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Keynote for City Debates 2015, American University of Beirut: “The Dynamics of Neighborhood Transformation: Long Term Trends and Immediate Responses to Turmoil and Civil Unrest,” Mona Serageldin

Abstract

Mona Serageldin prepared the keynote presentation “The Dynamics of Neighborhood Transformation Long Term Trends and Immediate Responses to Turmoil and Civil Unrest” for the 2015 City Debates program on Other Gentrifications: Urban Change Beyond the Core at the American University of Beirut.

The Keynote speech and presentation by Serageldin examine the impact of spatial segregation and social exclusion on gentrification in the Mashreq countries of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine, and Jordan. Documents include presentation slides and transcript.


[Excerpt: Key Note text, Dr. Mona Serageldin, Page 1]

“Gentrification, within or outside the urban core, conjures images of forced displacement, eviction and marginalization of poorer segments of society. However, when discussing gentrification it is important to distinguish between spatial segregation and social exclusion and between diversity and social mixity. Each of these concepts involves a different perspective on urban space. Furthermore, except in cases of clearance and redevelopment, changes in the structure and morphology of urban areas, entail longer term processes which start slowly, accelerate and reach a tipping point. Taking into consideration the time frame often alters perspectives and viewpoints.”

“Social and economic change at the neighborhood level is an inherent component of urban growth. Over time, the regional context has shaped the drivers of transformation processes. Historically, ruling elites eager to display their power, wealth, and status built exclusive precincts outside the urbanized area inhabited by the commoners, a diverse population with a wide range of economic means and social standing including different ethnicities and religions. Later, the desire of colonial expatriate communities to replicate their own living environment introduced a trend towards exclusive suburban extensions. The regulatory controls included in the charters and by laws of the companies which developed these suburbs and the boards running the select amenities tended to collapse from the mid-1960s on as the colonial era came to an end and massive capital infusion in urban real estate altered the dynamics of growth.”

“In labor sending countries, remittance-driven urbanization, formal and informal, sustained by high rates of household formation and pervasive housing shortages, sent land values skyrocketing beyond the affordability of many among the middle classes. It accelerated the proliferation and subsequent densification of informal settlements and sharpened class differentiation within them.”

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Project Year:2015
Project Type:Presentation
Geographic Regions:Beirut, Lebanon (Program Location) / Egypt / Syria / Lebanon / Iraq / Palestine / Jordan
Reports:
Authors:Mona Serageldin; Barbara Summers
Sponsors:American University of Beirut
Categories:Informal Settlements and Urban Upgrading
  
ID:2015_03_001

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Galleries 6-7 – Egypt: Cairo and Helwan, 1986, 1990

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“World Migration Report,” Background Papers on Displacement, Migration and Resettlement in MENA (Middle East and North Africa), International Organization for Migration, 2014

Abstract

In 2014, an I2UD research team produced a set of background research materials for the International Organization for Migration’s 2015 “World Migration Report,” addressing issues of displacement, migration and resettlement in the Middle East and North African (MENA) geographic region. In the Background Paper, the MENA region is further delineated as the Mashreq, Maghreb, Gulf Cooperation Council, and Southern Tier regions.

I2UD staff prepared of a series of case studies and facilitation of training course for Iraqi officials, discussing durable shelter solutions for internal displaced persons (IDPs) and returnees in Iraq, Syria, Spain, Italy, Sudan, and Yemen. The project aimed to: support local authority’s capacity to deal with migration patterns, review shelter needs for refugees, address reforms and challenges for accommodating migrants, and offer support for returnees.

Documents include a MENA Background Paper and a corresponding outline and work plan from 2014. Supporting materials include a display of “Project Statistics and Refugee Camps” in the region, a “Provincial Action Plan” for Van, Turkey, and an outline of “Durable Housing Solutions and Livelihoods for Georgian IDPs.”

Project Year:2014
Project Type:Research Paper
Geographic Regions:Middle East and North Africa / Van, Turkey / Georgia / France / Spain / Italy / Germany / United Kingdom
Reports:
Authors:Mona Serageldin; François Vigier; Maren Larsen; Barbara Summers; Sheelah Gobar
Sponsors:International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Categories:Reconciliation and Development
  
ID:2014_09_001

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Gallery 1: Algeria: Algiers (1987-1988)

Gallery 3: Bahrain: Manama and Muharraq (1980s)

Galleries 6-7: Egypt: Cairo and Helwan (1986, 1990)

Gallery 14: Turkey: Tarsus, Adana, Mersin, Iskenderun, Istanbul, and Batikent (1987)

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“National Urban Policies in Arab States,” Regional Assessment and Case Studies on NUPs in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan, 2014

Abstract

I2UD produced a regional assessment report of National Urban Policies (NUPs) in Arab States in 2014, to describe and analyze contextual factors and the evolution of policies in major Arab states. The assessment included five in-depth case studies of NUPs in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan, which reflect the geographical diversity in the area, as well as current policy objectives, opportunities and challenges in implementation for the region.

In a related report from April 2016, Mona Serageldin and François Vigier addressed a broader scope of NUPs, including European and global factors, in a paper titled “National Urban Policies and the Role of Sub-National Governments.”

Case study analysis focused on cross-cutting themes of compact and connected cities, inclusive cities, and climate-resilient cities. The final outputs included these case studies, a regional synthesis report, and a table of country profiles in relation to national urban policies.

Documents include an initial expression of interest, inception report, case studies for each country, final assessments, an executive summary, annexes and methodological notes, and an additional memo on informal settlements in Egypt.

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Project Year:2014
Project Type:Regional Report
Geographic Regions:Egypt / Jordan / Morocco / Saudi Arabia / Sudan
Reports:

Case Studies:
Authors:Mona Serageldin; François Vigier; Maren Larsen; Lucie Charles
Sponsors:United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UN-Habitat)
Categories:Urban Planning
  
ID:2014_08_001

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Galleries 6-7: Egypt: Cairo and Helwan (1986, 1990)

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“Basic Services for an Urbanizing World,” Third Global Report on Local Democracy and Decentralization (GOLD III, UCLG). Chapter on “Middle East and West Asia” by Mona Serageldin, I2UD, 2013

Abstract

In 2013, I2UD prepared a chapter on the Middle East and West Asia (MEWA) region, for the Third Global Report on Democracy and Decentralization (Gold III): “Basic Services for an Urbanizing World.”

I2UD’s Chapter on “Middle East and West Asia,” (p. 59-64) (see below) addressed four components:

  1. Assessing the role of local and regional authorities in the provision of basic local public services;
  2. Determining obstacles to local authority and services;
  3. Exploring best practices underway or in development in the region; and
  4. Proposing recommendations to improve service delivery through the greater involvement of local and regional authorities.

Documents include a complete Gold III Report “Executive Summary,” with the I2UD Chapter on “Middle East and West Asia.” Presentations relate to case studies presented by I2UD on Barcelona and Marseille. The I2UD research team was led by Mona Serageldin, with Sheelah Gobar, Warren Hagist, Carolina Morgan, and François Vigier, also from I2UD, and Ozdemir Somnez from the Istanbul Metropolitan Planning and Urban Design Centre of Turkey.

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Project Year:2013
Project Type:Research Presentations
Geographic Regions:Middle East / Western Asia
Reports:

Supporting Documents and Presentations:
Authors:Mona Serageldin; François Vigier; Sheelah Gobar; Warren Hagist; Carolina Morgan; Ozdemir Somnez
Sponsors:United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG)
Categories:Urban Planning
  
ID:2013_02_001

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Gallery 3: Bahrain: Manama and Muharraq (1980s)

Gallery 14: Turkey: Tarsus, Adana, Mersin, Iskenderun, Istanbul, and Batikent (1987)

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World Bank MNA Urban Action Plan – Policy and Strategy Papers: “The Evolving Regional Urban Agenda: Key Challenges and Opportunities” and “From Spring to Renaissance: Repositioning the Arab Cities,” 2013

Abstract

In 2013, I2UD researchers co-wrote material for the 2013 “World Bank MNA Urban Action Plan,” an urban development policy and strategy plan for the Middle East and North Africa (MNA/MENA) region.

I2UD gave a preliminary presentation in October 2012 at a special meeting of the urban sector team at the World Bank. Team members presented priority issues at the in-person session, and from the field via video conferencing. Inputs and comments were solicited from all MNA colleagues, to enrich urban challenge assessments, and proposals presented in the Urban Action Plan.

Documents include an Executive Summary by Mona Serageldin, a March 2013 presentation titled “The Evolving Regional Urban Agenda: Key Challenges and Opportunities,” and a January 2013 working paper, “From Spring to Renaissance: Repositioning the Arab Cities.” Supporting materials include a statistical annex, country spatial profiles, and a slideshow compendium. The draft paper and PowerPoint slides were forwarded to the whole MNA urban group, for review and commentary.


[Excerpt: October 1st, 2012 MNA Urban Action Plan, Executive Summary by Mona Serageldin.]

“This inception report expands on the four themes presented in the Key Pillars of the MNA urban strategy and identifies the development priorities that must be addressed to implement MNA’s Action Plan. The objective is to raise issues for discussion and solicit inputs and comments from MNA colleagues in order to expand on the assessment of key urban challenges and enrich the proposals to be presented in the action plan. The region is 62% urbanized and has one of the World’s most rapidly expanding populations. By 2030, the region will have experienced a 45% increase of its urban population with over 106 million additional urban inhabitants. Some countries will see their urban populations double between 2030 and 2050: Egypt, Djibouti, Kuwait, Iraq, OPT, Syria and Yemen.”

“A long history of settlement, along the great rivers, smaller watercourses and the main oases, has led to imbalances in the geographical distribution of urban development, income and wealth. These patterns have been reinforced by the focus of colonial governments on the export of commodities and port cities and, in the post-colonial period, by the migration of rural populations caused by the increasing severity of droughts. The development of oil, gas and petrochemical industries has favored the industrial dominance of coastal cities.”

“The region’s urban dynamics and relatively weak institutions, particularly at the local level, have resulted in unplanned and often chaotic urban growth. Few national spatial development strategies have been elaborated and most regional development plans suffer from a lack of coherence among sectoral investments. The sub-national plans that have been prepared are project-driven with a bias towards primary urban centers and locations where real estate development is lucrative. There is an urgent need for the elaboration of national urban development frameworks and the preparation of integrated regional development strategies to guide and structure growth along development corridors and nodes in order to open up opportunities in the hinterland. Coordinated investments in transport and water supply are critical to start alleviating regional disparities.”

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Project Year:2013
Project Type:Policy Papers; Presentations; Urban Action Plan
Geographic Regions:Middle East / North Africa
Reports:
Supporting Materials:
Authors:Mona Serageldin; Sheelah Gobar; Warren Hagist; Carolina Morgan
Sponsors:World Bank
Categories:Reconciliation and Development
  
ID:2013_01_001

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Galleries 6-7 – Egypt: Cairo and Helwan, 1986, 1990

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State of Arab Cities, UN-Habitat Report & Conference, “Challenges of Urban Transition: Municipal Management and Urban Development Conference for Sustainability in Arab States,” 2012

Abstract

In 2012, UN-Habitat launched the first State of Arab Cities report and conference to address urbanization trends and challenges in the four major Arab and Middle Eastern regions: Mashreq, Maghreb, Gulf Cooperation Council, and the Southern Tier Countries (defined below). With Mona Serageldin as team leader, I2UD contributed a significant body of research for the conference, “Challenges of Urban Transition: Municipal Management and Urban Development Conference for Sustainability in Arab States.” The conference was hosted by the UN-Habitat Regional Office for Arab States (ROAS) and the Kuwait Knowledge Development Regional Centre.

The I2UD team compiled urban housing and demographic data for nations in Maghreb and Mashreq. The I2UD team reviewed 180 documents for each region, covering topics such as the following:

  • “Population and Urbanization;”
  • “Growing Role of Economic Cities;”
  • “Urban Development and Housing Conditions;”
  • “Transportation and Mobility;”
  • “Urban Environmental Challenges;”
  • “Urban Governance Systems;”
  • “Transnational Migration;” and
  • “Emerging Urban Issues and Innovations.”

Documents include I2UD’s inception report, progress report, a I2UD board meeting presentation on the project, and a conference presentation (from the “Municipal Management and Urban Development Conference for Sustainability in Arab States,” from Kuwait, May 2012). The final report for the 2012 UN-Habitat State of Arab Cities lays out urban development and migration issues in the Middle East and North Africa, including I2UD’s contributions. Additional materials include data on regional food and water security, energy security, and air pollution.

Maghreb includes Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia; Mashreq includes Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria; the Gulf Cooperation Council includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates; the Southern Tier includes Comoros, Djibouti, Mauritania, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

Excerpts, Final Report, “State of Arab Cities,” December 2012
Project Year:2010-2012
Project Type:Regional Report
Geographic Regions:Middle East / North Africa
Reports:
Authors:François Vigier; Mona Serageldin; María-Luisa Fernández; Kendra Leith; Linda Shi
Sponsors:UN-Habitat Regional Office for Arab States (ROAS)
Categories:Urban Planning
  
ID:2010_07_001

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“The Use of Land and Infrastructure in the Self-Improvement Strategies of Urban Lower Income Families,” Paper by Mona Serageldin, UN-Habitat Fourteenth Commission Report, May 1993

Abstract

A landmark paper by Mona Serageldin, “The Use of Land and Infrastructure in the Self-Improvement Strategies of Urban Lower Income Families,” was included in the the Fourteenth Commission UNCHS/Habitat Report and presented to the Commission in Nairobi, Kenya in May 1993.

This work presented the self-improvement strategies of families dealing with challenging living conditions as an “intricate and dynamic” part of urban development, conditions which planners should respect. Serageldin’s report drew on her long history of research on urban development in cities globally, using short narrative examples and photos to illustrate specific households in: Abidjan, Amman, Cairo, Jakarta, Karachi, Kinshasa, Quito, Mexico City, Rabat, Surabaya, Tunis, and Boston. The report was sponsored by USAID’s Family and Development Program and Office of Housing and Urban Programs.

Another essay on the same topic was published as USAID Seminar Brief No. 4, “How Urban Families use Infrastructure and Housing in their own Development,” in June 1992. This document summarized Serageldin’s seminar presentation for the USAID Family and Development Initiative Series in April 1992, relaying her indication of trends toward informal housing developments emerging in reaction to rapid urbanization in city populations and housing shortages increasingly becoming a critical issue for low-income families.


[Excerpt: USAID Seminar No. 4. “How Urban Families use Infrastructure and Housing in their own Development,” June 1992.]

“Keeping Families Together: Dr. Serageldin’s longitudinal research in Cairo illustrated the importance of a house as an asset that keeps families together. Vertical expansion of buildings provides space which can be used to house less fortunate family members, such as the elderly, at advantageous terms to all parties. In one case, the rental income saved by a widowed mother living on a relative’s top floor was spent on her children’s school fees while the income generated by this family member from a ground floor shop covered the family’s living expenses.”

Project Year:1993, 1992
Project Type:Research Paper
Geographic Regions:Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire / Amman, Jordan / Cairo, Egypt / Jakarta and Surabaya, Indonesia / Karachi, Pakistan / Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo / Quito, Ecuador / Mexico City, Mexico / Rabat, Morocco / Tunis, Tunisia / Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Reports:
Authors:Mona Serageldin; John Driscoll; María-Luisa Fernández
Sponsors:UN-Habitat; USAID
Categories:Informal Settlements and Urban Upgrading
  
ID:1993_05_001

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Related I2UD Photograph Galleries

Gallery 2: Côte d’Ivoire: Adjamé, Abidjan (1990-1995)

Gallery 5: Congo: Kinshasa (1989)

Galleries 6-7: Egypt: Cairo and Helwan (1986, 1990)

Gallery 13: Tunisia: Tunis (1978-1990)

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“Regularizing the Informal Land Development Process,” International Case Studies for the USAID Office of Housing and Urban Programs, Mona Serageldin, 1990

Abstract

In 1990, team members at the Unit for Housing and Urbanization (the Unit) at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design authored a report on urban development case studies, “Regularizing the Informal Land Development Process,” for the USAID Office of Housing and Urban Programs.

The report focused on organizational disconnects between informal housing and formal planning development for urban communities, considering case studies on land development and legal considerations for nine urban municipalities across Asia, Africa, and the Americas: Navi Mumbai, India; Jakarta, Indonesia; Bangkok, Thailand; Mexico City, Mexico; Caracas, Venezuela; Cairo, Egypt; Amman, Jordan; Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; Conakry, Guinea; Kinshasa, Congo; and Lusaka, Zambia.

Case studies discuss three points for each city region:

  1. Informal land development processes;
  2. Regularization of informal land development; and
  3. Legal and institutional frameworks for land regularization.

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Project Year:1990
Project Type:Land Development Case Studies
Geographic Regions:Navi Mumbai, India / Jakarta, Indonesia / Bangkok, Thailand / Mexico City, Mexico / Caracas, Venezuela / Cairo, Egypt / Amman, Jordan / Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire / Conakry, Guinea / Kinshasa, Congo / Lusaka, Zambia
Reports:Regularizing the Informal Land Development Process: (Mona Serageldin, October 1990)
Authors:Mona Serageldin; John Driscoll; María-Luisa Fernández; Laurent Perrin; Randa Tukan; Phoebe Manzi
Sponsors:USAID Office of Housing and Urban Programs
Categories:Urban Planning
  
ID:1990_10_001

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“Sustainable Improvement Strategies for Lower Income Urban Communities,” Upgrading Policy Plans for Amman and Aqaba (Jordan), Cairo (Egypt), and Karachi (Pakistan), 1990

Abstract

In 1990, the Unit for Housing and Urbanization undertook a project, “Sustainable Improvement Strategies for Lower Income Urban Communities,” focusing on upgrading strategies for low-income neighborhoods in Amman and Aqaba (Jordan), Cairo (Egypt), and Karachi (Pakistan).

The project was in collaboration with the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDC) in Jordan and the Department of Community Health at the Aga Khan University in Karachi. Co-funded by the Ford Foundation and UNICEF, the study assessed projects in Jordan and Egypt that demonstrated successful approaches to improving environmental quality in urban neighborhoods.

The assessments focused on determining the potential for empowering lower income households to improve their economic conditions and living environments through the provision of appropriate infrastructure services. In Karachi, the Unit funded a survey of low-income communities (see “Issues Checklist”).

Documents include an overall summary of the study components and a working paper on “Sustainability of Public Spaces,” prepared by Howard Trett for the Unit in December 1990, as well as component reports by region. Supporting documents are an outline of the research agenda, a quality of life “Issues Checklist for the Reassessment of Common Spaces,” and a background report on HUDC Municipal and NGO Support Options for urban development assistance to the studied regions.


[Excerpt: “Summary of Overall Study Components,” p. 1-2]

PROBLEM DEFINITION
“The World Health Organization estimates that 5 million deaths and 2 to 3 million cases of permanent disability are caused yearly by contaminated water, poor sanitation, air pollution and overcrowding. The cumulative impact of these conditions is the most severe for children in low income urban neighborhoods. It is estimated that a child born in a squatter settlement is 40—to-50 times more likely to die before the age of five than a child in an industrialized country. According to the UN, efforts to alleviate these conditions through conventional upgrading and sites-and-services projects, has reached only ten percent of the urban poor. This investment has been concentrated in 150 projects which sought to achieve replicability through lower standards and higher levels of cost recovery.”

“These projects, which necessitate central government subsidies in one form or another, are increasingly becoming unaffordable to nations burdened by heavy foreign debts at a time when decentralization policies are shifting the responsibility of providing services to local governments.”

“Municipalities in developing countries are attempting to cope with their new obligations by redefining their land development strategies, reorganizing their institutional structures and finding new methods of generating the financial resources necessary to provide and maintain urban services.”
…
“The ability of local government to respond to needs, and the effectiveness of the responses are linked to the capability to formulate and implement affordable improvement strategies which are also sustainable without a continuous infusion of public resources.”


PROJECT GOAL
“The research project seeks to identify, define and test strategies and methods to enable government authorities with private sector participation, to develop sustainable approaches to upgrading and maintaining urban environments in limited income communities. Special emphasis will be placed on defining strategies which have beneficial impacts on the quality of life for children and youths.”

PROJECT OBJECTIVES
– “Identify and select pragmatic approaches to sustaining environmental quality in low-income urban neighborhoods with particular emphasis on the needs of children and youths.

– Identify, select and define appropriate monitoring and evaluation criteria to appraise prevailing levels of urban environmental quality including health and sanitary conditions.

– Develop guidelines for sustainable improvement programs to be implemented by public authorities and non-government organizations.

– Train public officials and members of community organizations in assessment techniques and implementation of action programs for improving and maintaining environmental quality.”

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Project Year:1990-1992
Project Type:Policy Plan
Geographic Regions:Amman and Aqaba, Jordan / Cairo, Egypt / Karachi, Pakistan
Reports:—
Authors:John Driscoll; Mona Serageldin; Howard Trett; François Vigier
Sponsors:Ford Foundation; UNICEF; Unit for Housing and Urbanization, Harvard University Graduate School of Design; Aga Khan Trust for Culture; Housing and Urban Development Corporation (Jordan)
Categories:Informal Settlements and Urban Upgrading
  
ID:1990_01_001

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I2UD Photograph Collection, Galleries 6-7: Egypt: Cairo and Helwan (1986, 1990)

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“Urban Strategies for Economic Development: Towards an Agenda for the 90s,” Regional Report and Workshop for Amman, Jordan, 1987

Abstract

A 1987 report, authored by the Unit for Housing and Urbanization and funded by the World Bank, “Urban Strategies for Economic Development: Towards an Agenda for the 90s,” addressed the growth of informal settlements and the lack of adequate housing opportunities for low-income families in Amman, Jordan.

Documents include a Background Report on Amman, Jordan by John Driscoll, a report by Mona Serageldin from September 1989 titled “Infrastructure Financing and Land Development,” and a workshop summary from October 1989.

Excerpt



[Excerpt: “Infrastructure Financing and Land Development,” Context, Mona Serageldin, pp. 1]

“Within a given economic context, the ability of urban areas to stimulate and drive development is determined by the range and quality of their infrastructure. Throughout the 80’s, intractable budget deficits and increasing debt burdens have led to the curtailment of funding for urban infrastructure in all but one of the OECD countries. In developing nations weak urban institutions inherited from colonial times almost collapsed in the face of mounting needs and dwindling resources. The dynamic private sector could neither muster the capital nor the organizational capabilities needed to operate on the scale required for infrastructure development. Throughout the 70’s and BO’S informal developers maximized profits by externalizing the environmental cost of unplanned urbanization; a cost that the public sector is now forced to absorb. Municipalities struggling to simultaneously service building plots and retrofit uncontrolled settlements have been stretching distribution networks without improved trunk capacity. In many cities, overload well in excess of design capacity risks to collapse whole sectors of the system.”

___


[Excerpt: “Introduction, Background Report on The Urban Development Department” of Amman, John Driscoll, pp. 3, 5.]

“According to World Bank studies, 34% of the urban population lives (ca. 1987) in cramped conditions with four or more persons per room in contrast to the national average of 2.6 persons per room. Development standards prescribing a minimum plot size of 250 to 300 sq. meters with high land prices have made it difficult for the moderate income households to obtain serviced land. Rent control has also distorted the housing market and led to the typical situation of substantial key money requirements, a condition which severely affects new families altering the housing market. Urban population growth, estimated at 5%, coupled with the lack of affordable legal alternatives resulted in the growth of informal settlements on the urban periphery. Ninety percent of housing construction is done by the private sector. Public sector construction is distributed between the UDD, the government owned Jordan Housing Cooperation and smaller housing programs.
….
“In 1980, UDPl represented a major change in government policies regarding the provision of low-income housing and basic services for the urban poor. New development standards made housing more affordable for lower-income groups. The process of comprehensive community upgrading of selected informal settlements and the development of new sites-and-services projects employing cost-recovery principles were a departure from past government practices and policies.”

Project Year:1987
Project Type:Regional Report
Geographic Regions:Amman, Jordan
Reports:
Authors:John Driscoll; Mona Serageldin
Sponsors:World Bank
Categories:Reconciliation and Development
  
ID:1987_09_001

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