#cairowalks

an almost ruined historical residential building in Masr Al-Qadima district over looking the Nile 

Every time I see one of those old disregarded historical houses, I ask myself many questions about the number of opportunities that Cairo has missed to benefit from those amazing residential old buildings, and I try to imagine how would Cairo look like if “all” of those buildings has been restored or adaptive reused.

I have seen hundreds of those buildings in different conditions through the #CairoWalks project in many district in Cairo not only in rich districts like Downtown, Gardencity, Heliopolis or Zamalek. But also in middle class and lower classes districts like Boulaq Abol-Ela, Masr Al-Qadima, Zaytoon, Daher, Meit Oqba, Shoubra, Manial and also in Dokki.

A building in Shoubra Street, Shoubra has many Neo-Classical and Art Deco Buildings.

An almost empty Neo-Classical building in Al-Manial District.

Imagine how many Cultural centers, Libraries, Non-Governmental Organizations, community based initiatives, etc. could have taken those old ruined houses and restore them if a governmental plan for taking care of Cairo’s multi-layered historical urban tissue has been put long time ago. How different will Cairo streets look like if our many past governments took care of our heritage. They have missed infinite number of opportunities to reuse those treasures to have a much better and different Cairo.

An Empty Building in a good condition in El-Daher District

A Beautiful Neo-Classical Building in Maspero Triangle area, Boulaq Abol-Ela

I know very well how difficult could be the implementation of such a project, specially the multiple overlapping tenures and the extremely high budget that those buildings need to be restored, but any project like this needs a start before we lose more of those national treasures. 

Teaser Photos of the Places that we Will visit in our second Walk at Shubra  صور تحفيذية للأماكن التى سيتم زياراتها فى جولتنا الجديدة من “جولات المدينة” فى حى شبرا 

 شارع منية السيرج - Moniet AL-Sirag Street

فيلا مارى منيب - Marrie Mounib Villa 

 بيت جدة علياء نصّار (إحدة منظمين الجولة ) - Alyaa Nassar (One of the organizers) Grandmother’s House

  ستوديو لبيب للتصوير الفوتوجرافى - Labib Photography Studio 

 فيلا كودجا - Villa Kodja 

مدرسة الأشراف - Al Ashraaf School 

Check the Second Part of the Photos Here: http://goo.gl/P4acbj

تابعوا التفاصيل كاملة على الرابط التالى 

Check the Details on the following link: https://goo.gl/CmtpCk

Photos are taken by the organizing team :

- Alyaa Nassar, Rehab Ragaee (Shorfa Team)

- Shaimaa Ashour

A lot of Heritage buildings in Cairo have been negatively affected and hidden from the pedestrians by the bridges built for passing cars in front of their facades; as a result residents of those buildings have been deprived from using their own balconies or sometimes even from living in their homes altogether.  Some had to sell their apartments to be used as stores or for any other purpose that wouldn't include the possibility of people living in those buildings surrounded by that utterly extreme noise.

A Heritage Building in 26th July street, Boulaq that has been affected by the existence of a bridge.

This building with the wooden elevation and balconies is located in 26th July street in “Boulaq Aboul E’la district” , the street that connects the “Isa’af” Square to the courniche, this street is considered one of the most important examples of  the negative effect bridges can have on the historical Buildings. The street contains many listed buildings built between the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century and which have been totally abandoned by the residents after the construction of the link between 6th of October and 15th of May bridges.

Planning of these bridges in the greater Cairo was based on a philosophy biased for the minority of private car owners who are estimated by only 10% of Cairo residents – According to the study of UNDP – while the extreme Majority of residents use the public and private mass transportation where the Local Microbuses take the Major percentage. And the rest of Cairenes – estimated by 30% - don’t use automated transportation; they walk or use cheap bicycles and the wooden donkey cars “Carro”.

I’m not asking here for the removal of these bridges, but I’m asking for a change in the philosophy of urban planning in Egypt and especially in Cairo for a planning philosophy biased for the majority of the mass transportation users as well as non-automated transportation users. Thus we conclude that Cairo and the big Egyptian cities need their local budgets to fully support the expansion and development of the mass transportation networks in the form of buses, trams and Metro networks in addition to maintaining a safe walking area for pedestrians instead of paying these budgets on Bridges and car axes that have proven their failure to solve the traffic problems along the past decades. Only if we decide to take the majority's side and apply whatever plan that serves their right to exist and belong, will we have a more livable city that saves its heritage.