TOWARDS HOLISTIC APPROACH TO INCLUSIVE CITIES

(1)

57 https://doi.org/doi/10.54030/2788-564X/2022/cp1v2a12 | e-ISSN 2788-564X

Journal of Inclusive cities and Built environment. Vol. 2 Issue 1, Pg.57-60

Published by the University of KwaZulu-Natal https://journals.ukzn.ac.za/index.php/JICBE

Journal of Inclusive cities and Built environment. Vol. 2 Issue 1

How to cite: Prof. A.A. Alraouf. 2022. Towards Holistic Approach to Inclusive Cities: Fictional Myth or Attainable Reality?. Conference Proceedings for International Symposium on Inclusive-Cities: Achieving Inclusive Cities Through A Multidisciplinary Approach, 2021 28-30 June. Journal of Inclusive cities and Built environment. Vol. 2 Issue 1, Pg 57-60.

Published 31 January 2022

Prof. Ali A. Alraouf: Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha. Professor of Architecture and Urbanism Corresponding-author: [email protected]

Published

By Prof. A.A. Alraouf

TOWARDS HOLISTIC APPROACH TO INCLUSIVE CITIES: FICTIONAL MYTH OR ATTAINABLE REALITY?

ABSTRACT

The paper looks at the phenomenon of inclusive cities as fundamental condition for contemporary cities. Analyzing such a crucial phenomenon should be based on a multidisciplinary approach.

KEY WORDS Inclusive City, Post COVID Urbanity, Just City, Cities for all, Urban Gentrification.

(2)

58

1. INTRODUCTION: INCLUSIVE CITIES:

FICTIONAL MYTH OR ATTAINABLE REALITY?

The notion of inclusive cities, due to its utopian nature, might result in a well-founded conclusion that it is a myth and can’t be implemented. Yet, inclusivity in cities is the norm by which cities developed historically. Cities all over the world, used to be places for all. Even, with disparities in economic abilities, gender, religion or other distinguished characteristics, cities and precisely its public spaces, remain the hub and platform by which people gather, celebrate and socialize. Therefore, inclusive cities are not fictional myth but attainable reality if cities find the political will, the social momentum and the dedicated city manages, planers and spaces makers.

2. THE COMMON PERCEPTION: CITY FOR ALL

The lens which should be used to examine the inclusivity of any city must be holistic and able to realize the big picture and the different aspects of inclusivity. Hence, it depends on how to make people visible in the city via allowing them to have a say regarding the development of its different part.

We must stop planning poor and low-income people’s lives by assumptions about their needs, preferences and aspirations.

More significantly, stressing and facilitating the affordability of a decent life in all its aspects like housing, healthcare, education, job opportunities and access to green and open spaces.

The continuous crisis of COVID-199 sheds light on number of challenges. The less privileged people who are forced to work daily and can’t afford the luxury of lockdown, suffer the most from the pandemic (Alraouf, 2021). Cities in the global south particularly in Africa and the Middle East still suffer from a planning process dictated by the authorities and the powerful rich groups to intensify segregation, marginalization, and isolation.

Figure 1: Encouraging walkability in all cities’ spaces to allow the highest levels of social interactions between all groups of city dwellers and visitors

Source: ©Author

3. PUBLIC SPACES FOR ALL

One of the main challenges to transform the concept of inclusive cities into a tangible reality is reflected on the notion of public spaces for all. Different forms of public spaces are subjected to privatization process by which some parks, waterfronts, promenades, and streets are gradually transformed into private spaces were only people with specific social, economic or authoritative status will be allowed to access and enjoy such public domains.

Figure 2: Public Spaces must be accessible to all community sectors and giving them the just opportunity to enjoy green and recreational spaces

Source: ©Author

4. THE PHENOMENON OF GENTRIFICATION

The phenomenon of gentrification is gaining huge momentum in cities around the world. The fact that requires effective policies and not only slogans like inclusivity or city for all. In some cases, like in Cairo Egypt, smart process and innovative tools were used to force people’s eviction from their neighborhoods (Alraouf, IASTE, 2020). Primarily, are the broken promises that the eviction is temporary till the development of the area.

Once the area is developed, the original community were never returned. The inability of the original owners to produce registered ownership documents, facilitated the decisions of labeling them as illegal residents. In some other cases, the whole infrastructure of community facilities is changed in the favor of the control of mega business providers. For instance, corner shops are stressed to go out of business for the sake of welcoming huge supermarkets and giant malls. Such edifices of the culture of consumption help in a swift change in the demographic composition of such gentrified neighborhoods.

(3)

BY PROF. A.A. ALRAOUF.

TOWARDS HOLISTIC APPROACH TO INCLUSIVE CITIES: FICTIONAL MYTH OR ATTAINABLE REALITY?

59 Figure 3: One of the main features of inclusive cities is

designating streets for people rather than cars

Source: ©Author

5. DISCUSSION: INCLUSIVITY VS.

EXCLUSIVITY.

Inclusivity is about the physical built environment and how it is planned and designed to promote social interactions and claiming city’ spaces by all. Observing the planning of new cities in Africa and the Middle East, reveals dangerous patterns where the city is planned to allow low-income groups and middle-class sectors of the society to work and then leave not to live in such new cities. In the case of the new Cairo project also known as the administrative capital, a mediocre public housing project was constructed kilometers away from the city and designated for the accommodation of people working and providing essential services to the privileged owners living and enjoying the new city.

Inclusivity in urbanism includes considering designing and building beautiful houses for poor people. A more qualitative approach should be adopted rather than only providing number of housing units which literally store people rather than creating homes for their families. The work of Indian architect and Putzieker award winner Doshi in planning and designing residential neighborhoods for poor in India which ended up with beautify building, spaces and urban setting should inspire us to move to a qualitative and not quantitative approach while dealing with projects designated for the poor with the inclusive city.

6. CONCLUSIONS: TOWARDS JUST AND EQUITABLE CITIES.

The notion of inclusive cities should confront not only the challenges of physical inclusion but imply emotional, psychological and moral inclusion. The city, holistically, should resist the accumulated feelings of inferiority resulted from the lack of belonging, discrimination and seen as second-class citizens.

The inclusive cities must diminish any form of marginalization not only the economic barriers. They should promote a just way of life within its spaces where the mosaic of human forming any society with their multiple gender, ethnicity, religions, ages, disabilities, and cultural backgrounds can live in harmony.

Nothing would create sense of belonging and strong bond between people and places more than being welcomed despite how you are labelled or distinguished from other groups.

For the current discourse debating inclusive cities, it is crucial to acknowledge the political aspects of the matter. Urban planning is essentially political and hence inclusive cities can’t be attained without political will and commitment from politicians and decision maker. Therefore, the de-politization of the social and spatial justice demands and aspirations creates a hurdle towards creating truly inclusive cities.

Additionally, inclusive city is the outcome of listening to people. Hence, contesting and interrogating the concept of community participation is crucial. Community participation must be transformed from merely presenting the outcomes to representatives of the local community toa real participation form the initial stages of any project till its completion.

Community participation is an integral part of any inclusive project not a mere cosmetic condition to gain the satisfaction of donors and global financiers.

(4)

60

7. REFERENCES

Alraouf, Ali. (2019). Phantasmagoric Urbanism: Exploiting the Culture of Image in Post-Revolution Egypt.

Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review. Volume XXXI(I) 71- 85.

Alraouf, Ali. (2019). ISOCARP Review 15 : 106-131.

Alraouf, Ali. Creative Urban Chaos, The Case of Cairo. Omran Journal for Social and Human Sciences. Published by Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies. Issue: Year 2016 Volume (2016).

Alraouf, Ali. Borrowing Spaces and Constructing Traditions: From Real Doha to Revolutionary Cairo.

Legitimating Tradition IASTE conference Working Paper Series 2016. Volume 276: Public Space, Memory, and the Legitimation of Tradition (2016).

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/

Ali_Alraouf2 , last accessed 2021/07/08.