(Ebook) Re-visiting the Park: Reviving the “Cultural Park for Children” in Sayyeda Zeinab in the shadows of Social Sustainability by Dr. ZEINAB SHAFIK, 2 Dr. MENNAT-ALLAH EL-HUSSEINY

(Ebook) Re-visiting the Park: Reviving the “Cultural Park for Children” in Sayyeda Zeinab in the shadows of Social Sustainability by Dr. ZEINAB SHAFIK, 2 Dr. MENNAT-ALLAH EL-HUSSEINY

This paper aims to question the level of success of one of Egypt’s contemporary
architectural milestones which is the Aga-Khan Award winning project of the Child
Park in Sayyeda Zeinab - designed by the Egyptian architect Abdel-Halim Ibrahim;
from a community participation perspective. Stemming from the fact that the level of
successful community participation in architecture and urban design projects affects
the sustainability of the added value, this paper tackles the current process of
operation of the Park and the adjacent pedestrian street, as complimentary aspects
of a community participatory process, and evaluates the social sustainability of the
project as well. The study sheds light on the operation of the park after twenty eight
years of the initiation of the project, it explores its functional and social role in the
district of Sayyeda, located at the center of Cairo city. However, the project has to be
revised and analysed from a critical perspective to evaluate the degree of its success
in affecting the local community, and the level to which it contributes to the approach
of local community participation. In order to achieve this end, the paper adopts a
two-fold methodology. The first is a literature review of the initial ceremonial
participatory process of building the Park and the initial role intended by the
architect whether related to the park itself or to the adjacent Abu-ElDahab Street.
The second methodology is a qualitative analysis of the current state of the park and
adjacent street, based on site investigations, behavioural mapping of the current
status, analysis of the roles of the beneficiaries, interviews conducted with different
stakeholders about the present challenges of the role of the park in the district. Based
on those two main research approaches, the paper concludes with a framework and
several guidelines to enhance the social sustenance of the place through rephrasing
the park’s role in relation to the changing needs of the community.
JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY URBAN AFFAIRS (2019), 3(2), 84-94.
Doi:10.25034/ijcua.2018.4704