Cairo Case Study

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Cairo, the capital of Egypt, is the largest city in Africa and the Middle East.
The population of the city is approximately 11 million and the Greater Cairo region is between 16-17 million. This is just over a quarter of Egypt’s population and almost half of the country’s urban population. Cairo is situated on the Nile.
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The city shows three distinct phases of growth:
1. The Medieval City - This is a walled city with narrow streets, dominated by a citadel cemeteries made up about a quarter of the land, restricting influence on the future growth of Cairo.
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2. The European City - France and Britain took control of Egypt, the course of the Nile was controlled and bridges were constructed, so the city expanded in area and was modernized.
The old city remained the home of the Egyptian population while the new developments provided middle and high-class residential areas for European settlers.
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3. Modern Suburbs Rapid urbanisation has affected Cairo in the latter part of the 20th century. The population has almost doubled in the last 30 years from 6.4 million in 1975 to 11 million in 2005.
Over 33% of the population of Greater Cairo is under the age of 15 creating huge potential for future growth. It is estimated that the population of Greater Cairo is growing at a rate of 2% per annum but the labour force is growing at 3% per annum du
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The problems facing Cairo include:
1) Lack of proper housing: There are 67 informal settlements in the Greater Cairo Region. 60% of dwellings in Cairo are regarded as sub-standard. In these settlements, people lack even the most basics e.g. sanitation, clean water and health services.
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Informal settlements occur in 3 types of location in Greater Cairo: a) On agricultural land surrounding the city b)In run-down parts of the old medieval city including the cemetery City of the Dead c) Refuse-tip dwellers – the Zabaleen
Informal settlements are permanent constructions which is unusual in LEDCs. The nearest settlements – those built on the city’s edge – are crudely constructed blocks of flats. 2/3 of the new dwellings built since the 1960s are illegal and unsafe.
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In the old city, many are dilapidated buildings that the new settlers have partitioned or extended upwards. Some originally 5 storey buildings now exceed 10 storeys again with no planning permission or building regulations.
Therefore it is not surprising that many buildings collapsed in the Cairo earthquake in 1992.
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Up to 3 million people live in the City of the Dead. These are traditional burial places that included one or two adjacent rooms where relatives of the dead could pay extended visits. Initially they had no services but not have basic essentials.
2) Waste Disposal: the third type of settlement is in the refugee tips where the ethnic minority of christians called the Zabaleen live.
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Their lifestyle involves rearing pigs as well as the men collecting the 7 tonnes of rubbish per day in Cairo and the women and children sorting it for selling.
3) Transport Problems: there are 1.2 million cars in Cairo and 14 million journeys are made per day. The worst congestion is on the cities 6 bridges. Public transport is overloaded and unsafe. There are plans to extend the metro system.
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4) Water Supply: cannot provide enough clean water for all inhabitants and the recent dwellings are not connected. the existing network is old and needs repaired as 25% of all water os lost through breaks.
Similar problem with the sewage network it is designed for 1 million but 26 million use it cause leakage and overflow thus spreading disease.
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5) Air Pollution: main source is 11 oil fired factories along with vehicle emission. this problem is made worse by an anticyclonic conditions - very little wind means pollution is trapped. 20,000 people die per year from lead pollution.
6) Cairo is the best place to get employment in Cairo as it is the main manufacturing center in the country. Government has attempted to attract industry to new towns. Unemployment is still high and 50% work in informal settlements meaning low wages.
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Card 2

Front

1. The Medieval City - This is a walled city with narrow streets, dominated by a citadel cemeteries made up about a quarter of the land, restricting influence on the future growth of Cairo.

Back

The city shows three distinct phases of growth:

Card 3

Front

The old city remained the home of the Egyptian population while the new developments provided middle and high-class residential areas for European settlers.

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

Over 33% of the population of Greater Cairo is under the age of 15 creating huge potential for future growth. It is estimated that the population of Greater Cairo is growing at a rate of 2% per annum but the labour force is growing at 3% per annum du

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

1) Lack of proper housing: There are 67 informal settlements in the Greater Cairo Region. 60% of dwellings in Cairo are regarded as sub-standard. In these settlements, people lack even the most basics e.g. sanitation, clean water and health services.

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
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