Big Vision for Downtown

The newly formed Cairo Heritage Development Committee has wide official executive mandate to strategize for a better future for downtown and historic Cairo. The Committee is tasked with drawing up a comprehensive and holistic master plan that balances historic preservation with economic growth potential for the areas under its mandate.

The newly formed Cairo Heritage Development Committee has begun taking immediate steps to fulfill its mandate of on-the-ground and immediate improvement of the capital city’s historic districts, combined with the formulation of a multi pronged and comprehensive plan that will determine the city’s future.

As part of its longer term plans, the committee has established a series of specialized subcommittees that are studying issues such as the urban planning and financing of the larger downtown project. Hisham Ezz Elarab chairman of CIB and head of the Banks Association is leading the latter effort.

The committee -- established by presidential decree in late 2016 -- includes in its membership the governor of Cairo, the head of the Urban Planning Organization, the CEO of the New Administrative Capital, the head of the General Organization for Urban Harmony, the advisor to the president for urban planning and an international expert in asset management.

The largest stakeholders in a potential downtown investment and commercial entity have been invited by the committee to share their plans in a stakeholder dialogue that is going full speed.

Other subcommittees are carefully examining previous planning efforts that were developed for the area in an effort to find consensus on a holistic plan.

The downtown Cairo district which is part of the committee’s mandate is well known for the unique architectural style of its buildings, many of which date back to the late 19th century.

While many of these buildings have fallen on hard times over the decades, there is a widespread acknowledgement that a concerted focus is needed to restore the city’s historic core to its former glory as one of the most admired and vibrant world capitals. The committee will work with both public and private sector stakeholders on helping this historic district reach its potential.

The committee’s first order of business is to “bring back Moezz Street and Alfi Street to their optimum shape,” according to the head of the commission, Ibrahim Mehleb, assistant to the president for national projects and a former prime minister.

Cairo Governor Atef Abdelhamid has committed to fulfilling that task, which will involve installing a security system and CCTV cameras for better monitoring of the streets, as well as coordination with local restaurants, coffeeshops, and businesses on signage, as well as zoning issues that insure the areas’ urban nature as pedestrian-only zones. In the same vein, the committee will work with police to ensure that drivers of vehicles -- and especially motorcyclists -- who violate the pedestrian nature of the zones -- face the harshest traffic law penalties.