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Urban Green Space Benefits and the Pivotal Role of Conservation, Cairo’s Case - Egypt

Nezar Kafafy1, Yamen Al-Betawi2 1Faculty of Urban & Regional Planning, Cairo University, Egypt 2 School of City & Regional Planning, Cardiff University, UK

Abstract

The rapid growth of urban settlements around the world is causing a serious threat in increasing the global problems regarding better livelihood, health and environment levels. One of the major outcomes facing several countries among which are those located within arid and semi-arid regions is the loose of urban green spaces. There is emerging evidence that besides the provision of environmental and recreational services urban green spaces provide, there are additional social, cultural, psychological, health and economical benefits that can be gained. Urban green spaces are of much value towards contribution to the quality of life in cities, and therefore should be adequately preserved. This research addresses the importance of the conservation of urban green spaces in order to enhance urban environments. It briefly demonstrates the benefits of urban green spaces and highlights some of the major pressures threatening the presence of such spaces within urban settings. Doing so, it introduces the case of Cairo-Egypt where conserving urban spaces becomes a key tool in the development of natural green in the city. The research presents the example of Al-Azhar Park as a positive model, from which lessons could be derived in adopting conservation of urban green spaces and its vitality to any urban environment.

Keywords: Urban green spaces, urban green spaces benefits, green space conservational role, Al-Azhar Park, sustainable development

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1 Introduction

There is no doubt that greenery is the virtue of all times, urban green spaces and parks are very worthy within urban contexts. They are highly valued by urban and landscape designers for their contribution to the quality of life in cities. However, while the value of such places increases in arid contexts where the greenery is scarce and mostly needed, urban green spaces face several challenges as they are continuously disappearing in cities and urban settings. Dramatic urban expansions are causing serious diminishing of green spaces, as unfortunately urban greenery are the first places to be sacrificed in order to face the increasing demands of city’s urban growth, leaving the city to suffocate from the shortage of green urban spaces and therefore looses the broad scheme of benefits afforded by them.

One of the remarkable challenges facing cities is to find the appropriate ways, ideas and policies for providing new urban green spaces and maintaining the existing ones. These challenges are of much consequence within the developing countries such as Egypt where it can be observed that the amount of green space per person is remarkably low, on the other hand there is a great lose of cultural heritage and unique places within the city’s urban fabric, an unredeemed lose that will influence future generations.

This research highlights the importance of green spaces in urban contexts as a pivotal element in enhancing people’s quality of life. It presents the case of Cairo as an example expressing the main problems and obstacles facing the urban green spaces and their presence, and demonstrates the importance and vital role of conservation as an efficient tool towards improving the state of such spaces. Doing so, it illustrates one of the most recent successful examples in the conservation and safeguarding of urban green spaces presented by the project of Darb Al-Ahmar and Al-Azhar park.

2 Roles and Benefits of Urban Green Space

Green space is an important part of complex urban ecosystems that plays a strategic role in enhancing better life quality for increasingly urbanized society. The presence of natural assets and components in the means of open green spaces in urban contexts contributes to the quality of life in many ways that are of crucial significance for the liveability of modern cities and the well being of urban dwellers (Chiesura, 2004). In general, urban green spaces are understood to mean the green areas within the overarching larger term of open space. These include: public parks and gardens, playgrounds, natural green spaces, amenity green spaces, green corridors and others. Coles and Grayson (2004), defines urban green space as: "public green spaces located in urban areas, mainly covered by vegetation (as opposed to other open spaces) which are directly used for active or passive recreation, or indirectly used by virtue of their positive influence on the urban environment, accessible to citizens, serving the diverse

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needs of citizens and thus enhancing the quality of life in cities or urban regions."

Li and colleagues (2005) note that one of the great merits of urban green space is that one person’s use of it does not deprive others from using it or restrict others from enjoying it. Everyone, in principle, can enjoy, make the use and get the benefit of green spaces without paying a marginal price, like one pays for example when using public transport. Urban green spaces have many important environmental benefits such as; air and water purification, wind filtering, noise reduction, soil protection and microclimate stabilization. Natural areas provide additional ecological services throughout the maintenance of healthy and balanced biodiversity that enrich the genuine of human life in cities (CABE, 2003; GLA, 2003a; Jim, 2003; Chiesura, 2004). They can offer a means of promoting green measures, such as energy conservation or waste reduction with measurable benefits that help secure better built environments. In addition, they provide plenty of aesthetical, recreational, health, social and psychological benefits that are soundly related and associated with each other on one hand and with other life domains (kafafy, 2009).

Green Spaces provide health benefits by enabling people to exercise and relax. People with access to attractive parks and natural green spaces might be expected to use those spaces for active recreation - walking, cycling and other sports, which help improving physical health (CABE, 2003; GLA, 2003a; 2003b; CABE, 2004:13; Douglas, 2008). There is clinical evidence suggesting that green spaces can reduce or prevent obesity (Tibbats, quoted in GLA, 2003b) as well as, other increasing evidence that introducing natural features in the urban environment is good for mental health. Natural views of elements such as trees, lakes and colourful flowers can promote a drop in blood pressure and are shown to reduce feelings of stress (Hartig, quoted in CABE, 2003:7; Ulrich, 1981 quoted in Chiesura, 2003:130). Such rewards was clearly highlighted in a survey among park’s visitors which showed a significant relation found between use of the parks and perceived state of health where those who used local parks frequently were more likely to report good health than those who did not.

It is argued that contact with natural areas and urban green affords people a range of personal, social and cultural benefits. (Burgess et al, 1988). The experience of nature in urban environment is confirmed to be a source of positive feelings that fulfil important immaterial and non-consumptive human needs. Park experience may reduce stress, enhance contemplativeness, rejuvenate the city inhabitant, and provide a sense of peacefulness and tranquillity. The intense sense of personal satisfaction the individual gain from experiencing the sensuous pleasures of being outside in open spaces is a noticeable theme. This ability of functioning as “tranquillizer” is of great value in urban areas where stress is a too common feature of daily living (Berg et al, 1998). Urban green areas are extremely significant for social encounters (Jackson & Kochtitzky, 2010). The living environments of open areas afford opportunities for escape, contemplation, intimacy, social integration and active involvement with nature (Sullivan et al, 2004; Peters et al, 2010).Contact with nature is important for

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urban residents as well is the desire for social interaction in the open air. It can be strongly seen as a domain of active experience and social commuting. According to a study of the public attitudes to built environment which was carried out by the UK’s Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), 85% of people surveyed felt that the green public space has a direct impact on their lives and on the way they feel (CABE 2003), which sheds the light on the importance of public green space as a catalyst for enhancing communities. All such emotional and psychological benefits contribute vitally to the quality of human life that is a key component of sustainable development (Chiesura, 2004).

The functions of urban nature can also grant economic profits for public authorities and citizens. Maintaining cleaner environment can lead to drive down costs of pollution reduction and prevention measures. Furthermore, aesthetic, recreational and historical values of urban green spaces increase the attractiveness of the urban setting and promote it as a destination for tourism that helps generating employment and revenues. Green spaces such as public parks, natural areas and golf courses can have a statistically significant effect on house prices and property values and consequently raising the value of a cities housing stock (Luttik, 2000, CABE 2003). There is evidence that the value people place in urban green space in some parts of the world is increasing. In 1980, 16% of Denver city residents said they would pay more to live near a green feature whether a greenbelt or park. By 1990 this figure had risen to reach 48 % (CABE, 2004).

In general, there is a sense in which the benefits of urban green spaces are experienced at a system level, where the gains are obtained by both the individual and the community. This is different from saying that trees are good because they give shade to particular users. At a systems level, green spaces, for example, enhance the attractiveness of a city, attracting more residents who help generate wealth. Trees filter the air, with knock on effects on health. They have cultural and social values beyond their recreational value (Tarrant and Cordell, 2002). They give identity and character to urban landscape and are an essential part of the heritage and culture of places and communities. (GLA, 2003b; CABE, 2004). All this can be said without great contention. Green is generally good and preserving and maintaining urban green spaces should therefore, be a concern.

3 Cairo’s Case: Green Space scarcity and sustainability

Many international efforts are oriented to preserve and enhance large bio-diverse natural environments relatively untouched ecosystems or environments; particularly those that are either endangered or threatened with extinction, while much less attention has been paid to that essential type of nature close to where people live and work; that is the urban green spaces. These spaces which have a crucial influence on shaping the peoples’ lives is the most accessed spaces during the different stages of one’s life where children grow up and adults meet and socialize. They are the dynamic and liveable scattered portions of the city,

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and the most remembered places in ones childhood memories. The impact of urbanization and industrialization all over the world resulted in various social, health and environmental problems. Such problems are apparently magnified in the case of developing countries where development process has been always given a determinant priority over the continuation of urban green spaces and the up keeping of natural elements (Jamhawi, 2004). In many cities – there has been evidently a low appreciation of green spaces evidenced by the continuous cuts in the green spaces budgets of many towns (Tyrvainen and Vanen, 1998, quoted in Chiesura, 2003:129).

A definition of a desert or a Sahara is a place that possesses no flora cover and does not have any greenery. So in this sense we can consider most of Cairo’s districts as urban deserts. It is very hard to find any green colour in a satellite image of Cairo (kafafy, 2008). In Cairo deserts are encroaching usable land and approaching the boundaries of settlements. This is a threat facing many regions. Every year deserts occupy new territory comparable in size with Belgium (AridGrow, 2007). Egypt is one of the countries with a desertification problem. Over 94% of Egypt's population lives on just 4% of the land, mostly situated along the river Nile Valley and Delta. The remaining 96% of Egypt’s area is desert (Shalaby, 2003; Kafafy, 2008). Natural desertification is not the only problem threatening Egypt’s green Nile valley. The built environment of Cairo is facing many serious problems such as deterioration of buildings; encroachment of the green lands in and around the city; over-population to a point at which the city’s infrastructural capacity and capacity for growth is insufficient; traffic jam and inefficient congested transportation networks; squatters and poor quality spontaneous urban expansions; high and threatening levels of pollution; centralization of services; and a decline in the levels of urban services per capita in general and green space specifically (Kafafy and Webster, 2009). All these factors shape the unique planning and urban management context of Cairo. In such a context green land and green spaces are very precious, and need to be protected and preserved.

An example of the brutal expansion over and undervaluation of green spaces in Cairo is the Orman Botanical Gardens, which was set up in 1875 by Khedive Ismail and landscape designed by the French designer Gustave Delchevalerie, who used a collection of rare trees and plants imported from South America, India, Madagascar and Australia (Raymond, 2000). Part of its 95 feddans (40 hectare) was allotted to grow fruit and vegetables for the benefit of the royal palaces. The park presently is only 28 feddans (11.8 hectare), and more than 70% of the gardens' area has been lost for the sake of urban expansion. While the remaining 30% is under threat. An even more painful example comes from Zohreya Botanical Gardens, which was also set up by order of Khedive Ismail, in the southern part of his palace on Gezira Island in 1868. It was named after the extensive flower gardens that provided palace vases with flowers throughout all the seasons. By 1876, the park had a collection of one million plants brought in from all over the world. In its heyday, it spanned over 49 feddans (20.7 hectare).

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Over the years it has been reduced to only 8 feddans (3.4 hectare), an unbelievable 83.6% loss of the gardens’ area (Zeitoun, 2007).

Cairo’s figures of green spaces per person are far from the international norms and standards, which according to El-Zafarany (2004) vary between 20 and 40 m2 per person for developed countries, and 12 and 18 m2 per person for developing ones. An example from a more arid city than Cairo, comes from Dubai in United Arab Emirates, where Baxter (2010), reports that Dubai Municipality has confirmed plans to increase the city’s green areas by 4% this year and next year by creating more public parks and increasing green spaces in the city. She adds that officials are aiming to increase the amount of green space per capita, by doubling the currently estimated figure of 13.18 m², to 25 m² by 2020, by contrast, the most optimistic reporting of the amount of GS per capita in Cairo did not exceed 2 m², although it is considered very low, but its a bit misleading as more than half of Cairo’s population have only 0.5m²/person, which is an astonishing figure and far beyond the city average of 1.7 m²/person, which more than 70% of the City’s population are less than it. Astonishingly, nearly a million person of Cairo’s population have less than 0.1 m²/person (925,841 person, 12.14% of the city’s population), which is equivalent to a foot print!. More than ¾ of Cairo’s population have less than 2 m²/person (5,743,550 person, 75.2% of the city’s population).

The percentage of green areas to the total urban built area in the city is only 3.85%, which was conducted through the correlation of the CCBA (Cairo Cleanness and Beautification Agency) data and a recent IKONOS satellite imagery analysis, although such a figure is very low, but still 6 districts of a total population of 1,338,554 inhabitants, have less than 1% of green areas to the built area (Kafafy, 2009). Furthermore it can be detected that densities are considerably high within most of the city’s district, reaching 907 person/ hectare in Matriaa district, where the area of green spaces is only 0.82% of the total built area of the city. It was reported that the percentage of green space in the city should not be less than 10%, (see UNEP indictors and standards, 6-2-4-2- Second indicator: Green areas), and surprisingly it was found that only 5 districts of Cairo’s 31 old district taxonomy have met the 10% or exceed it, while the other 26 districts are below it, and by correlating the previous observation with the population distribution, it could be stated that; more than 81% of Cairo’s population are living in districts possessing areas of green space less than 5% of its total area. (6,243,878 of the total of 7,628,090). While more than 92% are living in districts possessing areas of green space less than 10% of its total area. (7,044,042 of the total of 7,628,090).

4 Conservation and Urban Green Space

Orbasli (2008) defines Conservation as “the sustainable management of change”. While Jamhawi (2004) rises the importance of protecting cultural heritage of one place, as he defines it as a “conscious process to control and manipulate change to a minimum to a rate that ensures the survival of cultural heritage over a long

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time”. However, conservation is not only the keeping of our culture for the next generations, but also a responding tool for heritage, part of which is the urban fabric, among global pressures to play an extended role in the future (Ouf, 2004). In that sense, it seeks to co-ordinate and regulates the process of continuity and change of urban structures as part of the running development course which until recent, resulted in losing excessive plots of urban green space. The outcome that resulted not only in vanishing vast amount of recreational areas and cultural wealth, but also missing sensible package of benefits associated with such essential urban features. The massive approach towards urban development process generated great dissatisfaction, as whole areas were indiscriminately destroyed and thus, their social communities ruined (Steinberg, 1996). Integrating conservation of urban green spaces with urban development is perhaps an effective solution towards safeguarding and activating the remaining natural areas within the urban settings. This is to be accomplished in a comprehensive manner where conservation becomes an integral part of coherent policies of economical-social development that deal with the urban context and its life, reflecting dynamically the physical fabric, the environment, the urban culture and the lifestyle of people (Ouf, 2004).

Urban conservation is not just a channel to save significant locations and features of cultural heritage. In fact it is, and it should be, a promoting tool that entails the worth of those features among community residents and public authorities, as well strengths the bonds of interaction with them so as to maintain high levels of care and concern towards them. This is perhaps what can play a vital role in guaranteeing the presence of green spaces in urban settlements. It is noted as well that conserving urban green spaces can help involve community upgrade and the provision of communal facilities that all together upgrade people’s lives. Therefore, it is a need, to combine the conservation of urban green spaces with development practice through out the different disciplines that unite the objectives and goals moving into a practical reality that achieve the objectives of development within sustainability boundaries (Jamhawi, 2004). As conservation and development are introduced, the land values of these areas increase, as well as the local revenues which can have additional stimulating impact for the rehabilitation of infrastructure and other services in conservation areas.

Cairo is rich with a precious heritage fabric that is worth keeping. Although many conservation projects have been taking place, the share of urban green spaces among these projects does not appear to be sufficient. Besides the various benefits previously mentioned of urban green spaces, many of these locations embody multiplicity of cultural, associative, emotional, educational historic, landscape, public, social, townscape, symbolic and even political values that represent a significant function of the setting of the city. Accordingly, any urban conservation effort taking place towards maintaining any urban green space locations will not only function as a safeguarding tool, but will add positively to the public realm through out the process itself.

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5 Al-Azhar Park and Darb AlAhmar Project

One of the encouraging examples for urban green space development was what the Egyptian government has adopted in its plan for developing the Al-Azhar park and the revitalization Darb Al-Ahmar neighbourhood in ancient Cairo. The 74 feddan (30 hectare) Al-Azhar Park on Darassa hill, by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, figure (1). The project is considered to be a successful contribution to the green infrastructure of the capital and a successful project for urban conservation and revitalization of the adjacent neighbourhood, and restoration of the 12th Century Ayubid Cairo wall, taking the advantage of its mostly unique location in the heart of the ancient Islamic Cairo, exposing some of Cairo’s most famous tourist attractions, such as Saladin citadel, Mohamed Ali Mosque, Sultan Hassan and Al-Refa’ee mosques.

There are a number of attributes that influences green space perception and utilization, which are accessibility, quality, multi-functionality, primary purpose and quantity. These attributes are considered to be the guiding principles in urban green space. This project have succeeded in highly fulfilling these attributes, as regarding accessibility which is considered the most important, as planners are typically concerned with maximising access across the city, the central location of the park enhances its accessibility. Then comes quality, which is thought to depend on two main sets of factors; the first of which is the needs and expectations of users, while the second is the design, management and maintenance of the space. The project have succeeded in meeting the users expectations and to take the lead among Cairo’s highest quality GS. In regards of multi-functionality, it is considered to be an essential aspect in urban green space provision, as these spaces in practice have to meet a variety of user needs, and cater for different age groups, which the park have succeeded in fulfilling with flying colours, as it did not only meet all the groups needs, but also had an apparent positive impact on the socio-economic structure of the adjacent Darb Al-Ahmar neighbourhood, and now it’s a source of pride among the Cairenes. A primary purpose was typically created for the project to avoid the conflicts created by multi-functionality, which was providing Cairo with a new green lung. This both reflects the multi-functionality nature of green space and brings clarity and consistency to planning, design and management policies of the space. Regarding quantity, there is no doubt that the park project have formed an uplift to green space quantity in the city, as the park has boosted the green space amount by adding 30 hectares to the city’s green space asset of. The role that green space quantity plays in the city is in enhancing quality of life and built environment.

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Figure (1), Al-Azhar Park location and layout on Darassa hill.

Before work started, the site was a municipal rubbish dump. The builders had to clear a 500-year-old accumulation of fill and debris, equivalent to more than 80,000 truckloads of material, figure (2). The adjacent neighbouring district is the poor Darb al-Ahmar neighbourhood, one of the richest concentrations of Islamic art and architecture in the world, figure (3). The challenge was to revitalise the area and in the same time shed the lights on this precious heritage, and enhance the socio-economic structure of the neighbourhood. These dump land was considered to be the most polluted and polluting area in ancient districts of Cairo. The project needed high expenditure reaching $30 million USD. The project was designed as a catalyst for economic development, and urban regeneration for ancient sites, and has become a case study for creative solutions to a spectrum of challenges facing cities generally, and historical cities specially.

Figure (2), Al-Azhar Park, before, and after development,

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Figure (3) Urban conservation of Darb Al-Ahmar and Cairo's wall

The project is widely described as a sustainable urban conservation intervention that translates cultural, social and economic needs into physical reality representing a success that addresses multiple issues of concern to the direct context in specific and to the city in whole (Salama 2008). It entails a wide range of spatial qualities both on the macro and micro levels, involving physical, symbolic, behavioural and experiential aspects, all of which contributed positively towards betterment of the associated built fabric and the community within. The clearance of the slum upon which the park was built added a lot to the improvement of the overall condition of the whole location. Moreover, as part of the overall package of the project, many tasks were handled including cultural monuments and residents renovation, sanitary upgrading, localities training programmes and employment, micro-finance and improving healthcare. It can be clearly seen that the project was not just the preservation or development of a specified location, but rather a nearly a general holistic community development project.

The Park project therefore can be intended a case study for a variety of development challenges, ranging from environmental rehabilitation to cultural restoration. The main objective of the project was to create a model of development that could be replicated in other locations, particularly in Islamic historic cities which is considered as almost one-third of historic cities on UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites, and unfortunately most of them face similar problems and pressures to those of Cairo (Aga Khan Trust for culture, 2005). A new lung has been added to Cairo city, where citizens can enjoy the high quality park development. Sites suitable for development are scarce in the Egyptian context generally, and are scarce in the congested capital specifically, thus creative multi-functional green spaces conservational developments are mostly needed if any true enhancements are really targeted in built environments.

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6 Conclusions and Remarks

Greening projects are essential components in any urban development comprehensive planning. They provide an effective way to engage local communities and therefore contributing to community development. In that sense it is important to raise the awareness of the public as well as policy makers about the different benefits of green spaces and their vital role making it widely spread in order to enhance people’s valuing and interaction with such a concept. Besides the environmental improvements, urban open spaces make a significant contribution towards the image of urban settings as well as the enhancement of the quality of life for people living there.

The issue of public open green space is inherently problematic especially in the Egyptian context where it raises variety of challenges. The issue of enhancing greenery and providing the city with green lungs is of uprising importance. Moreover the growing importance of how to transform green spaces, parks, streets and squares into attractive, vibrant and liveable places which contribute directly in creating sustainable communities.

Projects like Al-Azhar Park have provided a multi purpose conservative development, fulfilling the needs of people, environment and the government. Such a project had the most positive and significant influence not only on the residents of adjacent neighbourhoods but also on all Cairo as well. There is no doubt that these positive contributions to the city’s sustainable urban form must be encouraged and well studied, in order to adopt similar projects in other sites and to allow the best methods for maintenance and preservation.

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