Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
4.4.5 Enhancing the Quality of Life
Because informal areas usually grow on undeveloped land; whether it is
agricultural or a high risk zone, these areas do not provide access to nature.
On the contrary, they are a threat to nature. This can be overcome by pre-
serving whatever vacant land still exists inside the informal areas and by
belting the whole area to prevent its further encroachment on green fields.
However, because these areas are usually on the fringes of cities, they have
the advantage of proximity to nearby nature. The quality of life of infor-
mal area residents can be enhanced through addressing the attributes of the
brown agenda and by emphasising green advantages, providing an outlet
for overcrowded residents to enjoy nature.
4.4.6 Stakeholder Participation
Informal areas are self-built by the community and its informal sector.
Almost all development decisions are community directed. The community
has succeeded in providing housing and basic services through collabor-
ative efforts. Other services, such as child care facilities, medical centres,
training centres and so forth, are usually provided through community-
based organisations. Thus, these efforts provide a solid ground for further
participation.
Most upgrading programmes focus on the five main dimensions in
accordance with the UN-Habitat indicators, namely: access to safe water,
sanitation, providing secure tenure, durable housing and sufficient living
area. In this quest, these programmes might overlook the green potentials
of the informal area to the extent that they might decrease them. Rebuilding
projects provide a perfect opportunity to build on the green potential of
informal areas and to avoid their pitfalls.
In the government-managed Imbaba housing project, a community
piazza is designed to be the heart of the neighbourhood (13,896 inhabit-
ants on 22 hectares). The area is designed with two main mixed use axes
that link the areas to the adjacent park and lead to the main piazza with
its community facilities (e.g.: nursery and mosque). The design promotes
pedestrianisation with proximity of services within 600 m. The density
is 630 persons/ha, resembling the surrounding district, and commer-
cial uses are integrated with residential buildings. The area provides a
diversity of housing alternatives with one-, two-, and three-bedroom flats
and handicapped adapted units, thus adding completeness to the area.
However, no green transportation was integrated into the project, only
linking the area to the public bus route and to the public/private microbus
service. The project aspires to enhance the quality of life of families relo-
cated due to the demolishing of their former houses during main street
widening in the comprehensive plan to upgrade Giza's northern sector.
