Urban transformation of informal settlements in Turkey and Egypt

Abstract

Developing sustainable cities is an essential issue in order to solve problems caused by rapid growth of urban populations. The main research problem is that sustainable urbanism is not considered in strategies of developing informal settlements in Egypt. The state does not have integrated strategy to solve the problem of informal settlements expansion. The paper aims to highlight guidelines for development processes and urban transformation of informal settlements. Characteristics of eco-cities are presented. Urban transformation project of old informal settlement in Turkey, Zeytinburnu, is discussed showing how some sustainable principles were considered. Efforts exerted in Egypt to mitigate harmful effects of informal settlements are not effective. The majority of public housing projects in new cities are abandoned and informal settlements are still expanding. The case of Imbaba Airport district is presented as a large ongoing development project. Comparative analysis between Zeytinburnu transformation project and Imbaba Airport project is presented. Despite the drawbacks of informal areas, they have certain features that encourage further expansions. Highlighting those features would help in identifying requirements that should be fulfilled during development processes. Main guidelines for urban transformation projects in informal settlements are presented taking into consideration sustainability while planning to transform them into eco-cities.

Full text

URBAN TRANSFORMATION OF INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS
IN TURKEY AND EGYPT
NIHAL ABDELWAHAB AMER1
ABSTRACT
Developing sustainable cities is an essential issue in order to solve problems caused
by rapid growth of urban populations. The main research problem is that sustainable
urbanism is not considered in strategies of developing informal settlements in Egypt.
The state does not have integrated strategy to solve the problem of informal settlements
expansion. The paper aims to highlight guidelines for development processes and urban
transformation of informal settlements. Characteristics of eco-cities are presented.
Urban transformation project of old informal settlement in Turkey, Zeytinburnu, is
discussed showing how some sustainable principles were considered. Efforts exerted in
Egypt to mitigate harmful effects of informal settlements are not effective. The majority
of public housing projects in new cities are abandoned and informal settlements are still
expanding. The case of Imbaba Airport district is presented as a large ongoing
development project. Comparative analysis between Zeytinburnu transformation project
and Imbaba Airport project is presented. Despite the drawbacks of informal areas, they
have certain features that encourage further expansions. Highlighting those features
would help in identifying requirements that should be fulfilled during development
processes. Main guidelines for urban transformation projects in informal settlements are
presented taking into consideration sustainability while planning to transform them into
eco-cities.
KEYWORDS
Informal settlements, urban expansion, sustainable cities, new towns
1. INTRODUCTION
The paper aims to find out guidelines for the urban transformation of the informal
settlements. The methodology adopted is a literature review of the definitions and
principles of sustainable or eco-cities and then a discourse analysis of the Urban
Transformation Project of an old squatter housing in Turkey, called Zeytinburnu,
showing how sustainability of urban renewal was provided while planning. Then,
exploring the development strategies and processes that Egypt took to solve the problem
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1Lecturer, Architectural Engineer ing Department, October University for Modern Sciences and Arts, Cairo,
Egypt, Tel: + 02 01002009425, e-mail: na mer@msa.eun.eg

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of informal settlements show how sustainable aspects were not taken into consideration.
This is achieved by highlighting the drawbacks of the New Cities and reasons of
expansion of informal settlements in Egypt. Imbaba Airport area in Giza is taken as a
case study, analyzing its development process.
The paper is composed of seven parts. The first part explores the definitions and
principles of eco-cities. Part two shows the development process of an urban
transformation project in Zeytinburnu in Turkey. Part three discusses the informal
settlements in Greater Cairo Region. Part four examines the development strategies in
Egypt to solve the phenomenon of informal settlements. Drawbacks of the public
housing in the New Cities are highlighted. Reasons of the continuous expansion of the
informal settlements are discussed. Part five analyzes Imbaba Airport area development.
Part six presents guidelines for urban transformation projects in informal settlements
taking into consideration sustainability while planning to transform them into eco-cities.
Part seven presents a comparative analysis of the two projects in Zeytinburnu and Cairo.
2. PART ONE: PRINCIPLES AND DEFINITION OF SUSTAINABLE CITIES
Countries developed ‘eco-cities’ in order to solve problems caused by the rapid
growth of urban population: housing shortages, deterioration of living conditions,
growing pollution problems, increasing automobile traffic, and disappearing green
space. In response to serious pollution of the atmosphere, rivers, lakes, and seas, the
central theme of eco-cities was to restore the blue skies and clean waters and soil. To
plan and build cities more sustainably, efficiently and livable without damaging the
ecological surroundings have been a focus of designers and architects for many years.
During the last century, the concept of “garden city” or “green city” was promoted
comprising planned and self-contained communities surrounded by green belts and
balanced areas of residences, industry and agriculture [1]. The eco-city can be traced to
the mid-1970s when Register and his colleagues in Berkeley found “Urban Ecology” to
rebuild cities in balance with nature [2]. The eco-city addresses the importance of
compact urban structure and other city planning approaches in saving energy and

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resources [3]. It encourages more density at closer proximity, because when the distance
between destinations goes up, so does energy use, waste and land-use. Initially, the
objectives of the eco-city were simply to make air, water and soil clean again.
Specifically through the following ten principles, they wish to create ecological cities:
1. Revise land-use priorities to create compact, diverse, green, safe, pleasant mixed-
use communities near transit nodes and other transportation facilities.
2. Revise transportation priorities to favor foot, bicycle, cart and transit over autos
and to emphasize “access by proximity”.
3. Restore damaged urban environments, e.g. streams, shorelines, and wetland.
4. Create decent, affordable, safe, convenient and economically mixed housing.
5. Nurture social justice and create improved opportunities for disabled.
6. Support local agriculture, urban greening projects and community gardening.
7. Promote recycling, innovative appropriate technology, and resource conservation
while reducing pollution and hazardous wastes.
8. Support ecologically sound economic activity while discouraging pollution,
waste, and the use and production of hazardous wastes.
9. Promote voluntary simplicity and discourage excessive consumption of material.
10. Increase awareness of local environment through activist and educational projects
that increase public awareness of ecological sustainability issues.
The meaning of eco-city has changed coupled with expanding size of environmental
issues. Today it is common to use both sustainable city and eco-city to mean virtually
the same thing [4]. The trend in eco-city design began to incorporate greenery, nature,
resource, and energy efficient use, all in an integrated way. During the 1980s the term
‘ecopolis’ came into use in Germany. It emphasized nature in the form of urban green
zones, and also encouraged the use of natural energy sources such as solar and wind
powered electricity generation and proactive approaches to environmentally friendly
activities such as resource recycling. An important aspect of ecopolis design is the
emphasis on the uniqueness of each city. In Japan, after the serious environmental
problems were resolved, the concept of ‘amenity town’ appeared where urban scenery,
comfort, leisure, and relaxation were emphasized [5].

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The main objective of urban sustainability is to improve the quality of life by
providing affordable housing and employment opportunities. It also aims to provide
quality of life through open space and green space, and it could include cultural, leisure
and recreational resources. “Urban sustainability” is a place-dependent concept: what is
desirable and sustainable in one city may not be the case in another.
A definition of sustainable cities is being used by UN HBITAT in its report “State of
the World’s Cities 2008/2009”: Harmonious Cities which makes a clear statement about
the high standards and qualities of such a city: “Cities are not just bricks and mortar: they
symbolize the dreams, aspirations and hopes of societies. The management of a city’s
human, social, cultural and intellectual assets is, therefore, as important for harmonious
urban development as the management of a city’s physical assets is. Urban planning has
to go beyond being just a technical experience to one that is interested in a city’s various
tangible and intangible assets’’ [6]. In this respect main issues that should be considered
in eco-cities are: energy sources, municipal solid waste management, water supply and
drainage, green areas, traffic and transport.
2.1 Energy Sources:
Buildings are the most basic element of energy consumption in cities. The greatest
potential for energy savings in sustainable cities lies in green buildings [7]. Effective
actions include enforcement for new constructions using integration of design with
multiple energy efficiency programs in response to local climatic conditions and
technical capabilities, the use of led lamps and compact fluorescent light bulbs as well as
mounting solar electric generators on rooftops. Together with energy efficiency and
decentralized energy systems, renewable resources such as wind turbines, solar
photovoltaic panels, and solar thermal connectors supply considerable amount of energy.
2.2 Municipal Solid Waste Management:
Today, conventional waste disposal is not a sustainable option, since it cannot deal with
the piles of waste created every day in cities. By utilizing circular systems, waste is seen
as a resource to be reused. Eco-cities have to be created with a more circular view on

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waste by creating sustainable solid waste systems. Waste recycling makes an important
contribution to reducing energy usage and pollution as well as minimizing landfill and
burning waste.
2.3 Water Supply and Drainage:
Water is the element of life, and is the fundamental source for sustainable integrated
development. Arid regions suffer from water shortage; consequently water demand and
use should be managed wisely in a sustainable way. Eco-cities use water efficiently
applying recycling techniques. Municipal drainage water is suitable for irrigation
purposes. It could be easily treated and reused by separating gray water and black water.
Small water treatment plants are constructed to produce suitable water and fertilizers for
greening the local area.
2.4 Green Areas and Urban Agriculture:
Green areas, urban agriculture and farmlands included within metropolitan areas
should be preserved. These farms are productive and also invaluable in many other ways.
They include production of fresh food and vegetables, reduction in transportation load
and enrichment of environmental quality. Green areas absorb huge amounts of GHGs and
thus slow down global warming. They are lungs of the city as they provide a healthy
environment. More trees should be planted in the city to purify the atmosphere, provide
shade, cool the city, support biodiversity and prevent the formation of urban heat island.
2.5 Traffic and Transport:
“Cities are shaped by transport and hence sustainable transport – good transit – walk
ability and cycling facilities should help shape sustainable cities” [8]. During the last few
decades there has been a rapid growth in transport of people and goods along with the
number of motorized road vehicles. This growth has several unintended consequences.
Current trends pose sever challenges for societies aiming at moving towards eco-city
development. If the capacity and quality of public transportation system is inadequate,

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then the use of private cars will be the alternative. The individual motor-based transport
is not sustainable. Mobile emissions are one of the major sources of air pollution.
Moreover, private cars create a major problem of traffic congestion.
3. PART TWO: URBAN TRANSFORMATION OF INFORMAL
SETTLEMENT IN TURKEY
The Zeytinburnu District is located at the Western side of the province of Istanbul, at
the North of Marmara Sea, covering a total area of 1142 hectares as shown in Fig. 1,
which is directly connected to a main highway and the Bosphorous Bridge. In 1957, it
became a municipality as a district of Istanbul. The population density in Zeytinburnu in
year 2000 was 20,639 persons per square kilometers, being one of the most densely
district in Istanbul [9].
Fig.1 Location of Zeytinburnu District [9]
The history of Zeytinburnu is very rich as it was used as a walking promenade and a
recreational place in the fifth century. During the years following the conquest of
Istanbul by Turks in 1453, the oldest settlement known in the area was around
Kazicesme. A community called ‘Priests from Jerusalem’ settled in Zeytinburnu in

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Kazicesme. It became a pleasant neighborhood with agricultural products, olives and
various fruits, grown by them.
Decision of Istanbul Municipality to include Zeytinburnu among areas allocated for
industrial areas changed the fate of the district. Industrial facilities were rapidly built in
the area [10]. The character of Zeytinburnu changed when a large wave of immigrants
from Anatolia came and settled there from 1950 on. Zeytinburnu is an important lesson
for city planning in Turkey, because it was one of the first districts whose most of its
buildings were built illegally, without infrastructure and without any aesthetical
concern. At first there were little brick-built single storey cottages. From the 1970,
onward, they were replaced by mutli-storey concrete apartment blocks built in rows
with no space in between. In most cases, the ground floor was used as a small textile
workshop, and Zeytinburnu became a hustling industrial area with a large residential
population living above the workshop. All this was still illegal and unplanned and still
lacked the infrastructure and the aesthetics [11].
Zeytinburnu is chosen as a case study because it was the most risky in its urban
pattern with very little green and over-built quarters. Moreover, it was the first squatter
housing area, which later became a squatter town within the city of Istanbul. Figure 2
shows the current existing condition of Zeytinburnu [12].
Urban problems related to the illegal urbanization process lead to negative impact in
urban spaces. The existing systems that direct urban development do not solve the
contemporary problems. The urban regeneration projects have problems in integrating
with each other and the rest of the city as they lack the holistic planning approach [13].
To fulfill the need for an urban plan of Istanbul, Greater Istanbul Metropolitan
Municipality Planning and Urban Design Center prepared Zeytinburnu Urban
Regeneration Project in 2006. The project aims to create high standard, livable,
sustainable, innovative, lively and aesthetic urban spaces as an alternative to problems of
unplanned development. The project includes the following activities: a design model has
been developed with an approach of transforming existing building fabric into
contemporary settlement, work has been carried out on a block-based structure and an
urban design project and an architectural preliminary project have been developed for a

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selected pilot area. In the Urban Design Project Areas Schema, a commercial axis that
goes across the center is proposed in order to create spaces, which will trigger urban
regeneration and enable social activity. Figure 3 shows the urban spine, which is
considered a major pedestrian route where heavy building activity is planned around it.
The creation of block-based structures with short, medium and long-term uses and spaces
are planned in design zones identified along this axis. The design model enables three
main issues: the integration of economic, social and spatial relationships, the creation of
new identity for Zeytinburnu, and the development of the super-block system. This
system comprises a hierarchical green system, semi-public green areas, playground,
underground parking in courtyards and mixed-use building blocks where housing, offices,
public facilities are mixed in one building.
Fig. 2 Existing Condition Fig. 3 Urban Design Project Areas Schema,
of Zeytinburnu[12] Green System and Center Relationship [13]
To guide the development of the District, important studies have been undertaken
within the framework of spatial development strategies:
- Green systems and center relationship: Integrating the potentials of green areas and the
relationship with coast is essential to enhance the urban life. Public facility areas, together
with central and commercial relationships, which guide urban life, have been added to the
scheme and a new public transportation system has been proposed.

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- The super-block system: areas, which have the highest number of buildings with
earthquake damage risk, have been identified. Super-blocks have been created by
assembling the existing building blocks in selected areas. Architectural designs for
earthquake-resistant buildings which open to gathering places have been prepared for
newly established super-blocks as shown in Fig. 4 [13].
Fig. 4 The Super-Block Schema [13]
4. PART THREE: INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS IN GREATER CAIRO
REGION
In the last few years different studies and projects have been carried out tackling
the problem of urban development in Egypt and Greater Cairo Region. A report
entitled “The Strategic Urban Development of Greater Cairo Region” is an important
base for thinking beyond traditional approaches for Urban Development [14].
Due to massive population pressure, city officials in the 1950s began developing
land further outside Cairo in areas such as Nasr City. However, the failure of the
Egyptian government’s housing policy to provide affordable, feasible housing for a
large number of Cairenes has led many to build homes, either semi-legally or illegally,
on privately-owned or public lands. All privately built housing units available on the
market are unaffordable to the large majority of Cairo’s households. Approximately
70% of the inhabitants of Greater Cairo are now living in informal settlements [15].
The best definition of informal areas in Cairo is that they are the result of illegal
urban development processes that first appeared around 1950. They show a complete
lack of urban planning or building control [16]. The origin of the urban informalization
process was when Cairo witnessed the emergence of a peripheral form of urbanization.

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Migration from Upper Egypt and Delta caused housing pressure to become critical [17].
According to the 2000 study of informal areas, informal settlements are classified into
different types. In Greater Cairo the large majority, or roughly 83% of informal
settlements were found to be developed on privately held agricultural land. Informal
occupancy on state-owned desert lands was limited to about 10 % of the total, which
spread out from an initial legal nucleus, mostly in the Eastern part of Cairo, and the
remaining 7 % of informal settlements were developed on agricultural reclamation land
controlled by the state [16]. The pattern of irrigated agriculture land facilitates
subdivision for building purposes. Figure 5a shows the rectangular shape of the land
with an area around 175 square meters. The small-irrigated agricultural plots are
separated by small irrigation channels, which become converted to the access lanes
upon subdivision for building purposes. The informal development of state desert has
different urban fabrics as shown in Fig. 5b. Building layout and streets are determined
‘organically’ over time through negotiation among settlers. [15].
Fig. 5a Informal urbanization Fig. 5b Informal urbanization
on agricultural land [15 ] on desert land [15]
5. PART FOUR: FACING INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS EXPANSION IN
EGYPT
This part examines the development strategies in Egypt to solve the phenomenon of
informal settlements. Drawbacks of the public housing in the New Cities are highlighted.
Reasons of continuous expansion of informal settlements are discussed. The government
has exerted a lot of efforts addressing the problem of informal settlements, which appears

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in two major principles. The first is that informal areas are a problem that must be
reduced or removed. The second is that the urban growth must be directed away from
existing cities and agricultural land to desert areas. There are two types of approaches
that the government takes to informal areas: preventative approaches to limit informal
growth and interventionist approaches in which the government either improves or
removes these areas. Interventionist approaches include eviction and demolition,
resettlement, rehousing, and upgrading [18].
A series of laws were provoked aiming at prohibiting further intrusion by informal
housing on agricultural land. These laws had a limited effect, but vertical and horizontal
expansion of informal settlements was resumed in Cairo Metropolitan region [19].
Parallel efforts were done to preserve state desert land from encroachment. The state
made an attempt to mitigate the expansion of informal settlements by introducing the
New Towns policy. Its aim was to relocate and divert the demographic urban growth
away from rich and scarce agricultural land into public housing on the desert fringes of
the city. The New Towns and satellite cities were expected to absorb half the projected
population growth between 1998 and 2017 [20]. However, their distance from the core
Town, and their lack of services and economic opportunities, made them unattractive to
low-income families.
The policy of creating modern planned desert settlements was and is still offered by
government as the basic solution and alternative to the occurrence of urban informality.
The new towns have been a favorite location for resettlement of families for slum
clearance schemes. The state-subsidized public housing was first implemented in Cairo in
the 1950s. The first project was the Masakin al-‘Ummal project in Imbaba but only partly
completed [21]. Two-floor attached units were constructed for factory workers. Other
public housing projects were constructed around Cairo, all of which were walk-up
apartment blocks, of a maximum of four floors. These units were very small and were
distributed to ‘limited income’ families and lower-ranking government employees.
Unfortunately, the government’s programs rely on methods of distribution of units that
do not relate to the needs of target families. These public housing units are poorly located
and mainly accessible by private cars. Furthermore, it is prohibited in most buildings in

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the new towns to open shops, services, offices, workshops and repair shops. Accordingly,
the informal business sector is almost totally excluded from the new towns. The most
serious problem facing the limited-income family who might be living in the new towns
is transport. The long distances that must be covered represent an economic burden on
the lower-income family. Moreover, the movement within the new towns is inconvenient
as the distances between one part and another is very long [16].
A number of these satellite cities have been built, but despite many incentives
encouraging Cairenes to relocate, they have not prospered as they were intended to.
Housing in the New Towns was and still is unaffordable for the majority of Egyptians. In
recent years, urban development in desert areas has increased and much construction is
currently taking place. Some consequences of these developments are already obvious:
the immense volume of traffic along the city’s peripheral roads, and the impact on the
environment. That is why vacancies in Cairo’s desert new towns exceed 50 % [16].
By criticizing the informal areas and understanding the user’s needs and deducing the
reasons of why some works well, lessons can be drawn to either create successful
settlements or upgrade the existing ones. The main characteristics of informal settlements
that support positive aspects of the residential environment: walkability, self-sufficiency,
convenience, home-work proximity, safety in residential streets, and resident
participation in providing public services and maintenance. On the other hand, informal
areas have many problems due to their unplanned construction. Services and
infrastructure are insufficient. Residential densities are very high and there is an absence
of open spaces, poor quality of roads, and poorly ventilated dwellings [22].
6. PART FIVE: DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH GIZA AREA AND IMBABA
AIRPORT LAND
6.1 Introduction
Giza was the site of several plans, including the North Giza Master Plan, which
included a project for the land that was once occupied by a small city airport at Imbaba.
The North Giza Area, a very high densely occupied area, is totally full with informal

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settlements on an area around 3 thousand feddans. These settlements are called Imbaba
and El-Warak. There are only few vacant areas, about 560 feddans, which are expected to
be housed with further informal residential settlements that would add extra burden to all
inhabitants without any services. The infrastructures such as networks of water supply
system, sewage and electricity are in poor condition and could not resist any extra stress.
The governmental policy of development of the Northern Giza area is to transform these
vacant areas into services for inhabitants [23]. Imbaba Airport had been removed,
leaving a vacant area surrounded by densely populated settlements. For many years the
development of Imbaba district has been informal.
Imbaba Airport District is selected as a case study in the present work for three
reasons: first, it is a large ongoing urban transformation project; second, it does not
consider all the issues of eco-cities during the development process; third, it has vacant
surrounding areas for future developments. “The larger master plan involves stripping
property owners of their land under a law that allows for the state to claim such property
if it falls within a master plan that is considered for the public good.” Little compensation
is often paid [24]. Moreover, the main transportation network needs to be more efficient,
so some existing narrow streets will be widened by demolishing a strip of the buildings in
the informal settlements after re-accommodating the inhabitants in the new houses built
in the area. Figure 6 shows the current building conditions, which are overloaded due to
rapid population growth. The old infrastructure is in a poor condition.
Fig. 6 Informal settlements in Imbaba District [24]
The airport area was first considered by the Ministry of Housing, MOH, in the year
2000 to launch an ambitious and large-scale project. The area is planned to provide
Imbaba’s inhabitants with services. The project consists of several main components

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including: a 38-feddan park, 40 feddans for buildings, youth center, 27 feddans of
facilities for education, health and market services. The Giza Park is designed with
agricultural theme, claiming to recall Imbaba’s country-side heritage. Figures 7 and 8
show the park and its entrance.
Fig. 7 Site plan of the park [25]
Fig. 8 Entrance of the Giza Park, Public Housing Blocks at the back [24]
In a large area of about 40 feddans, located between the park to the south and the Ring
Road to the north, the new housing blocks are built. The images in Fig. 9 show how the
housing blocks are constructed in typical MOH style.

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Fig.9 The Newly-built Housing blocks [24]
Figure 10 shows the Youth Center which is located adjacent to the residential
buildings of the informal settlements, some of which are painted with the same color
scheme of the Youth Center as shown in Fig. 11.
Fig.10 Youth Center [24] Fig.11 Painted facades of informal houses [24]
The newly constructed services and green areas shown in Fig. 12 are supposed to
enhance the quality of life of the inhabitants.
Fig. 12 The play ground of Institute of Aviation Engineering and Technology,Youth
Center, Giza Park, new housing blocks, informal settlements [24]

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In mid 2014 the Giza Governorate made a new initiative and was the promoter and
driving force behind the ‘Imbaba Urban Upgrading Project’. Partner institutions that
helped to promote this project are Cairo University’s Department of Architecture and the
German Agency for International Cooperation, GIZ. This project builds upon the on-
going efforts by the Giza Governorate to convert a former airport in Imbaba into a lively
urban center. “It aims to show how a major change in land use and urban development in
a complex and difficult context can help to improve the future not only of Imbaba’s
inhabitants, but also of Cairo as a whole”[26]. The project will provide this densely
populated area with basic infrastructure and services: medical centers, schools, sport
areas, green spaces for leisure, improved pedestrian and road connections, and new
commercial streets near the already completed recreational park. The Urban Projects
Finance Initiative, UPFI selected ‘Imbaba Urban Upgrading Project’ and aims to promote
and develop sustainable and innovative urban projects that serve as best practice
examples and are potentially replicable.
6.2 Analysis and Discussion
Upgrading the numerous informal settlements in Cairo metropolitan region is a
critical and sophisticated mission, because of many social, financial, economical,
political, engineering and other problems. The Imbaba housing project addressed some
sustainability aspects. Providing open spaces, compactness and mixed-use housing are
achieved. The highly dense residential district is composed of 178 buildings containing
3500 residential units on 22 hectares as shown in Fig. 13. A community plaza is located
in the center of the neighborhood providing it with community facilities. Two main
mixed-uses axes lead to the central plaza and link the neighborhood to the Giza Park. The
inhabitants’ quality of life is enhanced through integrating commercial uses with
residential buildings and providing the inner plaza, which is connected to the green area
of the Giza Park. However, the restricted entrance of the park by fees limits its usage.
Pedestrianization is achieved throughout the project. A diversity of housing alternatives
are provided with one, two and three bedroom flats. The project is connected to public
bus root and the public\private microbus service, but no green transportation is provided.

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Fig.13LayoutoftheresidentialunitsinImbabaAirportLand[27]
The good potential of the Airport district is the presence of vacant lands that could
be planned for resettlement of inhabitants living in the informal settlements around the
area. Considering the eco-friendly materials and the eco-systems while planning for the
future housing is an essential issue. It is proposed by the author that after relocation of
inhabitants, the informal houses that were built on agricultural land should be demolished
and transformed back into reclamation land, as shown in Fig. 14.
Fig. 14 Proposed relocation of informal settlements by the Author [28]

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7. PART SIX: GUIDELINES FOR URBAN TRANSFORMATION OF
INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS
In order to achieve urban development projects with integrated sustainable solutions,
local requirements should be considered while putting the eco-city guidelines into
practice [29]. Promoting cooperation between multi-disciplinary planning team as well as
all investors is very important to achieve. A holistic approach, as a single integrated
system, should be considered while planning an eco-city. The concept of integrated
planning is the basis for sustainable urbanism. It requires an ongoing process of analysis
and a multidisciplinary approach to sustainability. Transport, energy, material flow and
socio-economic aspects are crucial. Extensive participation is an essential part of
knowledge-based eco-city planning because the more stakeholders are involved in
decision-making, the more knowledge they will contribute to the bottom-up planning
process. The effective participation of different sectors and relevant sponsors guarantees
the success of the whole process of eco-city planning and construction. Urban structure,
transportation, energy and resource efficiency, socio-economic aspects and monitoring
and evaluation should be considered during transformation.
7.1 Urban Structure
The efficient use of land resource is essential while developing informal settlements.
To achieve an efficient urban structure the following guidelines should be considered:
- Optimizing the density of settlements with regard to the potentially contradictory
requirements of transportation, solar architecture and quality of life.
- Planning compact building structure, such as multi-storey residential, commercial
or mixed-use buildings instead of detached single-family houses.
- Conserving habitats for plants and animals and reducing biodiversity loss.
- Creating and maintaining enough open spaces and green areas in the form of
gardens, parks, street-trees, green roofs, green facades and natural water features.

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7.2 Transportation
- Allowing most people to travel on foot, or by bike or by public transport through
rearranging settlements in a compact layout.
- Reducing private car usage.
7.3 Energy and Resource Efficiency
Minimizing the energy demand of the built urban structure and energy losses of
buildings should be achieved through the following guidelines:
- Limiting the use of fossil fuels for air-conditioning and other electricity supply.
- Widely using renewable energy by utilizing solar architecture in the city, and
efficiently using clean energy from the sun.
- Using environmentally friendly and sustainable produced materials.
- Utilizing advanced devices to treat wastewater so that it can be recirculated into
the water cycle without negative impacts.
- Recycling or reusing solid waste through utilizing special devices that use landfill
gasses as a kind of new energy.
- Collecting and purifying rainwater in areas subject to flash floods to help people
use natural resources efficiently.
7.4 Social Infrastructure and Economic Viability
Satisfying social and economic infrastructure for a high-quality life should be
provided through the following guidelines:
- Easy access to day-to-day facilities:
. Locating kindergartens and elementary schools within walking distance.
. Locating other schools, clinics and hospitals within walking/cycling distance or
maximum 30 minutes by public transport.
. Locating recreational facilities within walking distance or easily reached by
public transport.

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20
- Involving a variety of investors including owner-inhabitants, real-estate companies
and professional developers help in achieving economic viability.
- Cooperating public and private sectors on different projects helps in fulfilling the
public, social and societal goals with reduced funding from public sources and
raising the return on related private investments.
- Measuring profitability of urban transformation projects that transform informal
settlements into eco-cities through long-term success by; creating unique city
context, reducing pollution, minimizing use of fossil fuels, improving people’s
health, enhancing life quality and providing more convenience for social activities
7.5 Monitoring and Evaluation
To ensure that the urban development process serves the goals of conserving
resources, reducing pollution, increasing green spaces and improving people’s residential
life, evaluation procedures must be done through the following guidelines:
- Well-designed social feedback mechanism that integrates public opinions.
- Continuous evaluation with the participation of all relevant investors and sponsors
relying on qualitative and quantitative tools to assess whether the proposed
environmental, economic and social objectives have been met.
- Adaptation on regular basis in response to latest evaluation results.
8. PART SEVEN: CONCLUSION
- The creation and development of informal settlements is a critical problem
threatening the quality of life in urbanized areas. Effective strategies, consistent
efforts and innovative solutions should be provided by the state to stop the
expansion of the informal settlements.
- Informal settlements could be avoided by providing suitably planned sustainable
cities considering the human needs.
- Promoting density and focusing on public transport.
- Establishing a long-term planning framework and city wide approach is a must.

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21
- Not all the guidelines for urban transformation of informal settlements are
considered in the two study cases of Zeytinburnu and Imbaba Airport. Table 1
shows a comparison between the two projects.
Table 1: Comparison between Zeytinburnu Urban Regeneration Project in Turkey and
Imbaba Urban Upgrading Project in Cairo
Guidelines for
Transformation
Zeytinburnu Urban
Regeneration Project, Turkey
Imbaba Urban
Upgrading Project
Objective of
the project
- To deal with the Istanbul Metropolitan area
as a whole
- To integrate urban projects for special areas
identified in the Plan with each other and the rest
of the city
-To strengthen the
integration of
Imbaba with entire
city of Cairo by
providing its
inhabitants with
basic facilities, and
infrastructure
Local
Requirements
Semi-public green areas, playgrounds, under-
ground parking in courtyards, mixed-use
building blocks: housing, offices, public facilities
Hospitals, schools,
cultural activities,
green spaces
Cooperation
between multi-
disciplinary
planning team
A multi-disciplinary planning team are involved
in decision making
Stakeholder
participation in
considering needs and
priorities
Holistic
Approach
(Integrating
Planning)
-The project aims to realize the economic, social
and spatial regeneration at the district.
- A system scheme has been developed
integrating the potentials of green areas and the
relationship with coast.
Improving public
services, establishing
new public services,
green spaces, shops,
improving pedestrian
and road connections 
Urban Structure
- Creating high standard, livable, sustainable,
innovative, lively and aesthetic urban spaces
- Protecting and enhancing the natural features
of the city
Developing
sustainable urban
projects that serve as
best practice examples
Transportation
Proposing new public transportation system
Widening some streets
Social
Infrastructure
and Economic
Viability
A commercial axis that goes across the center is
proposed in order to create spaces which will
enable social activity and trigger urban
regeneration
Commercial use is
integrated into
residential buildings
Energy and
Resources
efficiency
Mixed-use building blocks
Developing
sustainable urban
projects
Monitoring and
Evaluation
To be assessed during the project
implementation
During project
implementation

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22
- It is a very challenging issue to think how to transform Cairo into an eco-city,
how to empower community participation and involvement, and preserve the
local culture. Factors that will contribute in the city transformation are efficient
land use, less transportation need, efficient use of resources, minimum negative
impact on the environment and preservation of natural systems.
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لﻮﺤﺘﻟاﻰﻧاﺮﻤﻌﻟا ﺎﯿﻛﺮﺗو ﺮﺼﻣ ﻰﻓ ﺔﯿﺋاﻮﺸﻌﻟا ﻖطﺎﻨﻤﻠﻟ
ﺔﺠﺗﺎﻨﻟا ﻞﻛﺎﺸﻤﻟا ﻞﺣ ﻰﻓ ﻢﮭﻣ ﻞﻣﺎﻋ ﺔﻣاﺪﺘﺴﻤﻟا نﺪﻤﻟا ءﺎﻨﺑو ﺔﯿﻤﻨﺗ نا ﺔﻠﻜﺸﻤﻟاو .نﺪﻤﻟا ﻰﻓ ﺔﯿﻧﺎﻜﺴﻟا ةدﺎﯾﺰﻟا ﻦﻋ
ﻤﻨﺘﻟ ﺔﻌﺒﺘﻤﻟا تﺎﯿﻟﻵاو تﺎﯿﺠﯿﺗاﺮﺘﺳﻻا نا ﻰھ ﺚﺤﺒﻟا اﺬھ ﺎﮭﻟوﺎﻨﺘﯾ ﻰﺘﻟاﯿ .ﺔﻣاﺪﺘﺳﻻا ﺐﻧﺎﺟ ﻞﻔﻐﺗ ﺔﯿﺋاﻮﺸﻌﻟا ﻖطﺎﻨﻤﻟا ﺔ
اﺬﻟ .ﺔﯿﺋاﻮﺸﻌﻟا ﻖطﺎﻨﻤﻠﻟ ﺮﻤﺘﺴﻤﻟا داﺪﺘﻣﻻا ﺔﻠﻜﺸﻣ ﻞﺣ ﻰﻠﻋ ﻞﻤﻌﺗ ةﺮﺛﺆﻣو ﺔﻠﻣﺎﻜﺘﻣ ﺔﯿﺠﯿﺗاﺮﺘﺳا ﺪﺟﻮﺗ ﻻ ﮫﻧا ىأ
ﻗرﻮﻟا فﺪﮭﺗ نﺪﻣ ﻰﻟا ﺎﮭﻠﯾﻮﺤﺗو ﺔﯿﺋاﻮﺸﻌﻟا ﻖطﺎﻨﻤﻟا ﺔﯿﻤﻨﺗ ﺔﯿﻠﻤﻋ ﺰﺋﺎﻛﺮﻟ ﺔﯾدﺎﺷرا طﻮﻄﺧ ﻊﺿو ﻰﻟا ﺔﯿﺜﺤﺒﻟا ﺔ
ﻟاو تﺎﻤﺴﻟا نﺎﯿﺑ ﻢﺗ ﺪﻗو .ﺔﻣاﺪﺘﺴﻣ ﺔﻣاﺪﺘﺴﻤﻟا نﺪﻤﻠﻟ ﺔﯿﺴﯿﺋﺮﻟا صاﻮﺨ- ﻧﺎﺠﺑ ﻦﻋ ةﺬﺒﻧ ضﺮﻋ ﺐوﺮﺸﻣ ع ﺮﯾﻮﻄﺗ
ﺬﺧأ ﻢﺗ ﻒﯿﻛ نﺎﯿﺑو (ﻮﻧﺮﺒﻨﺘﯾز) ﺎﯿﻛﺮﺗ ﻰﻓ ﺔﻤﯾﺪﻗ ﺔﯿﺋاﻮﺸﻋ ﺔﻘﻄﻨﻣ ﺾﻌﺑ ﺔﯿﻠﻤﻋ ءﺎﻨﺛا رﺎﺒﺘﻋﻻا ﻰﻓ ﺔﻣاﺪﺘﺳﻻا ﺲﺳا
ﻒﻗﻮﻟ ﺮﺼﻣ ﻰﻓ لﺬﺒﺗ ﻰﺘﻟا ﺔﻟوﺪﻟا دﻮﮭﺟ ﻰﻟا ةرﺎﺷﻻا ﺖﻤﺗ ﺮﺧآ ﺐﻧﺎﺟ ﻰﻠﻋ .ﺎﮭﻟ ىﻮﻤﻨﺘﻟاو ﻰﻧاﺮﻤﻌﻟا ﺮﯿﻐﺘﻟا
ﻞﺤﻟا ﻦﻜﺗ ﻢﻟ ﻰﺘﻟا ةﺪﯾﺪﺠﻟا نﺪﻤﻟا ءﺎﻨﺑ ﻖﯾﺮط ﻦﻋ ﻚﻟذو ﺔﯿﺋاﻮﺸﻌﻟا ﻖطﺎﻨﻤﻠﻟ ﺮﻤﺘﺴﻤﻟا داﺪﺘﻣﻻا ﻦﻋ ﺔﺠﺗﺎﻨﻟا رﺎﻀﻤﻟا
ﺸﻌﻟا ﺔﻠﻜﺸﻣ ﻞﺤﻟ ﻞﺜﻣﻷا ﻰﻓ ﺔﻣاﺪﺘﺳﻻا ﺐﻧﺎﺟ لﺎﻔﻏا نأو ةﺪﯾﺪﺠﻟا نﺪﻤﻟا ﻰﻨﻛﺎﺳ داﺪﻋأ ﺔﻠﻗ ﻚﻟذ ﻰﻠﻋ ﻞﯿﻟﺪﻟاو .تﺎﯿﺋاﻮ
ﻰﻟا ةرﺎﺷﻻا ﻢﺗ اﺬﻟ .ﺎﮭﯿﻟا لﺎﻘﺘﻧﻼﻟ تﺎﯿﺋاﻮﺸﻌﻟا ﻰﻨﻛﺎﺳ بﺬﺠﻟ نﺪﻤﻟا ةﺬھ ﻞﺸﻓ بﺎﺒﺳا ﻦﻣ ﺎﺒﺒﺳ نﺎﻛ ةﺪﯾﺪﺠﻟا نﺪﻤﻟا
ا نﺪﻤﻟا ﻰﻓ ﺔﯿﺒﻠﺴﻟا ﺐﻧاﻮﺠﻟاﺎھراﺮﻜﺗ ﺐﻨﺠﺘﻟ ةﺪﯾﺪﺠﻟ نﺪﻤﻟا ﻢﯿﻤﺼﺗو ﻂﯿﻄﺨﺗ ﺪﻨﻋ ﺖﻗﻮﻟا ﺲﻔﻧ ﻰﻓو .ﺔﻣاﺪﺘﺴﻤﻟا
ﻰﺘﻟا نﺎﻜﺴﻟا تﺎﺟﺎﯿﺘﺣا ﺾﻌﺑ ﺔﯿﺒﻠﺗ ﻰﻟا تدا ﺎﮭﻧا ﻒﯿﻛو ﺔﯿﺋاﻮﺸﻌﻟا ﻖطﺎﻨﻤﻟا ﻢﯿﻤﺼﺗ ﻰﻓ ﺔﯿﺑﺎﺠﯾﻻا ﺐﻧاﻮﺠﻟا رﺎﮭظا
ﺰﺋﺎﻛر كﺎﻨھ ﺢﺒﺼﺗ ﺔﯿﺋاﻮﺸﻌﻟا ﻖطﺎﻨﻤﻟا ﻰﻓ ﺖﻘﻘﺤﺗ ﻰﺘﻟا تﺎﺟﺎﯿﺘﺣﻻا ةﺬھ ضﺮﻌﺑو .ةﺪﯾﺪﺠﻟا نﺪﻤﻟا ﻰﻓ ﺮﻓاﻮﺘﺗ ﻢﻟ
ھﺮﻓاﻮﺗ مﺰﻠﯾ ﻰﺘﻟا تﺎﺒﻠﻄﺘﻤﻟا ﺪﯾﺪﺤﺘﻟ ﻞﯿﻠﺤﺗو ﺔﺳارد ﺚﺤﺒﻟا مﺪﻘﯾ ﺎﻤﻛ .ﺔﻣاﺪﺘﺴﻤﻟا ةﺪﯾﺪﺠﻟا نﺪﻤﻟا ﻂﯿﻄﺨﺘﻟ وأ ﺔﯿﻤﻨﺘﻠﻟ ﺎ
ﻰﻧاﺮﻤﻌﻟا لﻮﺤﺘﻟا تﺎﻋوﺮﺸﻤﻟ ﺔﯾدﺎﺷرﻻا تادﺪﺤﻤﻟا ﻢھأ ﻰﻟا ﻞﺻﻮﺘﻟا ﻢﺗ ﺪﻗو .ﺔﺑﺎﺒﻣا رﺎﻄﻣ ﺔﻘﻄﻨﻣ ﺮﯾﻮﻄﺗ عوﺮﺸﻣ
ﺪﻣ ﻰﻟا ﺎﮭﻠﯾﻮﺤﺗ ﻂﯿﻄﺨﺗ ءﺎﻨﺛا ﺔﻣاﺪﺘﺳﻻا ﺐﻧﺎﺟ رﺎﺒﺘﻋﻻا ﻰﻓ ﺬﺧﺄﺗ ﻰﺘﻟا ﺔﯿﺋاﻮﺸﻌﻟا ﻖطﺎﻨﻤﻟا ﻰﻓﺔﻣاﺪﺘﺴﻣ ن ﺖﻤﺗ ﺎﻤﻛ
ﻘﻤﻟاﺎﯿﻛﺮﺗو ﺮﺼﻣ ﻰﻓ ﺮﯾﻮﻄﺘﻟا ﻰﻋوﺮﺸﻣ ﻦﯿﺑ ﺔﻧرﺎ.