Rehabilitation of Historic Cairo: Socio-economic Survey ( December 2011) 2 Sherine Zaghow Urban Regeneration Project for Historic Cairo Rehabilitation of Historic Cairo: Socio-economic Survey Final Report. Cairo, December 2011 Sherine Zaghow, Consultant Urban Regeneration Project for Historic Cairo - URHC 8 Abd el-Rahman Fahmy street, Garden City Email: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Office / Fax: (+2 02) 27926842 http://www.urhcproject.org/ The authors are responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in this report, and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout the report do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. This report was produced in the framework of Urban Regeneration project for Historic Cairo – UNESCO, World Heritage Centre Rehabilitation of Historic Cairo: Socio-economic Survey ( December 2011) 3 Sherine Zaghow Cairo has been a dominant political, cultural, commercial and religious capital throughout history playing a prominent role during Fatimids, reaching its golden age during Mamluks, and sustaining its cosmopolitan significance during Ottoman times. Due to its unique peculiar skyline, it has been known to scholars and historians as “City of the thousand minarets”. Historic Cairo was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1979 recognizing its “absolutely unquestionable historical, archaeological and urbanistic importance.” Upon ICOMOS recommendation, the inscription was based on the following criteria: 1. Several of the great monuments of Cairo are incontestable masterpieces; 2. The historic centre of Cairo groups numerous streets and old dwellings and thus maintains, in the heart of the traditional urban fabric, forms of human settlement, which go back to the middle Ages; 3. The historic centre of Cairo constitutes an impressive material witness to the international importance on the political, strategic, intellectual and commercial level of the City during the medieval period. URHC Goals and Objectives In July 2010, UNESCO-WHC launched the Urban Regeneration Project for Historic Cairo (URHC) in the framework of a larger program of technical assistance to the Egyptian Government concerning the management of the World Heritage Site, focusing on the following objectives: 1. The preparation of a Conservation Plan for Historic Cairo’s “Core and Buffer Zones”, which would include the Management Plan required by the WH Operational Guidelines; 2. The establishment of an institutional framework to undertake and develop a sustainable urban conservation policy, promoting coordination and collaboration amongst different institutions, administrations and agencies concerned with the management of the World Heritage Site; 3. The creation of an appropriate and shared information platform for urban conservation. To achieve these goals, an interdisciplinary team of local and international consultants are collaborating with the concerned bodies to develop a set of protection measures in order to uphold the site’s Outstanding Universal Value, to prevent further decay of the historic urban fabric and to enhance the socio-economic conditions of Historic Cairo. This report was produced in the framework of Urban Regeneration project for Historic Cairo – UNESCO, World Heritage Centre Rehabilitation of Historic Cairo: Socio-economic Survey ( December 2011) 4 Sherine Zaghow This study outlines the social characteristics of Historic Cairo in relation to the larger metropolitan area; including the demographic structure, social structure, other practices, and general attitudes. It portrays the general quality of life, comprising a number of different factors, including housing conditions, infrastructures, income level and livelihoods. With a planning perspective it identifies distribution and density of social services and the level of social justice. ﺗﻭﺿﺢ ﻫﺫﻩ ﺍﻟﺩﺭﺍﺳﺔ ﺍﻟﺧﺻﺎﺋﺹ ﺍﻻﺟﺗﻣﺎﻋﻳﺔ ﻟﻠﻘﺎﻫﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﺗﺎﺭﻳﺧﻳﺔ ﻭﻋﻼﻗﺗﻬﺎ ﺑﺎﻟﻣﻧﻁﻘﺔ ﺍﻟﺣﺿﺭﻳﺔ؛ ﺑﻣﺎ ﻓﻲ ﺫﻟﻙ ﺍﻟﻬﻳﻛﻝ ﺍﻟﺩﻳﻣﻭﻏﺭﺍﻓﻲ (ﺍﻟﺗﺭﻛﻳﺑﺔ ﺍﻟﺳﻛﺎﻧﻳﺔ)، ﻭﺍﻟﺑﻧﻳﺔ ﺍﻻﺟﺗﻣﺎﻋﻳﺔ، ﻭﻏﻳﺭﻫﺎ ﻣﻥ ﺍﻟﻣﻣﺎﺭﺳﺎﺕ ﻭﺍﻻﺗﺟﺎﻫﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﻌﺎﻣﺔ. ﺗﺭﺳﻡ ﻫﺫﻩ ﺍﻟﺩﺭﺍﺳﺔ ﻣﺳﺗﻭﻯ ﺍﻟﻣﻌﻳﺷﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﺎﻡ، ﻣﺗﺿﻣﻧﺔ ﻋﺩﺩﺍً ﻣﻥ ﺍﻟﻌﻭﺍﻣﻝ ﺍﻟﻣﺧﺗﻠﻔﺔ، ﻭﺍﻟﺗﻲ ﺗﺷﻣﻝ ﺍﻟﻅﺭﻭﻑ ﺍﻟﺳﻛﻧﻳﺔ، ﺍﻟﺑﻧﻳﺔ ﺍﻟﺗﺣﺗﻳﺔ، ﻭﻣﺳﺗﻭﻯ ﺍﻟﺩﺧﻝ ﻭﺳﺑﻝ ﺍﻟﻌﻳﺵ. ﻭﻣﻥ ﻣﻧﻁﻠﻕ ﻭﻣ ﺍﻟﺗﺧﻁﻳﻁ، ﺗﺣﺩﺩ ﺍﻟﺩﺭﺍﺳﺔ ﺗﻭﺯﻳﻊ ﻭﻛﺛﺎﻓﺔ ﺍﻟﺧﺩﻣﺎﺕ ﺍﻻﺟﺗﻣﺎﻋﻳﺔ، ﺑﺎﻹﺿﺎﻓﺔ ﺇﻟﻰ ﻣﺳﺗﻭﻯ ﺍﻟﻌﺩﺍﻟﺔ ﺍﻻﺟﺗﻣﺎﻋﻳﺔ. This report was produced in the framework of Urban Regeneration project for Historic Cairo – UNESCO, World Heritage Centre Rehabilitation of Historic Cairo: Socio-economic Survey ( December 2011) 5 Sherine Zaghow Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................... 6 BACKGROUND OF MISSION ................................................................................................................ 7 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................ 8 ANALYSIS ..........................................................................................................................................11 COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS VIEWS: RESULTS OF THE QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENT ............................34 AREAS OF INTERVENTION ..................................................................................................................74 RISK ASSESSMENT .............................................................................................................................80 ANNEXES ..........................................................................................................................................82 ANNEX 1: QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS QUESTIONNAIRE ...........................................................................83 ANNEX 2: ROW DATA, QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS (CAPMAS CENSUS IN 2006 AND DATA FROM QISM) .84 ANNEX 3: INDEX OF MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM VARIABLES VALUES .................................................98 ANNEX 4: DETAILS OF 2ND METHODOLOGY USED IN QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS: CORRELATIONS ........ 104 ANNEX 5: MAPS INDICATING PRIORITY AREAS FOR INTERVENTION PER VARIABLE ........................... 110 This report was produced in the framework of Urban Regeneration project for Historic Cairo – UNESCO, World Heritage Centre Rehabilitation of Historic Cairo: Socio-economic Survey ( December 2011) 6 Sherine Zaghow Executive Summary Egypt is a key country in the Islamic world where the problems and potentials of growing cities are acute. Even though Historical Cairo suffers from social, economic, physical and environmental degradation, its neighbourhoods enjoy a number of assets, including historic buildings and an enterprising and diverse population. It is in this context that UNESCO – WHC launched the Urban Regeneration Project for Historic Cairo (URHC), in July 2010, with the overall goal of transforming HC into a World Heritage Site with a new future. In October 2011, URHC contracted four consultants to carry out different levels of research in Historical Cairo (HC). The scope of this report focuses on the socio-economic analysis of HC on current social trends, relevant social changes that have occurred in the last 20 years and critical areas in need of intervention. Findings from the analysis indicate that the long term decline in the appearance of historic Cairo continues, however, that quality of life in various aspects has either stabilized or improved in the last twenty years (illiteracy and unemployment). Historical Cairo remains an attractive place for residents because of its proximity to the center of Cairo, access to transportation, access to services and low rents in comparison to new area’s (popular areas/unplanned areas) where rent might be lower but transportation is costly and access to schools and other services is extremely bad. Unemployment rate in HC over the last 20 years seems to have signficnatly decreased, at 4%, and could be a direct result of the increased commercial businesses that have increasingly popped up in places like Al Muski and Bab Al Sha’ria. As more and more businesses have expanded into public space, streets have become places that are not pedestrian friendly. These intrusions have created an additional negative impact to the area that is becoming a conflict between residents and businesses in some places. Solid waste is a widespread predicament in a failed system that does not seem to have a solution. A very imperative finding of this mission is the fact that residents in HC have very low expectations of what a good quality of life consists of and what their expectations should be. This is a critical point because unless people understand what their basic rights are they cannot play a key/decisive role in ensuring that the necessary changes happen, in other words there needs to be both a demand and drive from the people in order to have sustainable change. Applying a human rights-based approach to the development of Historical Cairo that focuses on equality and nondiscrimination, accountability, justice, and transparency will ensure that the values, principles and standards are in place safeguardingthe future of its residents, history and environment1. In the conclusion of this report, both themes and areas of intervention are highlighted in the improvement to quality