Localizing Social Aspects and Liveability Criteria in Neighbourhood Sustainability Assessment Tools
Case Study: New Urban Expansions in Cairo, Egypt
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31522/p.33.2(70).3Keywords:
liveability, Neighbourhood Sustainability Assessment Tools (NSATs), new communities, social sustainability, urban regenerationAbstract
Successful urban regeneration accentuates the major purpose of the built environment in achieving urban renewal, in particular preserving local identity and sense of place, promoting mixed-use communal living, and optimizing resources on a long-term plan. The city of Cairo, Egypt, has witnessed a significant urban growth, with new cities located in the urban fringe. However, it is questionable whether the neighbourhoods located in the new expansions are regenerative and sustainable as claimed. Evaluating new neighbourhoods’ performance helps in improving the built environment as enhancing their liveability and sustainability significantly contributes to better regenerative urban environments. This study tackles the issue of evaluating new Egyptian neighbourhoods’ sustainability. An extensive analysis was carried out for three Neighbourhood Sustainability Assessment Tools (NSAT), LEED®ND, BREEAM Communities and CASBEE-UD, to address the most applicable one to the Egyptian context. The research showed that 1) the social dimension was poorly addressed together with 2) the difficulty of applying the tool in the Egyptian context, as it has different cultural and demographic characteristics. The research highlights the importance of addressing neighbourhood liveability in NSATs as well as the need for their adaptation to local context. This represents a solid foundation for future research and creating NSATs adapted to the Egyptian cultural context.
References
1. Aguiar Borges, L., Hammami, F. and Wangel, J. (2020) ‘Reviewing neighborhood sustainability assessment tools through critical heritage studies’. Sustainability, 12, p. 1605. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12041605
2. Akl, A. (2022) Alternative urbanism between the formal and informal: investigating the transformative potential of small urban interventions in neoliberal Cairo, University of Westminster.
3. Azzam, A.O. (2017) Socially sustainable neighborhoods: Special reference to the Egyptian context. American University in Cairo.
4. BRE Global Ltd (2017) BREEAM communities - technical manual. Watford, UK.
5. Cappai, F., Forgues, D. and Glaus, M. (2018) ‘The integration of socio-economic indicators in the CASBEE-UD evaluation system: a case study’. Urban Science, 2, p. 28. https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci2010028
6. Choguill, C.L. (2008) ‘Developing sustainable neighbourhoods’. Habitat international, 32, pp. 41-48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint. 2007.06.007
7. El-Hafeez, A., Mohamed, M., El-Mokadem, A., Sallam, I. and Nashaat, B. (2014) ‘Adapting the green pyramid rating system for assessing zero energy concept on neighborhoods level’. Port-Said Engineering Research Journal, 18, pp. 153-160. https://doi.org/10.21608/pserj.2014.46819
8. Fahmi, W. and Sutton, K. (2008) ‘Greater Cairo’s housing crisis: Contested spaces from inner city areas to new communities’. Cities, 25, pp. 277-297. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2008.06.001
9. Farr, D. (2011) Sustainable urbanism: Urban design with nature, John Wiley & Sons.
10. Gehl, J. (2010) Cities for People.Washington, DC: Island Press.
11. Ghonimi, I. (2022) ‘Sustainable Urban Qualityof- Life in Neighborhoods: Bridging the Gap between Satisfaction and Performance in Four Types of Neighborhoods in GCR-Egypt’. Journal of Engineering Research, 6, pp. 105-121. https://doi.org/10.21608/erjeng.2022.265458
12. Ghonimi, I., El Zamly, H., Khairy, M. and Soilman, M. (2011) ‘The Contribution of Gated Communities to Urban Development in Greater Cairo Region, New Towns’. Journal of Al Azhar University, Engineering Sector, 13, pp. 33-52.
13. Jarvis, P.J. and Young, C.H. (2005) The mapping of urban habitat and its evaluation. Urban Forum of the United Kingdom Man and the Biosphere Programme.
14. Kasim, O.F., Wahab, B. and Olayide, O.E. (2020) ‘Assessing urban liveability in Africa: Challenges and interventions’. Industry, innovation and infrastructure, pp. 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71059-4_70-1
15. Keleg, M. (2015) Accessibility as a main factor for the livability of public spaces. Cairo districts as a case study. Architectural Engineering. Cairo University
16. Leby, J.L. and Hashim, A.H. (2010) ‘Liveability dimensions and attributes: Their relative importance in the eyes of neighbourhood residents’. Journal of construction in developing countries, 15, pp. 67-91.
17. Nasr, A.M., Bayoumi, B.H. and Yousef, W.M. (2023) ‘The Urban Sustainability of the Egyptian Capital’. Sustainability, 15, p. 2329. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032329
18. Nikoofam, M. and Mobaraki, A. (2020) ‘Assessment of quality of life in the urban environment; case study: Famagusta, N. Cyprus’. Civil Engineering and Architecture, 8, pp. 860-872. https://doi.org/10.13189/cea.2020.080513
19. Parker, G., Wargent, M., Salter, K. and Yuille, A. (2023) ‘Neighbourhood planning in England: A decade of institutional learning’. Progress in Planning, 174, p. 100749. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.progress.2023.100749
20. Porio, E. (2015) ‘Sustainable development goals and quality of life targets: Insights from Metro Manila’. Current Sociology, 63, pp. 244-260. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011392114556586
21. Revellini, R. (2022) Social Sustainability and Inclusive Environments in Neighbourhood Sustainability Assessment Tools. International Conference on Technological Imagination in the Green and Digital Transition. Springer, pp. 947-958. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-29515-7_84
22. Rohe, W.M. (2009) ‘From local to global: One hundred years of neighborhood planning’. Journal of the American planning association, 75, pp. 209-230. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944360902751077
23. Sala Benites, H., Osmond, P. and Rossi, A.M.G. (2020) ‘Developing low-carbon communities with LEED-ND and climate tools and policies in São Paulo, Brazil’. Journal of Urban Planning and Development, 146. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)UP.1943-5444.0000545
24. Shafer, C.S., Lee, B.K. and Turner, S. (2000) ‘A tale of three greenway trails: user perceptions related to quality of life’. Landscape and urban planning, 49, pp. 163-178. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-2046(00)00057-8
25. Sharifi, A., Dawodu, A. and Cheshmehzangi, A. (2021) ‘Neighborhood sustainability assessment tools: a review of success factors’. Journal of Cleaner Production, 293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.125912
26. Sharifi, A. and Murayama, A. (2013) ‘A critical review of seven selected neighborhood sustainability assessment tools’. Environmental impact assessment review, 38, pp. 73-87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2012.06.006
27. Sharifi, A. and Murayama, A. (2014) ‘Neighborhood sustainability assessment in action: Cross-evaluation of three assessment systems and their cases from the US, the UK, and Japan’. Building and Environment, 72, pp. 243-258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2013.11.006
28. Singerman, D. and Amar, P. (2009) Cairo cosmopolitan: politics, culture, and urban space in the new globalized Middle East, IB Tauris. https://doi.org/10.5743/cairo/9789774162893.001.0001
29. Stewart, D.J., Yin, Z.-Y., Bullard, S.M. and Maclachlan, J.T. (2004) ‘Assessing the spatial structure of urban and population growth in the Greater Cairo area, Egypt: a GIS and imagery analysis approach’. Urban studies, 41, pp. 95-116. https://doi.org/10.1080/0042098032000155704
30. Szibbo, N.A. (2016) ‘Assessing neighborhood livability: Evidence from LEED® for neighborhood development and new urbanist communities’. Articulo-Journal of Urban Research. https://doi.org/10.4000/articulo.3120
31. Umdu, D.Ç., Alakavuk, E. and Koyuncu, A. (2021) BREEAM Communities: Criteria Aim, Status, Strengths and Weaknesses. 2021 International Conference on Digital Age & Technological Advances for Sustainable Development (ICDATA), 2021. IEEE, 208-215. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICDATA52997.2021.00048
32. Woodcraft, S., Hackett, T. and Caistor-Arendar, L. (2011) Design for social sustainability: A framework for creating thriving new communities, London, Young Foundation.
33. Zarin, B. and Tarantash, M. (2011) Neighborhood, sustainability, livability. 5th International Conference of the International Forum on Urbanism (IFoU), National University of Singapore, Department of Architecture, Singapore.
34. https://www.ibecs.or.jp/CASBEE / [Accessed:12/6/2024].
35. https://www.usgbc.org/ [Accessed: 12/6/2024].
36. https://cur.org.au/project/the-healthy-liveable-communities-urban-liveability-checklist/ [Accessed: 12/3/2025].
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Nouran Naguib, Kristina Careva, Rene Lisac
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2021 authors and journal.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
In agreeing this form, you certify that:
- You read the ethical codex of the PROSTOR available at journal web.
- You submitted work is your original work, and has not previously been published and does not include any form of plagiarism.
- You own copyright in the submitted work, and are therefore permitted to assign the licence to publish to PROSTOR.
- Your submitted work contains no violation of any existing copyright or other third party right or any material of an obscene, libellous or otherwise unlawful nature.
- You have obtained permission for and acknowledged the source of any illustrations, diagrams or other material included in the work of which you are not the copyright owner.
- You have taken due care to ensure the accuracy of the work, and that, to the best of your knowledge, there are no false statements made within it.
- All co-authors of this submitted work are aware of, and in agreement with, the terms of this licence and that the submitted manuscript has been approved by these authors.
