Ecosystemic Cairo: The Urban Condition of Blue & Green Infrastructure PhD

Aleix Saura Vallverdú [PhD year 3]

Supervisors: Carles Crosas (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya), Dina K. Shehayeb (Nile University, Cairo) & Giulio Verdini (Research Stay Supervisor)

With the aim of identifying the potential of a different paradigm of nature-conscious urbanism set against the context of the climate emergency, this research studies the city of Cairo, Egypt. Within the context of rising climate risks, the city’s unequal distribution of green spaces is brought to the forefront – the result of its colonial legacy – and examines how urban densification and climatic pressures intersect with the city’s historical relationship to the Nile. The research focuses on Central Cairo and aims to understand the reasons behind the lopsided relationship between river and city.

Using a methodology based on mapping and grounded by situational study, the thesis researches key historical paradigms, from canals and promenades to the city’s current urban green spaces. It focuses on their capacity as mediators between diverse urban forms, and their site-specific expression at the street-level, in order to understand how site-specific urban green spaces can reconnect cities and their environments.

KEY WORDS: urban green; climate urbanism; green infrastructure; urban morphology