Workshop 2024: Ain Shams University (Cairo)

In order to strengthen international academic relations in the field of urban and regional planning, the University of Kassel organised a workshop for students at various academic levels in Cairo from 3 to 9 November 2024. The workshop was led by Prof. Dr. Uwe Altrock, with the participation of Prof. Dr. Anna Growe, Dr. Ahmed Bakry, Dr.-Ing. Mohammed ElGamal and M.Sc. Mohammed El Fiky. The workshop took place in Cairo in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Mohammed Salheen at the Faculty of Engineering at Ain Shams University. Prior to the start of the workshop in Cairo, a two-day preparatory meeting also took place in Alexandria in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Nevin Gharib and Prof. Dr. Heba Abu Al-Fadl from the University of Alexandria. The workshop was conducted in collaboration with the University of Babylon and the University of Duhok in Iraq. It was financed by the DAAD-Taaziz-Project, PROMOS and QSL.
The workshop focused on the changing character of Cairo's informal urban areas. The aim of the workshop was to understand the significant and complex urban transformation in the Greater Cairo region, particularly with regard to the informal sector. The workshop then looked at the activation of urban public spaces using the example of Souq El Selah in Cairo. Souq El Selah has a rich cultural history and the aim of the workshop was to develop concepts for its revitalisation using the urban acupuncture approach.