Our Urban Futures – The Entries are In!

Please scroll down or visit our Facebook site for more detail on the entries

You are invited to join the competition entrants and judges to attend a seminar on the ideas and generated through the Cairo from Below ‘Our Urban Futures’ Ideas Competition.  Our esteemed judges are in the process of evaluating our wonderful 22 entrants to make the difficult decision of who will take 1st, and runner up prizes.

We are holding the symposium at Megawra architectural hub on January 19th from 17:00-21:00 –  17 Amin Zaki St., Ard el-Golf, Cairo, Egypt  (www.megawra.org/map) to announce winners and promote the growth of their ideas through a lively seminar discussion. We hope that the winners might have the opportunity to find mentorship in the future for their excellent contributions to improve issues they feel Cairo is currently facing.  Please email CairofromBelow@gmail.com if you can join us!

The generous sponsorship and generous support of the Global Travel and Learning Fund through IIE (Institute of International Education), Megawra, and Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs through the Leous Parry Award, has been truly inspiring to those of us at Cairo from Below, as well as the greater Cairo from Below community.

Program

Cairo From Below –  ‘Our Urban Futures’Ideas Competition  – Seminar and Award Ceremony

19 January 2013

Megawra , 17 Amin Zaki St., Ard el-Golf, Cairo, Egypt  (www.megawra.org/map)

17:00 – 17:15      Registration and exhibition viewing

17:15 – 17:30      Opening remarks – Ahmed Borham and Meredith Hutchison

17:30 – 18:00      Review and open discussion – competition submissions – session 1

Moderated by one of the competition judges

18:00 – 18:15      Coffee break

18:15 – 18:45      Review and open discussion – competition submissions – session 2

Moderated by one of the competition judges

18:45 – 19:15      Review and open discussion – competition submissions – session 3

Moderated by one of the competition judges

19:15 – 19:25      Presentation of publication concept – Amr Abdel Kawi

19:25 – 19:45      Announce winners and award prizes

19:45 – 20:00      Synthesis and Closing remarks – May al-Ibrashy

20:00 – 21:00      Reception

The Entries are In!

The entries are in for the Cairo from Below Our Urban Futures Ideas Competition and these brilliant visual representations of problem & solution have been promoting much discussion, excitement and the flow of ideas on the Cairo from Below Facebook page and the competition album. 

Once again thank you to all of the Our Urban Futures participants! We are very excited about the outstanding ideas submitted and the conversations being generated! The facebook voting will close on January 10th.

As you can see from the examples, participants have been moved to express their visions, from ideas promoting improvements in transportation to those suggesting the structuring of green systems in urban planning. Participants shared their ideas for housing solutions that encourage partnership between the public and private sectors. Some participants believe the solution lies in participatory planning and changing the status quo. Themes of reclaiming and re-addressing the use of public spaces (vertical and horizontal) are seen throughout the entries. A clear call to “DO” is a common string that ties the spirit of this competition together.

We look forward to the days and weeks to follow, as the entries are judged and opportunities for participants grow. We hope that this is one step in a long and ongoing discussion, debate and call to action on the urban future of Cairo.