The Entanglement of Class, Marriage and Real Estate: The Visual Culture of Egypt’s Urbanisation

A majority of scholars consider Egypt’s urban development a product of the neo-liberal political economy facilitated by the country’s central government. In this article, we want to shift our attention towards the public and its demand for housing. We describe the urban everyday experiences of a population within a country in which a visual culture established via public media creates an urban imagination that does not reflect the lived social, spatial, and economic reality of the majority of the population. Exploration of the general public’s attitudes towards media narratives that focus their advertisement campaigns on high class residential projects launched this investigation. The argument that follows is based on empirical studies within the Greater Cairo Region (GCR). In this setting, a puzzling trend from our collected data guides our central research question: Why aren’t ads for luxury housing—a market segment clearly beyond the reach of most Egyptians—condemned by those who cannot afford it? To tackle this phenomenon, we shed light on how the pre—and post-marital demand for housing among young couples and their families influence the market, and particularly, the market for upscale and luxury housing in Cairo. The research consists of four phases, including (1) field interviews with Uber and Careem drivers, (2) an online survey targeting inhabitants across varying urban and social segments of the GCR, (3) the first author’s personal story, which posits that marriage culture acts as a key driver for real estate narratives, and (4) a visual analysis of a real estate advertisement. To conclude, the article discusses how far a hegemonic visual culture that caters to socio-economic links between class, marriage, and real estate engages the support of a large part of the population, which in turn, co-produces a spatially unjust urban development scheme that works against their own interests

The Ladder of Emotional Mapping: Visualizing Emotions for Planning Inclusive Cities

Many countries in the modern era strive to keep up with the world\u27s rapid development in many economic, environmental, and social aspects, particularly on the urban scale and city planning, as well as competition for access to the highest levels of luxury in terms of buildings, designs, and iconic buildings that distinguish each country in the media from its counterparts from neighboring countries. In the region, and possibly internationally. Some countries were forced to relocate a number of their cities and capitals, as well as develop new alternatives for them in new places. In the context of implementing these strategies, decision-makers overlook the social and emotional dimensions of citizens, making it difficult for planners and those involved in the design process to understand the human requirements and needs of the user, resulting in the neglect of many aspects that citizens require, such as the design of the urban environment, planning of public areas, and green open spaces. This paper aims to highlight the importance of taking the emotional side of the user into consideration and integrating them into the decision-making process through participatory planning to develop decision-making strategies that include the preferences of all stakeholders in the planning process

The Ladder of Emotional Mapping: Visualizing Emotions for Planning Inclusive Cities

Many countries in the modern era strive to keep up with the world\u27s rapid development in many economic, environmental, and social aspects, particularly on the urban scale and city planning, as well as competition for access to the highest levels of luxury in terms of buildings, designs, and iconic buildings that distinguish each country in the media from its counterparts from neighboring countries. In the region, and possibly internationally. Some countries were forced to relocate a number of their cities and capitals, as well as develop new alternatives for them in new places. In the context of implementing these strategies, decision-makers overlook the social and emotional dimensions of citizens, making it difficult for planners and those involved in the design process to understand the human requirements and needs of the user, resulting in the neglect of many aspects that citizens require, such as the design of the urban environment, planning of public areas, and green open spaces. This paper aims to highlight the importance of taking the emotional side of the user into consideration and integrating them into the decision-making process through participatory planning to develop decision-making strategies that include the preferences of all stakeholders in the planning process

Health Justice: The Entanglement of Quality of Life and Neoliberalism

Covid 19 pandemic sheds light on the entanglement of urban planning and public health in neoliberal urban contexts with special attention to justice. “Good health and wellbeing” is one of the sustainable development goals. This article argues that neoliberal urban practices result in a good Quality of Life for privileged populations, but negatively affect the vulnerable and lead to health injustice from the perspective of urban planning. Hence, Quality of Life is negatively affected since health is a crucial aspect within the discipline of Quality of Life. The spatial determinants of health-related Quality of Life are essential to be considered when speaking about justice in cities. This article aims to promote health through raising awareness of these spatial determinants and suggesting some recommendations aiming for the prevalence of health justice

Health Justice: The Entanglement of Quality of Life and Neoliberalism

Covid 19 pandemic sheds light on the entanglement of urban planning and public health in neoliberal urban contexts with special attention to justice. “Good health and wellbeing” is one of the sustainable development goals. This article argues that neoliberal urban practices result in a good Quality of Life for privileged populations, but negatively affect the vulnerable and lead to health injustice from the perspective of urban planning. Hence, Quality of Life is negatively affected since health is a crucial aspect within the discipline of Quality of Life. The spatial determinants of health-related Quality of Life are essential to be considered when speaking about justice in cities. This article aims to promote health through raising awareness of these spatial determinants and suggesting some recommendations aiming for the prevalence of health justice

Making Sense of the Big Data Mess: Why Interdisciplinarity Matters in Smart Cities

Smart cities use vast amounts of (big) data, often creating what we call an urban "data mess". In this article, we show the diversity and complexity of data that make up this mess and outline examples of urban data processing. Furthermore, we point out problems with the sector-specific perspective that is usually taken when dealing with smart cities. We argue that a collective way of dealing with data across sectors and disciplines needs to be found. To achieve that, we advocate for more interdisciplinary cooperation between different disciplines and stakeholder groups. The Pandemic Recovery Dashboard of the City of Los Angeles gives a first impression of how this could work. We aim to show that approaching data in smart cities from an interdisciplinary angle may help deal with the data mess in smart cities - both for researchers and city developers."Smart Cities" stützen sich auf große Datenmengen ("Big Data") - wobei die unterschiedlichen Daten häufig in ungeordneter Form vorliegen (engl.: "data mess"). Im Beitrag widmen wir uns dieser Diversität im städtischen Datenbestand und skizzieren Beispiele urbaner Datenverarbeitung. Dabei verweisen wir auf Probleme und Herausforderungen einer engen, an einzelne Bereiche gebundenen Datennutzung: Aus unserer Sicht fehlt bislang ein gemeinschaftlicher, sektorübergreifender Ansatz zum Umgang mit Smart-City-Daten. Aus diesem Grund sind mehr interdisziplinäre Kooperationen erforderlich, d.h. die Zusammenarbeit unterschiedlicher Disziplinen und Stakeholder-Gruppen. Das Pandemic Recovery Dashboard der Stadt Los Angeles gibt einen ersten Eindruck davon, wie urbane Daten erfolgreich genutzt werden können. Wir argumentieren dafür, dass Daten in Smart Cities am besten in ganzheitlicher Perspektive bearbeitet und der städtische Datendschungel so übersichtlicher gestaltet werden kann - für Wissenschaft und Praxis

Integrating sustainable development goals into the architecture curriculum: Experiences and perspectives

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) play a crucial role in architectural education, as buildings contribute 39% of global energy-related carbon emissions and 40% of extracted materials are used in construction. This research investigates the current status of SDG integration in architecture education, its challenges, and potential future advancements. A qualitative survey was conducted among architecture educators from 22 institutions across nine countries, focusing on four key aspects: (i) general knowledge and understanding of the SDGs; (ii) qualification and experience regarding the SDGs; (iii) integration of the SDGs in architecture education; and (iv) implementation of the SDGs in architectural practises. The findings revealed that most educators did not receive formal education focused on the SDGs, relying on self-exposure and self-learning. SDG 11 was the most adopted, focusing on improving slum areas, providing safe housing, and promoting sustainable urban settlements while preserving cultural heritage

Setting an Agenda for Urban AI Adaptivity in Urban Planning and Architecture E-learning

The rapid spread of technology and learning systems have altered the viewpoint about the lack of E-learning to the human element. The intersection of AI and education is highlighted by many technologists and researchers showing the diverse possibilities and challenges of using AI in education. However, little research addresses the potential of using AI to create an adaptive e-learning experience that brings a fully personalized experience to e-learners in architecture and urban educational fields. Building on that, we postulate that adaptive AI learning could be useful for urban online teaching and urban development Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), specifically as urban planners need to explore different scenarios of future city making. Therefore, the aim is to explore how educators from the architecture and urban field E-Learning stakeholders perceive AI in the creation of urban Moocs as well as other online teaching activities, as well as address the ways in which adaptive learning can be created in urban e-learning MOOCs using AI. In an attempt to answer the question, what is the current perception of educators about AI adaptivity in e-learning?To achieve this, first, we review the literature available on the topic to provide a comprehensive and inclusive look at adaptive AI learning, its potential, and its challenges. This overview informed and guided the formulation of the survey questions. Then we conducted a survey on educators in Architecture and urban fields from universities in Egypt. The unfamiliarity of the participants with AI provides us with deeper insights into perceptions of educators\u27 AI adaptivity in online learning and MOOCs. The study develops a framework for adaptive e-learning using AI in an attempt to create more interactive and personalized e-learning experiences that can be used in different fields and for different types of learners

Setting an Agenda for Urban AI Adaptivity in Urban Planning and Architecture E-learning

The rapid spread of technology and learning systems have altered the viewpoint about the lack of E-learning to the human element. The intersection of AI and education is highlighted by many technologists and researchers showing the diverse possibilities and challenges of using AI in education. However, little research addresses the potential of using AI to create an adaptive e-learning experience that brings a fully personalized experience to e-learners in architecture and urban educational fields. Building on that, we postulate that adaptive AI learning could be useful for urban online teaching and urban development Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), specifically as urban planners need to explore different scenarios of future city making. Therefore, the aim is to explore how educators from the architecture and urban field E-Learning stakeholders perceive AI in the creation of urban Moocs as well as other online teaching activities, as well as address the ways in which adaptive learning can be created in urban e-learning MOOCs using AI. In an attempt to answer the question, what is the current perception of educators about AI adaptivity in e-learning?To achieve this, first, we review the literature available on the topic to provide a comprehensive and inclusive look at adaptive AI learning, its potential, and its challenges. This overview informed and guided the formulation of the survey questions. Then we conducted a survey on educators in Architecture and urban fields from universities in Egypt. The unfamiliarity of the participants with AI provides us with deeper insights into perceptions of educators\u27 AI adaptivity in online learning and MOOCs. The study develops a framework for adaptive e-learning using AI in an attempt to create more interactive and personalized e-learning experiences that can be used in different fields and for different types of learners