Eleventh Global Studies Conference

Abstract

Egypt’s recent political as well as socio-economic turmoil resulted in complex challenges to the government’s globalized, market-driven neoliberal policies thought to solve its multifaceted problems. In its attempts to change the image of the capital city and attract foreign investors to one of the most populous cities of the world, where it is estimated that in the Greater Cairo Region 62 per cent of households live in informal settlements, the government embarked on various urban regeneration projects. These included the clearance of informal neighborhoods around the city and the relocation of these residents to newly built social housing projects as part of a slum upgrading program. One of the latest advertised such projects, used by the new government to polish its image of “caring for the poor,” is the “Asmarat” housing project for the former residents of dilapidated and now demolished Doweka neighborhood. The project is part of the government’s effort to build around 11,000 housing units for the former slum inhabitants. It is currently in its first phase, with a total of 6,258 housing units currently constructed, while the second phase foresees the building of 4,722 housing units, plus hospitals, schools, and other public utilities. The study is a field investigation of the relocated citizens’ evaluation of their new neighborhood and dwelling units as well as their perception of the government’s relocation policy. The research methods include a documentation of the original informal neighborhood and the new housing project’s designs, including both the individual residences and the shared public spaces, in addition to the official procedure for the residents dwelling units’ selection criteria and the relocation process. A survey using a structured questionnaire is used to interview a representative sample of the residents and elicit their assessment of the government’s initiatives toward addressing the issue of informal housing in particular, and the city’s problems in general. Moreover, a separate questionnaire may be administered to neighboring residents of the areas in question in order to assess the impact of the demographic shift across classes and communities. The study gives policy makers and officials with peoples’ views and opinions of their living environments in order to incorporate a measure of public participation and shared governance in these policies, rather than impose top-down solutions that may result in people’s dissatisfaction with, and indifference towards, their new housing environment.