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Projects for Accessibility and ＂Sustainable＂ Planning Alexandria （Egypt）： A Case Study
From a project oriented view point the concept of sustainability concerns a variety of themes. The evolution of any single city brings to light the fact that architecture and town planning have often expressed more than a merely stereotyped conception of ＂style＂, wherever its most significant achiev...
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| Published in: | 土木工程与建筑：英文版 2012, Vol.6 (6), p.756-767 |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | From a project oriented view point the concept of sustainability concerns a variety of themes. The evolution of any single city brings to light the fact that architecture and town planning have often expressed more than a merely stereotyped conception of ＂style＂, wherever its most significant achievements have responded to structural needs. For ＂sustainable urban development＂ we may assume the necessity of a ＂priority vision＂, according to which economic, ecologic and social potentials should be valued. This paper questions the notion of urban sustainability considering the port of Alexandria and is region at various levels. Today extending for many miles along the sea coast, the city entered a period of crisis in the 1950s when a mass exodus of foreigners followed transfer of the main activities to Cairo, while the surrounding area was subject to reclamation work as part of a plan for national development. An important event occurred in 1989 with the rebuilding of Alexandria＇s world-famous library, bringing with it a hope for revival of the city＇s ecumenical tradition and of the place it formerly held in world culture. While most of its five million inhabitants survive in a variety of unauthorised settlements and the rural areas have suffered severely from the pollution of Lake Maryut Alexandria is expanding by creation of＂gated communities＂, paralleled by intensive building for tourism along the western coast. This growing trend towards the ＂American way of life＂ is destroying any identity of place. Criticizing the unsustainability of the Alexandria of today, this paper focuses on potentials for polycentric development of the city as a vital part of its region and the Nile Delta, also considering that debate is in progress on the accomplishment of important infrastructural projects that may offer fresh opportunities for involving the topography and centuries-old life of the metropolis in designing the future city. |
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| ISSN: | 1934-7359 1934-7367 |