/a>: CLUSTER.<\/span><\/p>\n

Emad Farid <\/a><\/strong>(View Profile)<\/a> and Tariq Zulficar <\/a><\/strong>(View Profile)<\/a>: Environment Quality International.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nadia Dropkin <\/a><\/strong>(View Profile)<\/a> and Dina Abou El Soud<\/a><\/strong> (View Profile)<\/a>: Dina\u2019s Hostel \/ Eish + Malh \/ Kafein.<\/span><\/p>\n

Heba Raouf Ezzat:<\/a><\/strong> Faculty of Economy and Political Science, Cairo University .View Profile.<\/a><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1464219990867{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Discussant:<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1479234123795{padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #11c3f0 !important;}”]Tarek Atia:<\/strong> Publisher, Mantiqti Wasat al-Balad newspaper. View Profile.<\/a><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_text_separator title=”Panel Videos” style=”double” border_width=”2″ css=”.vc_custom_1464237525923{padding-top: 25px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482669630115{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Presentation by Omar Nagati and Beth Stryker<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/1HhqBfJWXsc”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482669654125{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Presentation by Nadia Dropkin and Dina Abuelsoud<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/MKuD641m3YU”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482669674406{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Presentation by Tariq Zulficar and Emad Farid<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/zpyMqCEJj38″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1482669704671{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Presentation by Heba Raouf Ezzat<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjI1NjAlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjIzMTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGVGRlNFIxLXJFa2MlMjIlMjBmcmFtZWJvcmRlciUzRCUyMjAlMjIlMjBhbGxvd2Z1bGxzY3JlZW4lM0UlM0MlMkZpZnJhbWUlM0U=[\/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1481361640342{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Q&A<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/r3d9KC3OMgU”][vc_single_image image=”8037″ img_size=”full” onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” link=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLH66VuA4aOHzfx2fQpPzgKzjhLavXZyUl”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_tta_section][\/vc_tta_tabs][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row bg_type=”bg_color” bg_override=”ex-full” enable_overlay=”enable_overlay_value” overlay_color=”#ffffff” overlay_pattern=”08.png” overlay_pattern_opacity=”30″ css=”.vc_custom_1464243462182{margin-top: -50px !important;margin-bottom: -90px !important;padding-top: 40px !important;padding-bottom: 90px !important;}” bg_color_value=”#ffffff”][vc_column el_class=”wpb_animate_when_almost_visible wpb_left-to-right”][vc_tta_tabs alignment=”right” active_section=”1″][vc_tta_section title=”Panel 1 >” tab_id=”1464222473476-54127417-9c33″][vc_text_separator title=”Is Gentrification Inevitable?” style=”double” border_width=”2″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1478672878117{margin-bottom: -13px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #1f3345 !important;}”]Panel Summary:[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1480887406004{padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #dddddd […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7570","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/creativecitiescairo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7570"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/creativecitiescairo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/creativecitiescairo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/creativecitiescairo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/creativecitiescairo.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7570"}],"version-history":[{"count":78,"href":"http:\/\/creativecitiescairo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7570\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8692,"href":"http:\/\/creativecitiescairo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7570\/revisions\/8692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/creativecitiescairo.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}