Downtown Cairo has undergone a steady decline in recent years, with more slums developing and more beggars filling the streets. This article from Bloomberg says there are many reasons for the decline.
"These days, unemployed youths shout vulgar catcalls at women shoppers walking past crumbling facades. Vendors on pot- holed sidewalks peddle Chinese-made T-shirts. Legless beggars grab the ankles of passers-by for alms."
"There are graver ills in Egypt's megalopolis of 18 million people: Outlying neighborhoods thirst for drinking water, ramshackle houses collapse on shallow foundations and trash clutters miles of dirt alleyways. Still, the district Cairenes know simply as downtown provokes a kind of longing for possibilities lost in a once cutting-edge and even glamorous city."
"It's hard to pinpoint any one reason for the decline. Rent controls have made it unprofitable to renovate the buildings' flowery stone fronts and Art Deco design. Cairo's penchant for informal housing hurts: Squatters have taken root on rent-free rooftops. Lack of zoning rules has also contributed: Kiosks, whose owners pay as little as $50 a month to do business, fill once-spacious arcades."
FULL STORY: Legless Beggars Replace Princes, Movie Stars in Cairo Downtown
Egypt's New Capital City Development Gets Chinese Backing
Plans for the development of a new, unnamed capital city just east of Cairo has received the financial backing of Chinese investors.
Open Spaces Are Contested Spaces in the Middle East
Parks and other public open spaces continue to be squeezed out by private development and attempts to limit political dissent throughout cities in Arab countries.
Should Egypt Build a New Capital to Replace Cairo?
Reviewing the plausibility of replacing the thousand-year-old capital of Cairo with a new, master planner, $45 billion capital city.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie