Informal Urban Settlements and Intervention Strategies to Approach them.

Summary of Research ________________________________________________________________________________________

Informal Urban Settlements and Intervention Strategies to Approach them An applied study on Amrawy Informal Settlement, Alexandria

Summary of Research:
The research discusses in three chapters the critical problem of informal urban settlements and the reasons behind its emergence and growth, their characteristics and the consequences of their existence, the intervention strategies to approach them, the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy. The research also analyzes several informal urban settlements upgrading programs and highlights their points of strength and weakness.

- Introduction:
It includes the main topic of research, its hypotheses, and goals. It also includes the method of the research.

- Chapter One:
Chapter one is entitled Informal Urban Settlements Worldwide, Theory versus Reality. This chapter aims to define what a slum is, citing their common characteristics, the reasons behind their appearance and growth, and discussing the different types of informal urban settlements around the world. The second part of this chapter is a study of the intervention strategies used to approach informal urban settlements. It also focuses on the upgrading in place approach as the most successful strategy to face the problem. Also the research presents the process of planning for urban community upgrading, program requirements, factors to consider when planning for urban community upgrading and the way to initiate and sustain the program. Finally, the research highlights the lessons from studying many worldwide Informal urban settlements upgrading programs, criteria that must be met for an upgrading project to be considered successful.

- Chapter Two:
Chapter two is entitled Informal Urban Settlements in Egypt. This chapter includes a study of informal urban settlements in Egypt, reasons behind their emergence and growth. The study also shows the characteristics of informal urban settlements in Egypt and the consequences of their existence and the different types of them. The research

Informal Urban Settlements and Intervention Strategies to Approach them. Summary of Research ________________________________________________________________________________________

also tackles the intervention strategies used by the Egyptian government to approach the problem. By pointing out the points of strength of urban upgrading programs worldwide, the study highlights what the Egyptian strategy towards informal settlements needs to initiate and sustain adequate successful programs and policies. The research also analyzes three different projects with three different strategies held by the Egyptian Government to approach the problem, and concludes to how extent did they meet their goals. The research also highlights the lessons from these projects. Finally, the research concludes the recommendations that suggest solutions for the informal urban settlements problem in Egypt and how to stop their emergence and growth.

- Chapter Three:
This chapter deals with the applied study of the research; a study of the Amrawy Informal Settlement as part of the informal housing sector in Alexandria. Firstly, the study focuses on the case of Alexandria as a major Egyptian urban governorate, by studying the scale of the problem and analyzing the reasons behind the emergence and growth of informal housing sector in Alexandria. Also the study presents the characteristics of informal settlements in Alexandria, their different types and the effects of their existence on the whole city. The study shows how the governorate is dealing with the problem by presenting its strategy and investments in the field of urban upgrading. The second part focuses on the study of the Amrawy Informal Settlement as part of the governorate informal sector by analyzing the characteristics of the area and the reasons why it turned into an informal settlement. Then it analyzes the urban pattern and the economical and social conditions of the residents. Then the study evaluates the current situation of the Amrawy Informal Urban Settlement. After that the research discusses the upgrading in place program aimed by the governorate to approach the area as an urban socio-economic upgrading strategy. Finally, there are recommendations on how to work on the Amrawy urban upgrading program to initiate and sustain adequate successful program which meets its goals.

- Conclusions and Recommendations:

This part includes the conclusion of the study and the results of the analysis. It also includes the recommendations that suggest solutions for the causes of the Informal Urban settlements problem, and suggestions by which the emergence and growth of informal housing sector in Egypt can be stopped and prevented. It also includes general recommendations about working on urban upgrading programs to initiate and sustain adequate successful programs which meet their goals. However, the success of these solutions depends on the political will and good governance also cooperation and coordination between the people and responsible authorities is a must. II

Informal Urban Settlements and Intervention Strategies to Approach them. Summary of Research ________________________________________________________________________________________

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