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“Urban Resiliency & the Challenge of Coordinating Climate Adaptation Strategies at Different Scales,” Assessment and Presentation, Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure Workshop on Infrastructure Resilience II, April 2016

Abstract

In 2016, Mona Serageldin and I2UD developed the workshop presentation “Urban Resiliency & the Challenge of Coordinating Climate Adaptation Strategies at Different Scales.” The workshop on Infrastructure Resilience II: Advancing Planning and Design Tools was organized by the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure under the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Documents include the presentation and presentation text.

Learn more about current research on climate resiliency improvement strategies at I2UD’s main site: “AI Climate: A Decision Making Tool for Climate Resilience: Using AI to Identify Climate Change Hazards in the Cities of the Global South.”


[Excerpt: Presentation Text, by Mona Serageldin, for “Urban Resiliency & the Challenge of Coordinating Climate Adaptation Strategies at Different Scales”]

“Urban Resilience is a cornerstone of the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and will be at the center of the discussions at the Habitat III conference. Climate experts and environmentalists are developing tools to assess the regional manifestations of climate change, but reliable prediction tools at the local level are still lacking. Professor Charles Kennel and his colleagues have demonstrated that multiple environmental stress factors interact with local micro-climate and ecological systems to produce different effects at different locations and hence different levels of exposure. They advocate regional assessments as a basis for local action.”

“Settlements in risk areas will differ in location, urban patterns, social characteristics, sources of livelihood and cultural particularities which in combination will shape vulnerabilities to climate change related effects. The focus on informal settlements will highlight the social dimension of exposure to the risks associated with climate change, which are often aggravated by human action. We will present two cases, Arusha, Tanzania and Cartagena, Colombia to illustrate the challenge of resilience building.”

“City and community responses to past weather events provide a good indication of the technical and managerial capacity of local authorities and the ability of vulnerable groups to protect themselves and their assets. Local resilience requires dynamic urban planning and management and an observatory capable of monitoring change in selected environmental indicators and mapping the spatial configuration of affected areas and systems. This task is facilitated by access to aerial photography and GIS. Land issues are critical to the effectiveness of local adaptation strategies, but their impacts tend to be underestimated.”

Project Year:2016
Project Type:Workshop; Presentation
Geographic Regions:Arusha, Tanzania / Cartagena, Colombia
Reports:
Authors:Mona Serageldin; Alejandra Mortarini; Barbara Summers
Sponsors:Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure, Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Categories:Climate Change and Resilience Building
  
ID:2016_04_001

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“Arusha City Resilience Index Pilot Program” for the Tanzanian Ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, Arusha, Tanzania, 2015

Abstract

The “Arusha City Resilience Index Pilot Program” established an accessible, evidence-based definition of urban resilience in Arusha, Tanzania, culminating in the publication of the City Resilience Framework in July 2015.

The City Resilience Index (CRI) from 2015 aimed to measure and assess to what extent a city is achieving its resilience goals. The CRI was developed by International Development non-project branch of Ove Arup & Partners International Ltd with support from the Rockefeller Foundation. The Ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development in Arusha, Tanzania was one of five municipalities to participate in the CRI pilot program to test the feasibility and utility of the Index in different contexts around the world.

As part of the Program, I2UD staff performed an initial review of the Index to develop a work plan for the pilot program and to contextualize urban planning in Arusha. The team managed a task force of local authorities to collect qualitative and quantitative data related to the four dimensions of resilience: (Health and well-being, Economy and society, Infrastructure and environment, and Leadership and strategy). Finally, I2UD experts analyzed data collection outputs to produce an internal report assessing the indicators and data collection process and provided recommendations for improving the Index. I2UD also interviewed key community stakeholders from a wide range of disciplines, and facilitated a stakeholder workshop to perform a qualitative assessment of urban resilience in Arusha.

Documents include a CRI Introduction, an I2UD Schedule, and a Master Plan Stage II “Socio-Economic Report” and “Preliminary Visioning and Programming Report”. Supporting documents include a Technical Working Group Meeting Agenda.


[Excerpt: CRI Introduction, July 2015]

“Urban populations are facing increasing challenges from numerous natural and manmade pressures such as rapid urbanization, climate change, terrorism and increased risks from natural hazards. Cities must learn to adapt and thrive in the face of these diverse challenges – they must learn how to build resilience in an uncertain world. Armed with this knowledge and understanding, governments, donors, investors, policy makers, and the private sector will be able to develop effective strategies to foster more resilient cities.”

Project Year:2015
Project Type:Workshop
Geographic Regions:Arusha, Tanzania
Reports:
Authors:Andrew Charles (Ove Arup & Partners International Ltd); Alejandra Mortarini; Barbara Summers
Sponsors:Rockefeller Foundation
Categories:Climate Change and Resilience Building
  
ID:2015_08_001

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7th Africities Conference, Johannesburg, South Africa, November 29th, 2015: Presentations, Case Studies, Workshop Documents

Abstract

Beginning in July 2015, Mona Serageldin, Daniel Tsai, and Barbara Summers from I2UD prepared presentation materials for the 7th Africities Conference, held on November 29, 2015, in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Conference presentations include an Inception Report, and workshop documents and agendas from July 2015, in French and English. Case studies from July and November 2015 discuss Cairo and Khartoum. A final presentation, “Looking Back, Looking Forward: Johannesburg,” was given by Phillip Harrison (SA Research Chair for Spatial Analysis & City Planning of Johannesburg).


[Excerpt: Index and List of Figures for “Cairo Case Study for the Africities Conference Report,” I2UD, 2015]

Project Year:2015
Project Type:Conference; Workshop
Geographic Regions:Cairo, Egypt / Khartoum, Sudan / Johannesburg, South Africa
Reports:
Presentations:
Authors:Mona Serageldin; François Vigier; Daniel Tsai; Barbara Summers; Tarek Waly; Maren Larsen; Oriol Monfort; Philip Harrison
Sponsors:South African Cities Network (SACN); United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG-A)
Categories:Urban Planning
  
ID:2015_07_001

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

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“Urban Planning Guide for City Leaders,” Research for UN-Habitat Report, 2014

Abstract

In 2014, Mona Serageldin, Elda Solloso, and Gil Kelley contributed to background research papers for an edition of the UN-Habitat publication “Urban Planning Guide for City Leaders.” The 188-page report sought to help local leaders to develop and communicate urban planning initiatives and to follow best practices in light of rapid urbanization.


[Excerpt:] Table 4.1, Adapted from research by Dr. Serageldin (page 97):

Project Year:2012
Project Type:Development Strategy
Geographic Regions:Global / None Specified
Reports:Urban Planning Guide for City Leaders (Final Report, September 2014)
Authors:Mona Serageldin; Pablo Vaggione; Carolina Morgan; Elda Solloso; Gil Kelley
Sponsors:UN-Habitat; Siemens; Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)
Categories:Informal Settlements and Urban Upgrading
  
ID:2012_00_002
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“State of African Cities,” Research for Regional Chapter on North African Cities for UN-Habitat Reports, 2008 and 2010

Abstract

In 2008, a team from I2UD prepared research for regional chapters on Northern Africa for the first UN-Habitat “State of African Cities” report. Topics covered demographics and urban growth, cities as engines of economic growth, urban poverty and housing conditions, environmental challenges in urban areas, and urban governance. Countries addressed in the North Africa regional chapter included Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, and Sudan.

Documents include I2UD’s North Africa regional report for the 2008 State of African Cities report, as well as two full State of African Cities documents from 2008 and 2010.

Project Year:2008-2010
Project Type:Research Paper
Geographic Regions:North Africa
Reports:
—
Authors:Mona Serageldin; François Vigier; Christa Lee-Chuvala; Erick Guerra
Sponsors:United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UN-Habitat)
Categories:Urban Planning
  
ID:2008_03_001

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“Master Plan for the Revitalization of the Older Urban Fabric,” Preservation in the Old City of Al Qusair, Egypt, 2000

Abstract

In 2000, the Center for Urban Development Studies (CUDS) at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design produced a planning program that encouraged both economic urban development and historic district revitalization for the preservation of the Old City of Al Qusair, Egypt.

The revitalization program focused on the recently restored major Ottoman fort, archeological excavations of Pharaonic settlements, and tourism development along the Red Sea coast. The CUDS survey emphasized the benefits of a revitalization plan to enact an “operational strategy for the revitalization of Qusair’s old urban fabric” and to “ensure its integration within the official master plan for Qusair commissioned by the Governor.”

Documents include a Full Report, Questionnaire, Suggested Urban Regulations and Building Code, Intervention List, Action Plan Write Up, and a Statistical analysis.



[Excerpt: The Full Report, The Old City of Qusair]

“The Old City of Qusair is an integral component of the whole city…Between the planned extension and the existing city, uncontrolled expansion is occurring primarily along the main roads. This informal and rather chaotic urbanization is bound to have a negative impact on the environment of both the Old and New Qusair. These settlements house families who lived previously in the older neighborhoods and should be included in future development and upgrading plans at the city scale.”

The documentation and analysis involved “three fundamental determinants of change and transformation of the historic urban fabric”:

1. A thorough understanding of tenure patterns and development dynamics in the city as they affect the historic center.

2. The documentation of economic and socio-cultural changes and their impact on lifestyles, on housing, and commercial activity in the different zones of the study area.

3. The identification of factors prompting property owners, shopkeepers, and households to invest in the improvement of their buildings, shops and dwellings.

See related I2UD projects below

Project Year:2000
Project Type:Master Plan
Geographic Regions:Al Qusair, Egypt
Reports:
Authors:Mona Serageldin; François Vigier; Tarek Waly
Sponsors:Wallenberg Foundations
Categories:Historic Districts
  
ID:2000_00_002

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

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Design Studio 1994: “A New Urban Center for Adjamé, Abidjan, Ivory Coast,” Seminar Curriculum

Abstract

Professors François Vigier and Mona Serageldin led the Spring 1994 Design Studio, an annual seminar hosted by the Unit for Housing and Urbanization at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. The topic that year focused on urban development in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast).

The document, “Designing for Urban Growth: Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire” (January 1994), discussed the housing compound profiles, land allocation, household demographics, and design conditions of Abidjan’s housing regions. The report details designs for dealing with environmental impacts such as organic and industrial effluents, solutions for reducing public subsidies for housing, reforms the housing production, and, in particular, suggestions for readdressing the respective responsibilities of the public and private sectors.

See related I2UD projects below

Project Year:1994
Project Type:Urban Design Studio
Geographic Regions:Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Reports:1994 Design Studio: Abidjan Designing for Urban Growth (Report, Vigier and Serageldin)
Authors:Mona Serageldin; François Vigier; Samir Abdulac; Howard Trett; Randa Tukan; David Neilson
Sponsors:Unit for Housing and Urbanization, Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Categories:Design Studios; Education
  
ID:1994_01_001

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

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“Environmental Health Factors in Housing,” Design Study for the Rapid Urbanization of Low-Income Settlements in Urban-Fringe Districts, 1989

Abstract

“Environmental Health Factors in Housing” was a study from 1989 by the Unit for Housing and Urbanization (the Unit) at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design that addressed the link between rapid urbanization and rapid densification of low-income housing settlements in economically struggling cities.

The report addressed the environmental hazards, poverty, disease, and housing conditions emerging in areas around housing developments that had been built recently but lacked adequate infrastructure for socio-economic longevity and community health. The Unit presented its aim to form a model for affordable, practical design criteria, attuned to both economic and social factors for urban-fringe districts.

Documents include working reports from April, July, and August 1989, a study summary, and a research strategy and methodological guidelines document by Rafique H. Keshavjee and Orville Solon from December 1989.



[Excerpt: Study Summary, I. Overview, July 1989, p. 2]

“Most urban settlements in lower-income countries, whether they are new settlements built by the government, established informal communities or new squatter areas, are subject to tremendous pressures of population growth and economic and physical change. The greater the pressure for development, the more rapid the transformations brought about by this maturation process. This continuous growth and change can rapidly transform their original physical forms beyond recognition and alter the community’s social and economic functions. The process is further intensified when governments introduce improvements such as water, sewerage, basic services and housing. For example, carefully planned housing projects designed according to standards which assume a segregation of commercial and residential activities will find that, overtime, these activities will occur simultaneously in the same area.

The need of low-income families to generate additional income and living space results in the construction of new rooms and apartments which were often not anticipated in the original design of the site or its infrastructure. In such cities as Karachi, Dhakka and Cairo, where housing shortages are high, additions to structures can reach over six stories in less than five years, raising densities from under 400 to over 1,000 persons per hectare. The most dynamic aspect of transformation within a community affects housing, small scale commercial establishments and the disappearance or overuse of communal open
spaces.”

…..

[Excerpt: Study Summary, III. STUDY DESIGN, July 1989, p. 7]

“The purpose of the Study is to develop practical, affordable design criteria which are responsive to the social and economic dynamics of low-income settlements. It will focus on aspects of housing and community design which have received little attention in the past. Most notably, the long-term impact of rapid growth in low-income urban settlements and the effect of the resulting transformation of housing and environmental conditions on the health of the residents. The definition of this linkage and the development of appropriate environmental design criteria, will allow decision makers to choose physical improvements that will maintain their positive impacts as a community matures.“

Project Year:1989
Project Type:Environmental Climate Research Paper
Geographic Regions:Global / None Specified
Reports:
Authors:Mona Serageldin; François Vigier; Rafique H. Keshavjee; Orville Solon
Sponsors:World Bank; Unit for Housing and Urbanization, Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Categories:Climate Change and Resilience Building
  
ID:1989_07_001

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Design Studio 1987: “Arad New Town,” Land-Fill Development Solutions for Arad New Town, Muharraq Island, Bahrain, Seminar Curriculum

Abstract

The Design Studio from Spring 1987, “Arad New Town” of Bahrain, was led by Professors François Vigier and Mona Serageldin under the Department of Urban Planning and Design at Harvard University in 1987. The document is a syllabus for the 1987 topic, a new land development site in the late 1980s in Muharraq Province, Bahrain: Arad New Town.


[Excerpt, Design Studio Syllabus, 1987]:

“The objective of this year’s studio… is to explore solutions that are responsive to the life styles of the future inhabitants of a satellite development in Bahrain, off Muharraq Island, and integrate the modern technology required to create a large-scale project with the cultural traditions of Bahrain and the Gulf area. The policy initiated several years ago to undertake land fills on the coral reefs girding the islands that make up Bahrain offers a rare opportunity to “create” the site as an integral part of the design of the new town. The land fill’s location near the historic town of Muharraq allows the taking into account of the functional, economic, and social interrelationships between the new town and its older neighbor.”

“Arad New Town is to be built on a land-fill (whose geometry has yet to be defined) to be located on a 3.7 square kilometer coral reef and tidal flat extending from the bridge linking old Muharraq and Arad to the village of Halat an Naim […] A bridge will be constructed between the site and old Muharraq over the channel that will have to be created to maintain the viability of the ecologically sensitive Dawhat al Muharraq marsh. The new town offers a unique opportunity to simultaneously address ecological, design and implementation issues.”

Project Year:1987
Project Type:Urban Design Studio
Geographic Regions:Arad and Muharraq, Bahrain
Reports:1987 Design Studio: Arad New Town (Syllabus)
Authors:François Vigier; Mona Serageldin
Sponsors:Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture
Categories:Design Studios; Education
  
ID:1987_00_001

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

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Design Studio 1984: “The Revitalization of a Traditional Urban Quarter” for the Medieval Darb al Ahmar District, Cairo, Egypt, Seminar Curriculum

Abstract

The 1984 Design Studio, “The Revitalization of a Traditional Urban Quarter” for Darb al Ahmar, Cairo, addressed the unique dynamics of the historical district of Medieval Darb al Ahmar district in Cairo, Egypt. The Studio was held jointly by Unit for Housing and Urbanization at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design and the MIT Laboratory of Architecture and Planning in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Documents include an overview, syllabus, and background paper by Francois Vigier, with Mona Sergeldin. This initial research on the significant urban environment in Cairo, Egypt continued to evolve throughout the Unit, CUDS, and I2UD’s ongoing study of historical urban spaces.


[Excerpt: 1984 Design Studio: Darb Al Ahmar District Medieval Cairo (Overview) 1.0 – Overview, page 80]

“The Darb al Ahmar district is located in the south-eastern portion of the medieval city, between al Azhar University (founded in 972) and Salah ed Din’s Citadel, the seat of government from the 12th century to 1865. It is bounded to the east by remnants of the medieval wall and to the west by Port Said Street, a wide avenue built over the antique canal connecting Cairo to the Red Sea. Its 4.8 km area is equal to roughly one quarter of the medieval city; its 1980 population was estimated at 148,000 or 23% of the medieval city’s population.

The district’s importance lies in its location; for nine hundred years it was the link between the institutions and commercial areas concentrated in the Fatimid City and the seat of government in the citadel. Since the 19th century, its western edge has been the dividing line between the modern, Europeanized city along the Nile and the indigenous urban pattern. Although the rapid expansion of Cairo after World War 1 led to its partial marginalization, this trend has been arrested and there is every indication that intensive development pressures are now at work, threatening the physical and social fabric of the area.”

“The diversity of Darb al Ahmar’s population reflects its long history. In the center, around what has been the main commercial artery since medieval times, a stable resident population working in trade and services is swelled daily by a growing number of students and rural migrants, particularly day laborers. Along the eastern edge, the historically less reputable quarters at the urban periphery are now outflanked by informal settlements spreading into the cemetaries and onto the top of the Makkatam hills. To the west, the boundary created by Port Said Street is no longer the sharp divider between foreign and indigenous population that it was in the colonial era. It is part of the transitional zone between the traditional and modern urban fabrics, leading to the key transport node of Ataba and the government district of Abdine. “
…

[Excerpt cont’ 1. 1 – Evolution of Darb al Ahmar, page 82]

“The northern half of the district, built as part of the Fatimid town, is bisected by the Qasabat, the main north-south street that runs from Bab al Fut’uh to Bab Zuweyla. Lined with shops serving the residential areas on either side of it, it is still today one of the major shopping streets in the medieval city. In the past, specialty shops were interspersed among the mosques, schools, baths, public fountains, and noble houses that lined the street. Bookstores and stationers were found near Al Azhar, inlaid copper articles were made and sold near the Ghuri mosque while, just off the main street, druggists were manufacturing herbal remedies. Just inside Bab Zuweyla, cooked-food vendors, a fruit market and sweetmeat sellers were to be found in the Suq es Sukkariya; musical instruments were also sold in a nearby market.”

The area outside Bah Zuweyla was first settled as a low density suburb, housing the spill-over population of the Fatimid city. It remained largely undeveloped until the beginning of the 12th century when a governmental edict mandated owners to develop their land or sell it to someone who would, under penalty of confiscation. The first public building built outside the wall, the al Saleh Tala’i mosque, opposite Bab Zuweyla, was completed in 1160. Development occurred along the wall, towards the Nile, and southward, along the two old roads to the old settlement of Fustat, which had continued to strive as a popular district after the official precinct had been moved north to al Qahira. By the end of the 12th century, development trends had been reinforced by the construction of a new fortified wall by Salah ed-Din, which increased the area of the city eight-fold, and by his moving the seat of government from the Fatimid city to a newly built citadel. Densities increased rapidly as commerces and craftsmen thrived along this strategic link between Cairo’s densest districts and the Citadel as two of Darb al Ahmar’s main streets the Tabbana and al Khyamiya provided the shortest route between Bab Zuweyla and Bab el Wazir, the city’s new southernmost gate at the foot of the Citadel. The areas behind these streets were progressively subdivided for residences, ranging in quality from palaces to tenements.”


Index: Darb al Ahmar District, Medieval Cairo, Egypt

1. Overview
– Table 5: Gross Residential Densities (c. 1976)
1.1 Evolution of Darb al Ahmar
1.2 Typology of Monuments
1.3 The Domestic Architecture

2. Transformations.
2.1 Evolution of the Physical Fabric
2.2 Social Change
– Household characteristics.
– Livelihood and income
– Housing conditions

3. Socio-Economic Indicators
3.1 Harah es Sokkariya


Cairo: Statistical Appendix.
Table of Contents:

1. Greater Cairo Housing Characteristics
2. Greater Cairo Employment Structures by Economic Activity
3. Medieval City – Demographic Characteristics
4. Medieval City – Education
5. Medieval City – Marital Status of the Adult Population
6. Medieval City – Household Size and Composition
7. Medieval City – Employment Status
8. Medieval City – Employment Structure by Economic Activity
9. Medieval City – Occupations
10. Medieval City – Commuting Patterns
11. Southern Sector Demographic Characteristics
12. Helwan District – Education
13. Helwan District – Marital Status
14. Helwan District – Household Size and Composition
15. Helwan District – Employment Status
16. Helwan District – Occupation
17. Helwan District – Characteristics of Housing Stock
18. Helwan District – Residential Densities
19. Helwan District – Commuting Patterns



[Excerpt: Darb al Ahmar, Overview: Bibliography, transcribed from hand-written text]

Nadim, Nawal (el Memiri). The Relationships between the sexes in a a Harah of Cairo, Indiana University, Doctoral Dissertation, 1975

Wikan, Unni, “Living conditions among Cairo’s poor – a View from Below, ” Middle East Journal, Vol. 39, No. 1, Winter, 1981(?), pp. 7-26.

Raymond, Andre, Artisans el Commercants au Caire au XVIIe siècle, Damascus; Institut Francais de Damascus, 1974. Tome I. Damas: Presses de l’Ifpo. doi:10.4000/books.ifpo.5950.

Revault, Jacques et Bernard Maury. Palais et maisons du Caire du XIVe au XVIIIe siècle, Le Caire : Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale du Caire, 1975-79.

Ibrahim, Laila ‘Ali, “Residential Architecture in Mamluk Cairo,” in Mukarnas, Vol. 2, 1984.

Williams, John Allen, “Urbanization and Monument Construction in Mamluk Cairo,” in Makarnas, Vol. 2, 1984


See related I2UD projects below

Project Year:1984
Project Type:Urban Design Studio
Geographic Regions:Darb Al Ahmar, Cairo, Egypt
Reports:
Authors:François Vigier; Mona Serageldin
Sponsors:Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture
Categories:Design Studios; Education
  
ID:1984_01_001

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