Written by Sustainability: From urban decline to sustainable cities
Written by Sustainability…from urban decline to sustainable cities
Human life is a system that has many and varied requirements, and these requirements are linked to the exploitation and consumption of resources, and among these requirements are urban sprawl,and the erection of cement buildingsin place of agricultural lands. This urban expansion comes at the expense of those cultivated lands. Which leads to environmental pollution in one way or another.
Today – after Egypt has entered a new era of urbanization and innovation – it has become necessary for us to give priority to important issues and files, the most important of which is the greening of cities. It is an issue that I believed in and still do, but it is an issue with social dimensions, especially when looking at the effects of urban sprawl on environmental resources and resource development plans.
Hence, the Egyptian trend was to stop this urban sprawl throughout the republic, especially in Cairo Governorate, which has become densely populated. Therefore, we had to take into consideration the projects of building sustainable citiessustainable cities, to combat the economic problems associated – directly or indirectly – with the land, which in reality translates into environmental degradation, which can eliminate green and land.
Population growth used to be a feature of urbanization, but this is no longer the case. Because human growth can devour the capabilities and resources of countries in a few years, which is what we saw in the human encroachment on the outskirts of Cairo, where the green died and the residential blocs lived! Cairo almost became an uninhabitable place.
Now, the state saw stopping this urban sprawl as a favorable opportunity to raise awareness of environmental issues and its resources among citizens, and to call for the construction of sustainable cities, in which Egyptians breathe clean air and live healthy lives.
If we want to understand the reason for this obligation that I referred to at the beginning of the article – an obligation that falls on the government – then we must realize the extent of the damage to social and economic life resulting from environmental violations in the field of buildings. The elements of the environment are a living organism, and we must care for it just as we care for our children, otherwise the consequences will be dangerous.
Therefore, the state was on the lookout, and spared no effort to issue firm laws and legislation, to prevent tampering with the environment and its resources, and to confront the wasting of the rights of current and future generations, and that was before tampering with the environment became a manifestation of eliminating life itself!
The road from Cairo to the Administrative Capital
The question here is, how can we revive the built environment again and support its life systems? Infrastructure can increase environmental problems within the city in general, as the deterioration of sewage networks, for example, causes many environmental dilemmas. Because the continuous movement of population masses puts pressure on the capacity of sewage plants, in addition to some irresponsible human practices, such as dumping waste into these vital networks.
These life activities can put an excessive load on infrastructure and resources; Which leads to the distortion of many environmental elements and architectural assets. Therefore, in this regard, Egypt sought to re-plan Cairo in a way that was compatible with the requirements of green transformation, balanced with the environment, and managed its resources responsibly. It also sought to establish the new administrative capital. This city is built on architectural foundations that give the environment its due rights and meet its future needs.
So, I am not exaggerating if I say: The new administrative capital is the cornerstone of the new republic. Because it reflects the reality of sustainable development and its goals within Egyptian national strategies, and highlights the role that the state plays in building sustainability paths in all fields.
This administrative shift to the new administrative capital is not only a spatial shift, but it is a shift that gives the Egyptian administration a new spirit. This will be a different horizon based on digitalization. Let the state make smart solutions – in all its sectors – a permanent method. What it means to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this administrative transformation, Egypt relies on several foundations, including: implementing programs and initiatives to build employee capabilities, raise the efficiency of the administrative apparatus, and develop a guideline for this transformation.
Egyptian urbanization and climate changes
In view of the above, interest in land and how to manage it increased, and this is when it became clear that there are economic, social and urban problems – including environmental degradation – caused by the consumption of land by erecting residential buildings without planning. Which prompted the relevant ministries to plan the lands of the new governorates in a scientific manner. In order for these Egyptian cities to meet the increasing demand for housing units.
If urban expansion – providing housing units – is necessary, then this necessity has caused the loss of large areas of agricultural land, in addition to its impact on environmental resources. Therefore, the Egyptian state’s plans were keenly focused on redistributing and directing urban growth to protect natural resources.
These efforts made to develop the urbanization of Cairo – and other governorates – were nothing but an implementation of the urban development axes, which revolve around confronting the issues of global warming and the problems of climate change. These are the issues and problems that have become the focus of attention of the whole world in recent years. That is why “Egypt Vision 2030” is full of urban strategies that take into account Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This ambitious vision – in addition to keeping pace with global climate developments – takes into account Egypt’s location and its specificity, and that Egypt’s area is capable of providing large and sustainable residential areas, without violating environmental requirements and development standards. Egypt’s Vision 2030 was an actual implementation of plans to increase the world’s population in accordance with the resources, number and distribution of the population.
This implementation came in accordance with a sincere desire for a sustainable environment, while preserving Egyptian capabilities and resources in all governorates of the Republic. I see all of this in the interest of the nation, as we thus benefit by exploiting Egypt’s strategic position, in a way that supports its movements in the field of environment and development at the regional and international levels. In the end, the result is an increase in projects that attract foreign investment.
I – like other people of this country – see the issue of regreening cities as a step towards confronting climate change, which no one thinks is far from us. This makes the Egyptian development strategies an urgent necessity and a practical need required by construction factors and urbanization tools, to ensure a sustainable homeland for all current and future generations, which we see clearly in the relationship between the New Republic and Egypt’s Vision 2030.
