Post-Revolutionary Urban Egypt: A New Mode of Practice?

Abstract

Since the 25 January 2011 Revolution, Egypt has been witnessing increased mobilization especially when it comes to urban development. This has reflected on the relationship between ordinary citizens, and their neighbourhoods and cities. In parallel, many professional have become more engaged in this field – calling for the “Right to the City” and demanding more social justice in our urban development policies and practices.Can this be called a "new mode of practice"? Has the revolution been a decisive moment when urban development practices in Egypt shifted from their path? This article argues that this is not the case, and that the current mobilization is just another milestone on the path of a long movement calling for an alternative urban development practice since the 1940s. It is a movement that stands against a high-modernist top-down urban development paradigm that still prevails on the scene in Egypt.This article seeks to trace the path of this movement and how it evolved over three major transitions – each shaped by different factors. The article also traces how Takween Integrated Community Development – an urban development firm established in 2009 – has been building upon the legacy of this alternative movement among other professionals – all striving to change the way we approach urban development in Egypt. Finally, this article tries to identify some of the challenges that still face this alternative movement and how practitioners, community activists, and rights groups can work together to overcome these challenges.