Abstract
Urban sustainability certifications (USCs) urge developers to exceed the local norms and regulatory requirements to attain sustainability. USCs are gaining international recognition as planning and policy support tools. This study aims to assess the relevance of four USCs (LEED for Neighborhood Development, BREAAM communities, CASBEE for Urban Development, and Pearl Community Rating System) in contexts outside their country of origin using Cairo Governorate as a case study. The study focuses on compactness, street connectivity, and walking accessibility as prominent components for sustainable mobility and urban form at the neighborhood level. The study examines 202 neighborhoods in Cairo in terms of compactness and then focuses on eight urban areas in different locations and with different characteristics to assess their connectivity and walking accessibility. Different analyses were performed with ArcGIS software using data about neighborhoods’ population, residential units, street networks, established buildings, buildings’ outlines and heights, and detailed uses. Results show that USCs’ indicators and thresholds are generally lenient and insensitive to the context of formal areas in Cairo Governorate, which are significantly more compact, mixed (horizontally and vertically), and connected. This study adds to the currently limited empirical evidence refuting the use of some USCs as global tools and questioning their utilization in different contexts either as they are or even through an adaptation process.
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Source: adapted by authors from (Japan International Cooperation Agency et al. 2008)
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Source: authors using some basemaps from ArcGIS. Note: the boundary of Maadi Al-sarayat Al-sharqiya was clipped as it extends much farther the east
Source: authors using some data from CAPMAS
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Source: authors using some data from Google Maps
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Notes
Sustainable mobility is “the ability to meet the needs of society to move freely, gain access, communicate, trade, and establish relationships without sacrificing other essential or ecological values, today or in the future” World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD) (2004).
Cairo Governorate is a part of Greater Cairo Region that includes Cairo Governorate and parts of the Governorates of Giza and Qalyubia.
Ashwa’yat refers only to unplanned and/or unauthorized urban development that has germinated since the 1960 s and does not include older, spontaneous urban fabric developed before modern planning systems.
Cairo was divided into two governorates (Cairo and Helwan) in the census of 2006 but they were later rejoined.
Cairo-g has four administrative zones, each divided into a number of Ahya’ (districts), each divided into a number of Aksam (police divisions or divisions), which are further divided into a number of Shiakhat (neighborhoods). The terms of districts, divisions, and neighborhoods will be used henceforward instead of the Egyptian terms of Ahya’, Aksam, and Shiakhat, respectively, to decrease complexity.
Term in used in ArcGIS for running an analysis.
Values are yes or no.
Areas can be ordered based on their values.
Based on calculating trip duration from origin to destination using Google Maps and dividing it by the number of buses on each line (assuming they are all functional).
One feddan equals 1.038 acre.
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Gouda, A.A., Masoumi, H.E. Compactness, connectivity, and walking accessibility on the neighborhood level according to sustainability certifications: improvement or downgrade? A case study of Cairo, Egypt. J Geogr Syst 20, 413–449 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10109-018-0272-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10109-018-0272-7
Keywords
- Certifications systems
- Sustainability assessment
- Compactness
- Walking accessibility
- Street network connectivity
- Cairo Governorate