The development of Embaba Airport should serve the nearby community, not fleeting commercial interests, or the needs of the wealthy, writes Mamdouh Hamza* There have always been and always will be different opinions about how best to utilize the land of Embaba Airport for the benefit of the Embaba community, Greater Cairo, and Egypt at large. The clear, indisputable fact is that the land was designated for public use, and that the President requested that this land should remain for public use. This land was annexed from agricultural use about 58 years ago to be used for public service activities, mainly gliding and other hobbies involving civil aviation. The airport cannot operate anymore, and we have a wonderful opportunity to use the 209 acres of land inside Greater Cairo, the highest populated area in Cairo, to create a "green lung" and also to provide much needed basic services such as education, health, sport and entertainment. Embaba Airport's land borders the up-market area of Mohandessin on one side, the Cairo Ring Road on another, and very densely populated "informal" residential areas on the other two sides. The land represents a huge opportunity for imaginative planning. If correctly thought out and developed to address all current needs, it could be a blessing for the whole area. If planning is mishandled, however, it could prove a disaster. The Ministry of Housing has been actively involved over the last few years in planning improvements for North Giza, which includes the underprivileged areas of Warrak, Munira and Embaba. These areas, of about 3157 acres, are characterised by informal and unsanitary housing, narrow streets, a lack of services, and an extremely substandard environment. The North Giza area boasts a host of attractive aspects: sizeable agricultural land, government and public sector land, and a vast and highly sought after River Nile frontage that investors are willing to go to all lengths to get their hands on. The area and its historic connection to Warrak Island revives memories of the time when investors tried to take Warrak Island away from the people who had lived there for decades. According to the Housing Ministry, development plans include widening a few streets, extending the Ahmed Orabi flyover, and an obscure line connecting the Ring Road to Warrak Island that could be a planned bridge. The plan indicates three distinct zones for Embaba Airport land: the first is marked out for housing (about 52 acres to contain 3,500 units); the second is to be a park (covering 38 acres); and the third and largest zone (119 acres) will be for "further planning" -- the ministry's usual euphemism for selling the land -- as well as the Ahmed Orabi flyover extension and services. The majority of the third zone will be tendered out to investors. Simple calculations show that the land to be tendered will be around 84 acres. This contradicts the figure of 58 acres in media reports. The simple acre calculations are: Regardless of the size of the public land to be sold, it is the intention to annex part of this land and permit its use for commercial activities like shopping malls. This is unprofessional in terms of planning principles, exploiting public land for naked commercialism to provide for projects that should be financed by the government. Money could easily be raised by other means, such as the sale of government-owned land and properties within North Giza that have not been allocated for public use: for example, some of the many closed or inoperative factories and unused stores along the Nile bank. Improving living standards in the Embaba neighbourhood depends in large part on widening some of the streets to become passable roads. Better access for traffic will enable ambulances, fire brigades, utility services, rubbish collection services, school buses, and trade vehicles to reach what are now almost inaccessible parts of these heavily populated areas. The ministry plan to widen these streets is good for the people and very commendable. On the other hand, the traffic on the 26th July Corridor from Cairo is extremely congested. This Corridor serves residents living in the new housing areas of 6th October City, Sheikh Zayed City, and the surrounding areas. One area of particular concern with regards to Embaba Airport land is the Ahmed Orabi flyover, which should be extended into the airport land and be connected to the Cairo Ring Road to relieve traffic congestion from the 26th July Corridor. It is ironic that the extension of the Ahmed Orabi flyover will serve rich communities in the new residential areas of 6th October City and Sheikh Zayed City and yet will be paid for by the poor people of Embaba by annexing part of their land and putting it up for sale. Unfortunately, the enlargement of Embaba's streets and extension of the Ahmed Orabi flyover could necessitate the displacement of people and land acquisition. The number to be displaced is estimated to be around 3,500 families, though it is not clear if this means 3,500 units. A survey was undertaken amongst the people who were going to be displaced, and the result was: 27 per cent needed housing in the same area 21 per cent needed housing in new developments 20 per cent needed housing in a nearby area 16 per cent sought financial compensation 3.5 per cent had different requests Out of this plan, two specific questions need to be satisfactorily answered: Who will pay for the development, including compensation for the displaced? Where will the 47 per cent of displaced families who requested to stay in the same area or nearby areas be relocated and given living accommodation? The Ministry of Housing has apparently concluded that Embaba Airport land should be used first and foremost to provide funds for development (widened streets and construction of the Ahmed Orabi flyover extension, and possibly a bridge to Warrak Island), and secondly to pay for relocation housing for displaced families. It has been stated that the cost of this development in North Giza will amount to about LE4 billion. Other reports mention LE2 billion, and close ministerial links give a figure of LE3.5 billion. Neither the exact figure nor its components are known. It is extremely important to know the exact components of expenditure, and to know if the figures include the construction of the Ahmed Orabi flyover, and/or the bridge from the Cairo Ring Road to Warrak Island. If the amount does include the Ahmed Orabi flyover and the Warrak Bridge, then it is another example of the poor man's rights being sacrificed for the benefit of the wealthy. Valid questions could be raised on whether the Ministry of Housing's solutions address the heart of the matter. Neither house building on part of the Embaba Airport lands nor sale of another part of this land for commercial purposes, as proposed by the ministry, would bring material benefits to the community as a whole, or to the economy. Also, it is very debatable whether it is based on sound planning principles. It represents only a purely commercial solution. Faced with the facts that neighbourhoods in North Giza are overcrowded, highly polluted, unable to sustain more housing and suffer severe traffic congestion problems, it does not make sense to be planning to build commercial malls or additional houses on Embaba Airport land. On the contrary, there is a real need for the land to be used for improving Embaba residents' quality of life and creating a healthier environment with reduced traffic. To upgrade and build medical clinics, sports facilities, schools and other educational establishments offering courses in IT and languages, may in the future reap benefits of greater significance for this community than the commercial aspects of a mall and housing that could be built in other areas. Herein lies an opportunity to provide this underprivileged population with the means to be healthy, educated and enjoy life in the same way as their counterparts who live beyond the borders of North Giza, in Mohandessin or Dokki and other more wealthy areas. It is the duty of the government to find the funds from income taxes, value added taxes, real estate taxes, Suez Canal fees and natural gas royalties to raise the horizon of this community. It would be wrong for the government to annex the land of the very underprivileged and sell it to investors to provide funds merely covering the cost of its development. To improve the standard of life of the underprivileged is at the very core of the government's responsibility and should be prioritised accordingly. One idea is to levy an "improvement tax" to be paid only by villa owners, not flat owners, located in 6th October City, Sheikh Zayed City and surrounding areas of newly developed desert resorts and luxurious residential compounds, because they are the direct beneficiaries of the Ahmed Orabi flyover. The plan that is proposed here for Embaba Airport land is based on its use as public land only. The envisioned School Park Project provides educational, cultural and sporting facilities in a Green Oasis on former Embaba Airport land. The parameters of the buildings will not exceed more than 12 per cent of the total land used for the School Park Project, and the height of the buildings will not exceed three floors. The special design and park setting will provide a clean and civilised environment to enable students to adjust mentally and physically to being educated using the latest technology and techniques. It has been suggested to build the School Park Project on an area of 80 acres, out of the 209 acres of Embaba Airport land. If this idea finds acceptance, perhaps a larger area, or even the whole area, could be designated for the project. From an economic point of view, the School Park Project will save on total education costs. This saving is made by the fact that many of the facilities will be linked and commonly shared between the 22 schools planned. This will allow students to share libraries, computer laboratories, science laboratories, workshops, art centres, music halls, swimming pools, sport recreation areas, and other multi-purpose areas. Normal state, stand- alone schools face enormous difficulties in providing students with anything more than standard curriculum activities. All too often there are no funds available and students lose out in their education when compared to private schools that generally have better facilities. On the other hand, many schools in the areas of Dokki, Agouza, Mohandessin and Zamalek are currently being housed in the cramped space of normal apartment buildings or old villas, and some of these could be transferred to the new School Park. This would not only improve the students' education in terms of skill values, but also provide a greener environment to stimulate students to excel. This would also decongest some residential areas during peak times of school arrival and departure when hundreds of cars and buses try to occupy the same narrow streets to drop off and pick up children. They could then return to being quiet residential streets, to the benefit of residents. The Ministry of Housing and opponents to its plans are both united in seeking the best solution for society for the use of Embaba Airport's land. I hope that this subject will be discussed with an open mind on both sides, and the best solution adopted. This is public land and it should not be sold as a source of income, but should rather be a source of happiness and enhanced wellbeing for the people who live there. To quote from Adam Smith (1723- 1790), the "father of capitalism", from The Wealth of Nations: " ... [the state is responsible] for erecting and maintaining those public institutions and those public works, which though they may be in the highest degree advantageous to a great society, are, however, of such a nature that the profit could never repay the expense to any individual or small number of individuals, and which it, therefore, cannot be expected that any individual or small number of individuals should erect or maintain." * The writer is an engineering consulatant and university professor.
