Shared Ground: Participatory Approaches To Production And Upgrading The Built Environment

The city has never been an exclusive product of planners, architects, or state institutions. Co-production is not a new concept imported from international development literature that adds an unrealistic or locally inappropriate romanticism . Urbanism in Egypt (and many other countries of the Global South) is continuously shaped through the ongoing accumulation of daily practices, negotiation, adaptation, and re-adaptation by the residents themselves. These organic processes have occurred throughout history, contributing to the production, maintenance, and reshaping of cities and villages . From this perspective, the fundamental question is not whether communities should participate in producing their built environments, as they have, in fact, always done so, but rather how these practices can be recognized, supported, learned from, and built upon in the methods of urban production and management, instead of being restricted or ignored in favor of centralized, top-down development models.

This workshop approaches the city as a social and political space, exploring how cities are formed and evolved, and how they are constantly appropriated and redefined by different actors, with a focus on the Egyptian context . The workshop moves across a spectrum from the historic Islamic city, which emerged through complex patterns of social organization and local management, to informal areas developed through incremental building and residents' self-initiatives . It also examines various forms of participatory initiatives, grassroots urban practices, and experiences led by residents, professionals, and civil society organizations. Participants will engage in a critical discussion regarding the possibilities and limits of participation, questioning whether it truly represents a path toward greater spatial, economic, and climate justice, or if it might sometimes serve as a tool for reproducing existing power relations.

Instructor

Ahmed Zaazaa is an urban designer and researcher, focusing on spatial and climate justice issues in housing and planning. Zaazaa co-founded 10 Tooba in 2014, where he has conducted research and produced participatory needs and design manuals addressing spatial inequities. Zaazaa also leads participatory projects with deprived and marginalized communities in different informal areas in Cairo. Zaazaa is also the co-founder of Madd Platform that works closely with local communities, in participatory research, planning and advocacy.
Academically, Zaazaa has 14 years of teaching experience in various Egyptian universities. He was an assistant professor of practice in the Nile University and Co-Tutor in the Arab Academy for Science and Technology.