CfB News: A Second Ideas Competition, Cairo from Below Publication, New Co-Director Heba ElGawish

The Cairo from Below team has some exciting news to share with you and a special request!

Our Urban Futures – Ideas Competition Publication

Our Urban Futures – Publication

We are publishing the results and discussion of the process from the Cairo from Below “Our Urban Futures” ideas competition.  Very soon you will be able to download a PDF of our publication for free or purchase a hard copy on Amazon for only $10.00 USD.  This volume explores the ideas for urban transformation held by young professionals and urban advocates in Egypt. These pages document the process and ideas generated through Cairo from Below’s 2013 “Our Urban Futures” Ideas Competition. The entries range from pragmatic to fanciful. Some are based upon a close read of site-specific context while others are more conceptual and aimed at challenging convention planning paradigms. Together they are a testament to the creativity, talent and passion of many young Egyptians who dare to imagine a new urban future.  Political developments in Egypt continue to remind us of the critical importance of robust institutions and civic capacity. We hope this competition inspires others to initiate their own projects that encourage debate, develop creative ideas and build capacity.

Our Urban Futures Ideas Competition

A New ‘Our Urban Futures’ Competition

We are gearing up for a second competition and would like to get your feedback on ideas and themes.  What urban challenges facing Cairo/ Egypt should the competition address?  What did you like about the first competition and what would you prefer be modified?  Please share with us any ideas about how to make this competition most impactful.  You can make suggestions via comment feature below, on our facebook page or send us a suggestion via twitter @CairofromBelow with hashtag #oururbanfutures.

Welcome to new Cairo from Below Co-Director Heba ElGawish

A Welcome to Heba ElGawish, our new Co-Director

Allow us to introduce our new Co-Director, Heba ElGawish. Heba got involved with Cairo from Below as a competition participant with her “Cair-Vélo” submission, check out a blog post on her entry here.  A Cairo native herself, she has a bachelor degree in Architecture from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Alexandria, and  is now studying in NYC for her Master’s degree in Urban Design at NYIT.

Heba has been actively involved since the first Our Urban Futures competition and has been a core contributor ever since, adding her expertise and ideas in the design of Cairo from Below’s activities notably the editing and formatting of the Our Urban Futures competition publication for publication via Amazon.  Heba is interested in designing healthy communities and believes that the impact the built environment has on our health can be a positive one!