Transport infrastructure modifications and accessibility to public parks in Greater Cairo

Abstract

It is widely accepted that transport infrastructure policies have significant consequences on the environment, housing, business, and people’s everyday movement. With the use of space syntax geometric (sum of angular deviations) and topological (number of directional changes) measures and conventional network metric distance, this article analyses the change in transport infrastructure in Greater Cairo between 2011 and 2021 and quantifies its likely impact on access to 57 public parks. The study advocates for a better understanding of the streetscape changes produced by transport infrastructure policies and how they may impact access to urban green spaces (UGS), particularly parks. The results suggest that the accessibility of 40 parks was reduced at both neighborhood and city-wide scales. Moreover, more than one-quarter of the total study area, including both densely populated marginalized areas and upscale neighborhoods, was significantly negatively affected by streetscape changes. Furthermore, the average distance traveled to parks increased from 3566 (m) in 2011–3612 (m) in 2021. These distances are high compared to the few hundred meters recommended in pedestrian accessibility strategies. These findings are not only important for policy makers in Egypt but will also be helpful to other similar contexts around the world by understanding and forecasting the likely implications of design changes and suggesting targeted strategies for improving access to UGS and, in turn, maximizing UGS use rates. In particular, our findings contribute to the debate on the problems caused by inner-city elevated highways. Lastly, this study provides a general analytical framework that can be applied to other cities across the globe to assess the effects of transport infrastructure changes on access to UGS.