The Urban Transformation of Downtown Cairo Between State and Non-State Stakeholders
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Whose Downtown is it Anyway? The Urban Transformation of Downtown Cairo between State and Non-State Stakeholders Masters Thesis submitted to The Department of Sustainable Development The American University in Cairo In Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Science in Sustainable Development By Hajer Awatta Under the Supervision of Dr. Khaled Abdelhalim, Dr. Mona Abaza May 2015 Acknowledgements I would like to first thank my advisors, Dr. Khaled Abdelhalim for his continuous support and guidance throughout the research and writing process, and Dr. Mona Abaza for always challenging me and pushing my academic limits. I would also like to thank my thesis committee, Dr. Ghada Barsoum and Dr. May El-Ibrashy for their valuable comments and input which enriched this research. I would also like to thank all the interviewees who took the time to share your knowledge and insight with me. My friends have been an incredible source of support throughout the past two years, I want to especially mention Alyaa Taha and Salma Belal – the visual materials would not have been half as good without the late work nights and countless revisions, thank you. Menna Sabry, thank you for continuously pushing me through the writing process. Finally, my parents and my siblings, thank you for always believing in me and for your unconditional support. ii Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................... vii Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................... 8 1.1. Research Problem ................................................................................................................ 8 1.2. Background .......................................................................................................................... 9 1.3. Justification of Thesis ........................................................................................................ 11 1.4. Research Objective ............................................................................................................ 13 1.5. Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 15 1.5.1. Conceptual Framework ............................................................................................... 17 1.5.2. Data Collection ……….………………………………………………………………17 1.5.2.1. Stakeholder Selection …………………………………………………………….19 1.5.2.2. Interview Format and Documentation ...………………………………………….19 1.5.2. Stakeholder Analysis………………………………………………………………….17 1.6. Research Limitations ......................................................................................................... 24 Chapter 2: Literature Review ................................................................................................ 26 2.1. The Quest for Global City Status ....................................................................................... 26 2.2. State Intervention in Downtown Development .................................................................. 31 2.3. Securitization and Social Control of Space ........................................................................ 33 2.4. Arts and Culture in Downtown .......................................................................................... 35 2.5. Real Estate Investors and Downtown Upgrading .............................................................. 36 2.6. Power Dynamics between Different Stakeholders ............................................................. 37 2.7. A Brief History of the Urban Evolution of Downtown Cairo ............................................ 38 2.7.1. The Establishment of a New Quarter, the Khedival Belle Èpoque (1867-1952) ......... 38 2.7.2. The Egyptianization of Downtown in the New Republic (1956-1973) ....................... 41 2.7.3. Downtown under the Infitah and Privatization policies (1974-2010).......................... 43 2.7.4. The 2011 Revolution and Downtown Today ............................................................... 45 Chapter 3: Government Development Plans and Actions ................................................... 48 3.1. Cairo Governorate .............................................................................................................. 48 3.1.1. Governorate Interventions in Downtown …………………………………………….50 3.1.2. Governorate Downtown Development Projects ……………………………………...55 3.2. National Organization for Urban Harmony (NOUH) ........................................................ 61 3.3. Misr Real Estate Assets (MREA) ...................................................................................... 65 3.4. National Influences ............................................................................................................ 66 3.4.1. Legislative Authority - Controlled Rent Legislation …………………………………68 3.4.2. Legislative Authority - Anti-Protest Law ………….…………………………………70 3.4.3. Ministry of Housing - Cairo 2050 Vision for Cairo .…………………………………71 3.4.4. Ministry of Housing - New Capital City ……………………..………………………68 Chapter 4: Non-State Stakeholders: Real Estate Investors and Arts & Cultural Spaces 78 4.1. Private Real Estate Investors .............................................................................................. 78 4.1.1. Plans for Downtown Development ………………..…………………………………81 4.1.2. Partnerships and Projects ………………..…………………………………………...84 4.1.3. Ismaelia Projects in Downtown …..………………..…………………………………81 4.2. Emerging Arts and Cultural Spaces in Downtown ............................................................ 88 4.2.1. Contemporary Art Spaces ………..………………..…………………………………89 4.2.2. Art Cinema ……………………….………………..…………………………………81 4.2.3. Restaurants and Bars ………….….………………..…………………………………94 iii 4.2.4. Collaborations between Arts and Cultural Entities ..…………………………………95 4.2.5. Interactions with Local Business …………………..…………………………………96 Chapter 5: Non-State Stakeholders: Urban Research and Entrepreneurship Hubs ........ 97 5.1. Urban Research .................................................................................................................. 97 5.2. Entrepreneurship Hubs - GrEEK Campus ....................................................................... 100 Chapter 6: Stakeholder Analysis ......................................................................................... 105 6.1. Interactions and Perceptions ............................................................................................ 105 6.2. Power Dynamics and Influence ....................................................................................... 111 6.3. Key Findings .................................................................................................................... 118 6.3.1. Individual Stakeholder Positions.…………………..……………………..…………119 6.3.2. Stakeholder Alliances and Dependencies …..……..……………………..…………120 6.3.2.1. Alliances between State Stakeholders ……........……………………..…………120 6.3.2.2. Alliances between Non-State Stakeholders ……….…...……………..…………120 6.3.2.3. Alliances between State Stakeholders ……….…..……….…………..…………121 Conclusion.............................................................................................................................. 122 References .............................................................................................................................. 126 Appendix A: List of Interviewees ........................................................................................ 135 Appendix B: Interview Question Guide .............................................................................. 137 Appendix C: Interviewee Consent Form ............................................................................ 139 Appendix D: List of Ismaelia-Owned Buildings ................................................................. 140 iv List of Tables Table 1: List of stakeholder representatives interviewed and selection rationale …...… 21 Table 2: Shuttle bus routes provided by Tahrir Garage to connect users to different points in downtown……………………………………………………………………………...62 Table 3: Evaluation of the legitimacy, resources and responsibility, and relationship building capabilities of the key stakeholders…………………………………………..114 Table 4: Evaluation of different types of authority for each key stakeholder………….115 v List of Figures Figure 1: Downtown Khedival Cairo study area ………………………………………………...15 Figure 2: Conceptual framework ………………………………………………………………...17 Figure 3: Example of rainbow stakeholder mapping structure …………………………………..24 Figure 4: Map of Khedival Cairo in relation to the traditional (Islamic) city ……………………41 Figure 5: Revolution monument built in November 2013 destroyed by protestors ……………..51 Figure 6: Tahrir Square 20-meter flagpole erected February 2015 ……………………………...51 Figure 7: Street vendors in downtown Cairo……………………………………………………..52 Figure 8: 2014-2015 BTHC four phases of urban upgrading interventions…………………….. 57 Figure 9: Façade upgrading in Tahrir Square, Talaat Harb Square, and Alfi Street ……………..58 Figure 10: No-parking streets designated in 2015 with the opening of Tahrir Garage…………..59 Figure 11: NOUH's historic and protected buildings in downtown and surrounding areas ……..64 Figure 12: ACE winning entry: proposed land use for downtown Cairo ………………………..73 Figure 13: ACE winning entry: