The Nile, in general, and particularly in Cairo, is an ecological, cultural and social corridor that is not yet fully utilized. The 2011 Cairo workshop "Connecting Cairo to the Nile" identified the potential to increase accessibility to the river, suggested longitude trail system, proposed connecting the waterfront with adjacent neighborhoods and proposed expanding the ferry system. I studied a 2-km reach of the east bank in Maadi, a wealthy suburb about 10 km upstream of the city center, with relatively greener banks, availability of resources at the district level, higher awareness of local residents, physical setting allow for banks re-use, existence of community organizations (i.e. Tree Lovers and Midan). Findings of fieldwork and interviews show that: (i) species of native vegetation found are Phoenix Dactylifera, Jacaranda, Cortedarea and Papyrus alba; these are concentrated along 115 meter in southern part of the study area. (ii) Public access was categorized into: public space (accessible), private or semipublic space (accessible with conditions), and prohibited (inaccessible). Along this representative stretch of the Nile, the public access was limited to 16%, the private or semipublic makes 29% and the prohibited zones are 55%. (iii) Boating operations found to be in three categories, floating hotels (Nile cruises), motor boats (including ferries) and sailing boats, all are scattered along the banks without an overall plan or organization, which affects water flow and block public access to the banks. To better develop the banks, I recommend (i) maintaining existing riparian vegetation and expand it to other areas with healthy banks or planted nurseries, (ii) connecting open public spaces to create a pleasant walking trail along the banks in addition to improving public access by relocating government buildings (such as the police or military facilities) and facilitate access to the river for general public, (iii) reducing the anchoring points to two locations and redistribute boating operations to group all motor boats to use the ferry anchoring points and all the sailing boats to use Al-Yacht club marina.
Through the ages, traveling through the world through tourism has familiarized the foreign. Unknown frontiers become urbanized; travel pathways coalesce around human evolution in spaces; and governance structures harness the power that such exploratory opportunities present. This research navigates the spatial dimension of travel evolution alongside the attendant expansion of urbanization. It defines the nexus between tourism as a global demand and the physical infrastructure that accommodated such a force. The built environment, manifested in both its urban forms and its systems of mobility, has shaped and been shaped by many factors, including tourism. This work explores the historical co-evolution of urbanization and tourism. Egypt, considered one of the world's oldest tourist destinations, is used here to demonstrate the interlocking relationship of tourism and urbanization; it is difficult to separate these two phenomena because the evolution of tourism through time is not only attributable to demand, but also to the shape and form of the destination and the transport systems available in each era and locale. This research focuses on the contemporary Egyptian era because it is dynamic and replete with diverse forms of tourism. Both professional and academic literature has widely discussed the concept of ecotourism as an important, and growing, subset of the tourism industry. Nevertheless, no accurate definition of ecotourism has been agreed upon. This research compares ecotourism to conventional or mass tourism along the Red Sea coast of Egypt. It systematically examines the tourist establishments in the study area based on identifiable environmental parameters, including swimming pool surface area, distance from mangrove patches, conflict with flood plains, extent of lawn area, and means of access to deep water. The investigation finds that ecotourism establishments are not significantly different from typical tourism resorts and that they create comparable stress on ecological resources. The research concludes that ecotourism is a self-proclaimed designation in this rapidly developing international tourism zone. The study recommends that future ecotourism operations be modified in two key ways. First, on the planning level, the regional master plan created by the central government tourism authorities must be modified to recognize the unique environmental characteristics of specific sites, and these plans must guide development with specific requirements designed to protect the region's unique environmental resources. Second, on the site design level, significant improvements to design approval processes must be introduced in the build-out process to ensure compliance with environmental requirements and minimize stress on local environmental resources. After examining the Egyptian case study, the research explores the governing rubric for tourism development and land use in that area.Despite being one of the most important revenue sources for Egypt, tourism development remains a byproduct of a very complex governing system. Although current tourism development causes much environmental degradation along the Red Sea coast (scholarly work has delineated its footprint), little has been written on the governance of this tourism development and its implications for the enduring environmental footprint of tourism along the Red Sea. This piece defines the various institutions responsible for tourism development and explores the relationship between institutions and development modes on their specific land jurisdictions. It concludes that tourism development will likely continue to create more adverse impacts if the governing agencies responsible for shaping its development do not overhaul their operating paradigms to take into account the attendant holistic and discrete ramifications of their appropriation choices.
As urban waterfronts around the world de-industrialize, cities are increasingly capitalizing on these opportunities to provide open space and alternative commuting routes along riverbanks, bringing residents and visitors back to the waterfronts. Cairo has remarkable opportunities to reconnect its people with the river that was historically its heart. With a population of over eleven million, Cairo is one of the densest cities in the world. The urban population is underserved by parks and other public open space. The need for open space—and the compelling attraction of the wide river—is put in sharp focus by a common sight on Cairo's traffic snarled bridges: families set up chairs and picnic on the sidewalks, overlooking the river and enjoying the open space, seemingly oblivious to the honking traffic that crawls besides them. Most of the river banks are fenced off from public access, but those that are open to the public are heavily used by Cairenes of all ages and all walks of life. The potential for human use of the river banks as open-space is enormous. In an intensive workshop involving 23 students and seven faculty from Cairo University (CU), The American University in Cairo (AUC), and the University of California, Berkeley (UCB), interdisciplinary teams systematically inventoried existing conditions along a 12-km reach of the Nile from Maadi to Tahrir Square, recording river-bank relations, building heights and conditions, circulation, and land-use. Based on this field work the student teams identified specific opportunities and challenges for interventions along the Nile. The low, wide flood plains along much of the Nile bank have great potential to be reconfigured into accessible and active public spaces. It was also identified as a feasible route for a continuous pedestrian/bicycle trail. Air quality measurements along the river bank showed that particulate matter levels along the flood plain were on average 30% lower than street level measurements. The presence of historic landmarks and tourist attractions along the Nile provides significant opportunities for urban revitalization and economic development. The excellent views of the Nile and the Pyramids of Giza available at many waterfront locations provide a unique opportunity that interventions along the waterfront can capitalize on. While some stretches of the Corniche have wide sidewalks that can be redesigned to function better as public spaces, the Nile bank provides ample opportunities for ecological restoration at many places. The presence of vacant lots along the Corniche provides opportunities for strategic developments and also for better open space connectivity with the rest of the city. The visible public interest in the limited ferry routes along the river illustrates the potential the Nile holds to function as a significant public transportation corridor if the city is able to expand the existing ferry system. There are also significant challenges related to existence of incongruent public and private land-uses along the Nile Corniche. Appropriate institutional and regulatory frameworks would be required to ensure that proposals for public space restructuring are implemented and maintained well. Urban waste management is a significant concern in Cairo and the Nile waterfront is no exception. Building on the identified opportunities and challenges, workshop participants developed a strategic plan for a longitudinally continuous trail network along the Nile with lateral connectivity to important nodes in Cairo. They also developed detailed plans for the revitalization of two key zones (Athur El Nabi and Old Cairo). The workshop ended just one week before the streets of Cairo became the venue for historic political demonstrations that eventually resulted in major political changes. While there have been many past efforts to rehabilitate the city and 'plan' the future growth of Cairo, including the 'Cairo 2050 Vision Plan' (a multi-year planning effort initiated by the Egyptian government and undertaken by international consultants), none of these prior efforts have highlighted the potential to develop the Nilotic riverfront. In the wake of the January events, 'Cairo 2050' quickly became uncertain and outdated. However, the collaborative research and planning process undertaken here could serve as a model for future planning efforts that are more in-touch with local conditions and reflective of real needs of everyday Cairenes. The political changes of January 2011 highlighted public desires, expectations, and demands for major economic changes and improvements in living conditions. Thus, the concept of reconnecting Cairo's urban population with the Nile is unusually timely. Bringing the people to the river banks could significantly improve daily life for millions, and could contribute to democratization of society and strengthening of the social fabric.
