Biography:

Dr. Nisreen Lahham is the founder and head of: Futures Studies Forum for Africa and the Middle East (FSF) which is an NGO aiming to re-build connections between African and Middle�Eastern counties, through conducting futures studies and contributing in the development of the region. She works as a consultant expert at the League of Arab States, and she is a member of the National Committee for Systems Analysis at the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology in Egypt.
Previously, she was the executive manager of the Center for Future Studies, at the Egyptian Cabinet, Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC) and has been the main researcher of Egypt vision 2030. Before that she was the General Manager of the Historic areas Department at the National Organization for Urban Harmony, Egyptian Ministry of Culture.
Dr. Nisreen is a PhD holder in urban planning from Ain Shams University, and has a record of research and publications in urban development, planning, environmental economics, and futures studies. She is a reviewer of the African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development (AJSTID), a consultant at the Egyptian Arab Futures Research Association (EAFRA), and a member in the World Future Society (WFS).
She has cooperated and supervised many multidisciplinary future studies, participated in many international conferences, and has been awarded as one of the Distinct Arab Women from the Tunisian Ministry of Culture.

Abstract:

Greening Cities for Sustainable Development in Egypt

Egypt has been experiencing an increased rate of urbanization during the last several decades. About slightly less than half of the Egyptian population lives in urban centers. Urban concentrations in Egypt face a number of challenges, with urban poverty being a dominant element. Rapid rate of urbanization has also resulted in crowded suburbs, traffic congestion; inability to deal with wastewater and solid waste generated and increased pollution levels of air and waterways, with environmental and climate change concerns. Moreover, the proliferation of informal settlement continues to represent one of the main problems facing urban areas in Egypt. With these challenges, it is evidently clear that there is a need to adopt a non-conventional approach to urban development. Greening the urbanization process in Egypt seems to hold the solution for many of the ills Egyptian cities are currently facing.
The role of cities in addressing global environmental issues has become prominent with the launch of the Livable Cities report in 2007 �Livable Cities: the benefits of urban environmental planning�. Since then a number of cities worldwide have taken actions to promote sustainable cities. The experience of some cities demonstrates that taking environmental concerns into account result in economic and social benefits. This actually draws and builds on the main underlying principles and approach behind the �Green Economy�.
Green cities do not only result in positive outcomes for the cities and towns in question, but also results in global benefits. This is represented in the opportunities provided by urban areas to reduce pressure on the Earth�s ecosystems. The concept of green building is growing at a rapid pace worldwide and there is a growing international trend in investments in green buildings.
In addition to creating new jobs resulting from the new economic opportunities offered by greening cities, environmental and health benefits are numerous. These include improved ecosystem services in the form of energy, water, and improved environmental conditions, which is reflected in a healthy and better quality of life for inhabitants.
There are now compelling reasons to build houses and communities that are energy and water efficient, drive economic activities and are more resilient, economically viable and sustainable. It is estimated that cities consume between 60-80% of electricity, which is responsible for 33% of CO2 emissions, while buildings consumed 52% of electricity in 2013 and 68% in 2014. Energy subsidies in Egypt have resulted in the excessive use of energy resulting in excessive demand that far exceeded supply.
Moreover, building and construction sector contributes 6-12% of GDP and employs 8-10% of the total labor force. This sector is considered to be one of the most strategic economic sectors in Egypt due to the large number of associated industries estimated at more than 90 industries. These include the steel and cement industries, gypsum, ceramics, paint, wood, marble, and electric and sanitary equipment.
In order to create green communities that are resource efficient, drive economic activities, create new investment and employment opportunities there is a need for a clear long-term vision and strategy for green cities in Egypt. One that is designed to function within the limited water and energy sources available in the country and which does not result in increased pressure on the environment, ecosystem and biodiversity.
This paper discusses the way forward to creating a strategy for greening cities in Egypt, and suggests the required enabling conditions; administrative, regulatory, and financing tools to apply such a strategy. These enabling conditions are to be concluded from the international experiences of creating green cities worldwide, with concentration on success stories in the Arab region.