Aproaching the neighborhood in Badr City, one is confronted with its extreme desertedness. Located 57 km away from the center of Cairo Proper, the construction of the examined neighborhood in Badr was completed in 2015. The neighborhood lies on the northern edge of the city and was built as part of the SHP (Social Housing Program), according to the statement of an inhabitant. Identical five-story building blocks that rise to 25 meters into the air emphasize the district’s monofuncionality, its purpose as a purely residential area. Nevertheless, several attempts of appropriation have occurred on the sidewalks and inside the buildings, filling the ‘‘free space’’ in between. A work bench, a falafel stall and a wooden shelf displaying groceries are the only signs of life in the area. Among the three case studies (6th of October, 10th of Ramadan and Badr) I explored, the neighborhood in Badr has the lowest building density and the highest vacancy rates.
The project presents a series of interventions that aim to respond to the residents needs and demands. Looking at other neighborhoods, where the notion of informality is visible, the purely residential area is not suitable or adequate for its target inhabitants; the low-income families. A dire need for commercial and trade spaces is articulated through the informally constructed stalls and sheds by street vendors, offering the residents habitable living conditions and an essential source of income. Hence, the primary goal of the interventions is to overcome the limitations of the given building archetype and to create a new one by rearranging and re-appropriating its existing components.
Tuktuk passing by the neighborhood © Photo: Khaled Mostafa
Public and private transit analysis © Photo: Khaled Mostafa
By altering the current typology of the existing housing block via a simple restructuring and repurposing of existing architectural and structural elements, the project aims to transform the use of private space into public space and to establish communal urban spaces that ultimately improve entire districts.
Neighborhood before the proposed transforation © Photo: Khaled Mostafa
Neighborhood after the transformation © Photo: Khaled Mostafa
Interventions:
I Re-purposing the ground floors into commercial spaces
Currently used as apartments, the ground floor is transformed into a public shared space, providing an open space with a wide variety of commercial uses, including kiosks, newsstands, clothing stores, hair salons and street cafes. Removing the non-supporting walls and keeping only the loadbearing structure of the building blocks on the ground floor and first floor allows for flexibility and encourages alternative adaptation of the space. Transforming the ground floor into a public space and creating desired room for commerce and trade is one possible response to the informal trade activities seen in many public housing settlements in the new towns around Cairo.
Repurposed ground floor © Photo: Khaled Mostafa
II Turning underground parking into shaded spaces for mixed uses
Redefining underground parking spaces is the second intervention that aims to boost livelihood in monofunctional residential districts. Through a simple alteration in how the land beneath the buildings is utilized, residents have the chance to turn shaded and naturally lit underground spaces into dynamic areas of diverse purposes; cool spaces for prayers or shaded spaces for weekly markets will attract residents living in and outside the neighborhood.
Repurposed basement © Photo: Khaled Mostafa
III Extending staircases to roof top spaces
The staircases in the existing building blocks reach only to the highest floors, hindering residents to access the roof tops. Therefore, no activity whatsoever can be observed on roof top spaces. By extending the staircases one storey higher to ease accessibility for the residents, this interventions attempts to foster communal and social activities on roof top spaces including roof top gardening, social encounters of neighbors or hanging laundry.
Repurposed rooftops © Photo: Khaled Mostafa
IV Creating a new mini-bus station for Badr
Since the city of Badr does not have a central bus station, marking the departure and arrival of commuters and visitors of the new town, this intervention aims to address the issue of transport. Though already happening elsewhere, mini bus drivers have set their informal bus stop at a round about in the eastern part of the city, the proposed bus station on the large vacant land in the neighborhood is an attempt to underline a general problem found in all public housing settlements in the new towns. Public transport, along with it’s stations and stops, are neglected while planning such neighborhoods. Therefore, the suggested bus station is an exemplary proposal, indicating that public transport is neccessarily to be taken in to consideration, when planning public housing neighborhoods.
New bus station © Photo: Khaled Mostafa
Ground floor repurosing © Drawing: Khaled Mostafa
Aktivating pubic space © Drawing: Khaled Mostafa
Playgrounds and recreational areas © Drawing: Khaled Mostafa
© Drawing: Khaled Mostafa
© Model: Khaled Mostafa
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As part of the dissertation "Deserted Desert Cities. Neighborhoods that should have been." | June 2016 | RWTH Aachen University | Facutly of Architecture | Univ.-Prof. Anne-Julchen Bernhardt, Prof. Axel Sowa | Supervisor: Anna XXX | To view full dissertation click here
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