Alexandria Engineering Journal (2017) xxx, xxx–xxx

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Alexandria University

Alexandria Engineering Journal

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE

From Informal Settlements to sustainable

communities
Dina Mamdouh Nassar *, Hanan Gamil Elsayed

Department of Architectural Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University, Egypt

Received 19 July 2017; accepted 6 September 2017

KEYWORDS Abstract Informal Settlements and urban informality is a serious and common problem in Third
Informal Settlement; World countries. These settlements are not marginal actors in the real estate market. They play an
Urban sprawl; important role affecting greatly the housing supply and demand market. In Egypt, Informal Settle-
Urban upgrading; ments emerged in and around big cities since the sixties of the twentieth century, due to natural
Sustainable development; growth and the flux of rural-urban migration. Alexandria- as the second biggest city in Egypt after
Housing supply and demand Cairo- is witnessing a rapid population increase, therefore monitoring Informal Settlements loca-
tions, expansion and growth is important for possible urban development.
This study focuses on the continued transformation of Alexandria’s backdrop productive agricul-
tural land into Informal Settlements causing serious encroachment on agricultural land. The study
intends to find solutions through examining local needs and potentials for a selected case study
named ‘‘Houd 10”. This case is an example that sheds the light on means that can be utilized in
Informal Settlements to improve living conditions and reach socio-economic potentials. Analyses
of the current situation and challenges at Houd 10 are examined on three levels; economic, social
and environmental. The research also highlights the role of non-profit organizations and social par-
ticipation for developing such areas.
Ó 2017 Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an
open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

1. Introduction and assets. This is for both now and in the future, while not
undermining the natural resource base”.
‘‘Informal Settlements are sustainable when they can cope [1]
with and recover from stresses and shocks. This concept can There have been different policies, strategies and programs
be achieved by maintaining or enhancing their capabilities devised by third world governments to solve the urban housing
problem which is the main breeding platform for Informal Set-
tlements. These approaches include different programs, such
as; public housing, sites and services, redevelopment, slum
* Corresponding author. and area upgrading, among others; but none of which could
E-mail addresses: dnassararch@yahoo.com, dina.nassar@alexu.edu. address the environmental quality and housing needs on a big-
eg (D.M. Nassar), hanangamil28@gmail.com (H.G. Elsayed). ger scale. People established self-planned settlements or; Infor-
Peer review under responsibility of Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria mal Settlements, in response to this unsustainable and
University.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aej.2017.09.004
1110-0168 Ó 2017 Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Please cite this article in press as: D.M. Nassar, H.G. Elsayed, From Informal Settlements to sustainable communities, Alexandria Eng. J. (2017), https://doi.org/
10.1016/j.aej.2017.09.004
2 D.M. Nassar, H.G. Elsayed
ineffective land transformation system. Such areas have long
been treated in a reactive manner. Policies and practices that
supported this approach contributed less to the overall urban
quality of life and failed to stop further growing of Informal
Settlements. This call’s for descriptive approaches that would
reduce losses experienced by Informal Settlements and stop
their continued reproduction. To establish such a system; driv-
ing forces of Informal Settlements should be detected and
probable future areas must be integrated in future urban plan-
ning. Therefore, addressing the problems that constitute the
expansion and densification of Informal Settlements are the
main focus in this research.
The discussion tackles the principles of sustainability as a
way to obtain quality and efficiency in Informal Settlements,
through mooring the three main pillars of sustainability; the
economic dimension, the ecologic dimension and the social
dimension. The principle of social participation is most impor-
tant; whereas the rolls of nongovernmental organizations,
youth and charities in relieving the burden on governments
towards better qualities of life in Informal Settlements.
The research also displays some serious challenges that
restrain sustainable development in Informal Settlements that
faces planners and developers of such areas including; eco-
nomic and housing challenges, social and institutional chal-
lenges and finally environmental challenges.
2. Scope of research and objectives
This research intends to establish the concept of a healthy envi-
ronment for the future ‘‘the fourth and fifth generation of slum
dwellers’’. It integrates the concept of sustainability, as an
angle to solve the issues of deteriorated physical and non-
physical form of slum condition areas. It does not mean to
analyse the regulations or the organization of land tuner. This
research aims to tackle the principle of sustainability as a way
to obtain quality and efficiency in Informal Settlements for
both life and physical form, by achieving the next objectives:
a. Introducing the problem of Informal Settlements.
b. Categorizing the different typologies of informal areas
in Egypt.
c. Defining the economic, social and environmental chal-
lenges that face interventions and policies that took
place in Informal Settlements.
d. Demonstrating how far could Informal Settlements
become eco-friendly, self-sufficient and how can they
contribute in lessening the burden on local governments.
The research is divided into two sections; section one is a
literature review on Informal Settlements and section two pre-
sents a case study of an Informal Settlement in Alexandria
called ‘‘Houd 10”.
3. Research methodology
The methodology used in this research is an inductive
approach; through addressing the concept of sustainability
with its main pillars to develop and enhance the environment
in the Informal Settlements. This pragmatic approach
Please cite this article in press as: D.M. Nassar, H.G. Elsayed, From Informal Settlements to sustainable communities, Alexandria Eng. J. (2017), https://doi.org/
10.1016/j.aej.2017.09.004
associated with quantitative and qualitative methods simulta-
neously with the use of a variety of data sources to study the
research problem.
The study focuses on available information and theory to
interpret the results and methodological triangulation of data
to achieve the objectives. Investigation involves face-to-face
interviews and questionnaires for the selected case study area
in south east Alexandria ‘‘Houd 10”. The included survey
was held by one of the authors with a group of colleagues, aim-
ing to produce statistical maps of land use, services accessibil-
ity, building heights and building structural types that can
facilitate future intervention and help studies on Informal
Settlements.
4. Defining Informal Settlements
The World Urban Forum established by the United Nations in
2001 ascribed the program ‘‘Cities without Slums” using the
term slum to describe ‘‘a wide range of low income settlements
and/or poor human living conditions” [2]. Since that time, glo-
bal concern about slums and their residents were generated
and the following policy measures took place; UN charter
on the right to housing, universal declaration of human rights,
UN-HABITAT standards of a slum household, Agenda 21,
chapter 7 and the Millennium Development Goals, Goal
7/Target 11 [3].
Squatting is the term used to describe Non-legal or Infor-
mal occupation of buildings or land. The UNCHS defines this
indicator as follows: ‘‘housing tenure refers to the rights of
households over the housing and land they occupy, particu-
larly rights over land”. This includes ‘‘households in squatter
housing or housing which has no title to the land on which
it stands, and who pay no rents as well as households in squat-
ter housing that pay rent [4].
Due to the absence of an adequate formal response to the
growth of housing demands, Informal Settlements is the logi-
cal response. This phenomenon can be linked to a series of fac-
tors including the transition from colonialism, the increase in
urban poverty and the impacts of structural adjustment and
other neo-liberal programs on formal welfare for the poor [4].
Informal Settlements refer to a wide range of residential
areas formed of communities housed in self-constructed shel-
ters that are perceived as informal on the basis of their legal
status, their physical conditions or both [5]. The General Orga-
nization of Physical Planning in Egypt (GOPP) in 2006 defined
Informal Settlements as; ‘‘All areas that have been developed
by individual efforts, whether single or multi-story buildings
or shacks, in the absence of law and has not been physically
planned. They have been developed on lands that are not
assigned in the city’s master plan for building housing. The
buildings’ conditions might be good; however they might be
environmentally or socially unsafe and lack the basic services
and utilities” [6].
4.1. Informal Settlements in Egypt
Categorizing Informal Settlements in Egypt is based on two
criteria; the physical conditions and the legal status. Illegal
housing designates; all constructions that are either not
From Informal Settlements to sustainable communities
following building and planning laws and regulations or that
are built on illegally acquired land. The physical condition
allows distinguishing between acceptable and deteriorated
physical structures. Four categories designate different typolo-
gies of housing structures, three out of four are considered
informal [6,7]. Researches distinguished between two typolo-
gies of Informal Settlements depending on the physical defini-
tion whereas; settlements that are built on privately owned
agricultural land and settlements that are built on desert state
owned land [8]. Informal Settlements emerged in and around
Egyptian cities in the 1960s due to the flux of rural-urban
migration and the saturation of formal affordable housing.
On the other hand, initial settlements on public desert land
were ignored. The government started to build low-cost hous-
ing, but unfortunately was unable to satisfy the increasing
demands. In the 1970s the government was busy with modern-
izing the infrastructure of formal areas and the development of
new cities. Informal settlements persuaded on agriculture land
and by the 1980s, such areas became a prominent feature of the
urban environment. It was clear in the 1990s that the Informal
Settlements are becoming a threat for national security, there-
fore the governmental policy started to target them with a ser-
ies of national programs for upgrading. The presidential decree
for the ‘Citizen’s right to appropriate infrastructure’ focused
on improving access, providing infrastructure and services in
consolidated areas [6].
In 2002 the population of informal areas in the Greater
Cairo Region reached 6.2 million inhabitants. In 2005 (GOPP)
estimated the population living in informal areas in Egypt at
8.3 million inhabitants. In 2007, the Ministry of Local Devel-
opment estimated that there are 1171 informal areas in Egypt
with a population of 15 million. The concern for controlling
the growth of informal areas brought about a new policy
approach, trying to plan the fringes of the city before being
eaten up by informal growth [6].
In 2008 the Informal Settlement Development Facility
(ISDF), redefined ‘‘Slums” or ‘‘Informal Settlements” to;
‘‘Unsafe Areas” and ‘‘Unplanned areas”. Where; unsafe areas
are characterized by being subject to life threat, or having
inappropriate housing, or exposed to health threat or tenure
risks. While unplanned areas are principally characterized by
its noncompliance to planning and building laws and regula-
tions [9,10].
In 2016, 48% of Egypt’s population are living in slum con-
ditions, three of the 30 mega slums around the world are found
in Egypt (Imbaba and Ezbet El-Haggana 2.2 million, city of
the dead 1.8 million). There are about 10.2 million slum dwell-
ers in greater Cairo out of 22.5 million (Cairo’s population)
[7,11,12].
Recently, the government is studying the application of a
new law to reconcile previous illegal building violations in cer-
tain cases, such as; buildings that are structurally safe and
committed to height regulations. This law is expected to accept
the regulation of such informal buildings both in formal and
informal areas. The new law intends to draw a line between
previous violations of old illegal buildings that can’t be dealt
with and future building constructions that must follow the
laws and regulations, towards a future for Egyptian cities free
of illegalities. The law will also insist on registering all new
constructions, thus gain building tax benefits.
Please cite this article in press as: D.M. Nassar, H.G. Elsayed, From Informal Settlements to sustainable communities, Alexandria Eng. J. (2017), https://doi.org/
10.1016/j.aej.2017.09.004
3
4.2. Informal Settlements in Alexandria
Alexandria’s population is growing fast as a result of natural
increase and migration from rural areas. This is the main cause
of forming squatter settlements on adjacent agricultural lands.
With reference to location and demand; there is a clear shift of
gravity from the old central districts Wassat, Gomrok and
Gharb to the north-eastern areas of Montazah, Sharq and
the south-western at Al Ameriyah parts of the city, as seen
in the map resented in Fig. 1 [10]. The city is facing big chal-
lenges; currently 37 squatter settlements exist and over one-
third of the population lives with limited access to infrastruc-
ture and municipal service and inadequate shelters [13].
Almost all of the unplanned areas in Alexandria meet ISDF’s
national standards for safety. There are just ten second grade
unsafe areas and only two that are considered life threatening
[10]. Informal Settlements can be found throughout Alexan-
dria; some are as small as a few buildings while others are vast
neighbourhoods. There are three types of unplanned areas in
Alexandria, each defined by how they were developed and
the land tenure that owners have.
The first type is; encroachment on agricultural land. This is
found along the southern edges of Montazah, Sharq, and Was-
sat districts. Unplanned areas are growing through subdivision
of agricultural land. The owners of the land subdivide large
plots and sell small lots for agricultural use. Developers then
buy the land and erect one or more buildings, illegally convert-
ing it to buildings. Sometimes infrastructure and services are
available on these plots, sometimes they are illegally added,
and sometimes they are completely missing. Properties pur-
chased from developers are usually under Urfi contracts. These
are primary sales contracts which enable legal possession of
unregistered real estate property. The lack of registration does
not prevent the transfer of legal possession of the land giving
the buyer the right to make use of the property. The distinction
is that a registered contract denotes full ownership while an
Urfi contract only allows use of the land.
The second type is; illegal settlement on public and Waqf
property. Waqf is an Arabic word that refers to a voluntary
and irrevocable dedication of land for charity compliant pro-
jects (such as mosques or religious schools). Developers take
such land illegally and erect buildings without proper permits.
Most typically these are seen near employment centres like fac-
tories or warehouse. The old custom of occupancy makes these
developments possible; this means that ownership can be taken
by building upon the land.
The third type is; unplanned development on Bedouin land.
Land ownership in the Egyptian desert is largely unclear, a
piece of land may be owned by the Governorate or a private
party, or even the military, but also be occupied by the Bed-
ouins who claim that the land has been theirs for hundreds
of years therefore, they sell land to informal developers. These
lands are mostly found in south-western (Al Ameriyah) parts
of the city and King Marriout area [8,10].
5. Different modes of intervention in Informal Settlements
There are several parameters involved in any intervention
procedures. Those procedures include; servicing, partial
4 D.M. Nassar, H.G. Elsayed
Fig. 1 Map of Unplanned and squatter settlements Areas in Alexandria [10].
adjustment, on-site redevelopment, evection and relocation,
committing to the Millennium Development Goals, social par-
ticipation and the role of NGOs. Each intervention is applied
according to many different factors and not all upgrading
interventions are sustainable. A lot of research work was done
in this area to come up with the most suitable sustainable inter-
vention for a certain case. In this part, the research reviews in
brief the different modes of intervention in Informal Settle-
ments to clarify the methods applied on the study area ‘‘Houd
10” and to point out needed work for transforming this Infor-
mal Settlement into a sustainable community.
5.1. Servicing Informal Settlement
This intervention mode provides physical infrastructure and
basic public services. Physical interventions provide the mini-
mum needs of humane living conditions that are of higher pri-
ority than other types of development. Such initiatives may
coming from; ministries, donor agencies, the private sector
or large NGOs. The physical upgrading is always needed to
be satisfied first. Socio-economic development activities can
then proceed afterwards through local and national programs.
5.2. Partial adjustment in Informal Settlement
This intervention focuses on providing services in one particu-
lar sector. Most of the physical upgrading and public services
provision in informal areas in Egypt follow sectorial upgrading
interventions. National or international development agencies
usually provide or improve services in Informal Settlements
following the same approach of servicing, but may focus on
Please cite this article in press as: D.M. Nassar, H.G. Elsayed, From Informal Settlements to sustainable communities, Alexandria Eng. J. (2017), https://doi.org/
10.1016/j.aej.2017.09.004
selected areas. Priority interventions are usually infrastructure
and roads, but also include educational, health and other com-
munity facilities. Sectorial upgrading is not limited to service
improvement or physical upgrading alone. Donor agencies
and NGOs target informal areas with socioeconomic programs
such as micro-credit schemes, health awareness programs, etc.
5.3. On-site redevelopment of Informal Settlement
This intervention targets Informal Settlements where housing
conditions are highly deteriorated, and unsafe [6]. This inter-
vention is the choice for governments; as it is a complete
replacement of the physical fabric through gradual demolition
and in-situ construction of alternative housing. It respects the
legal right of residents for alternative housing and the depen-
dence of their livelihood on staying in the same location of
the city. It clearly defines public and private spaces, which is
one of the targets to define the relationship of local residents
with the city and with each other. Also, by time the availability
of basic infrastructure and services can be installed. The prob-
lem is always the availability of temporary shelter or settling
areas [14].
5.4. Evacuation and relocation of Informal Settlement
Evictions must only be carried out as last resort after all feasi-
ble alternatives to eviction have been explored. Evacuation of
areas and buildings is prioritized where there is an imminent
danger to lives. This intervention is the most drastic one! It
not only entails a complete demolition, but also the relocation
of residents. They are often moved into new social housing
From Informal Settlements to sustainable communities
developments at the fringes of the city or in new cities. This
mode mainly applies to slums in prime locations that are tar-
geted for redevelopment with a commercial interest to sell part
of the high-value land or use it for real estate investment [15].
5.5. Applying the millennium development Goals on Informal
Settlement
The millennium development goals, especially goal 7 and 8,
state that any intervention in Informal Settlements must com-
mit to; make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resi-
lient, and sustainable. Also to develop partnerships for
development, ensure environmental sustainability in human
settlements which includes access for all to adequate, safe
and affordable housing and basic services. These interventions
should include cooperation with the private sector and NGOs,
while making available the benefits of new technologies, espe-
cially information and communications. By committing to the
Millennium Development Goals, it will afford means of fund-
ing for upgrading projects in the developing world [16]. It has
been proven that local actors (governments, communities, the
private sector, and non-government organizations) are crucial
in the achievement of the MDGs.
5.6. Role of NGOs and social participation in Informal
Settlement
The developing process should rely on two principles to
increase the likelihood of sustainability of the strategic plan-
ning and local economic development effort: (i) formulating
a broad-based public, private and civil society stakeholder par-
ticipation, that convenes regularly for consultation and follow
up, and (ii) relying on the overarching umbrella to organize
and leverage donor support, with the current commitments
and prospective support from donors [13].
To sum up;
Different moods of intervention are standard operations.
But for successful and sustainable interventions, work should
depend on choosing a bottom-up operation; where basic needs
must be satisfied with broad-based participation. Participation
of locals ensures any successful design of General Strategic
Plans of Cities and Villages. This participation process is used
in formulating the long-term vision and identifying develop-
ment programs.
Five points must be provided in any participation [13]:
1. Involvement of all stakeholders in the strategy making pro-
cess to ensure feedback and interactive participation;
2. A unified strategic development vision;
3. Ownership and sustained commitment of all parties;
4. Integrated mechanisms to implement the strategic develop-
ment plan;
5. Harmonizing local and central government planning
processes.
Developing a long-term sustainable strategy; upgrading of
Informal Settlements and job creation for their inhabitants;
and addressing the environmental problems of the area all
are a necessity for an efficient intervention strategy [10].
Please cite this article in press as: D.M. Nassar, H.G. Elsayed, From Informal Settlements to sustainable communities, Alexandria Eng. J. (2017), https://doi.org/
10.1016/j.aej.2017.09.004
5
6. Challenges towards upgrading Informal Settlements
Economic, social and environmental challenges obstruct
applying the concept of sustainability in Informal Settlements.
Those challenges face governmental and nongovernmental
institutions in developing and upgrading informal areas. Such
challenges can be summed up as following:
6.1. Economic challenges
Due to absence of an adequate formal response to the growth
of housing demand, people tend to build their own homes.
Many of the units are structurally unsound, lack access to
basic services and utilities and therefore are unfit for human
habitation. The only adopted response to this situation in
Egypt is the creation of public housing. It is initiated by the
central government for implementation by the governorates.
This solution lacks the participation of dwellers. Various hous-
ing schemes for different groups have been implemented by the
central government and the local governorates. Characteristic
for the public housing schemes are that they are established
and sold with heavy subsidy [17]. They are built on land areas
owned by the government far from residence jobs but not far
from public transportation. Also, public housing naturally
tends to decay rapidly and they may therefore become
unattractive to targeted groups and in return become socially
unstable. The main obstacle for the provision of housing for
the moderate and low income groups is financing [10,13].
Apart from the financing aspect other obstacles and problems
are prevalent to public housing; the provision of land, social
amenities and shopping, open areas, available funds for main-
tenance and housing supply mechanisms. A commitment to
the security of tenure is needed for residents’ sense of owner-
ship, to be incentivized to make investments themselves, and
to maintain and care for the assets into the future.
On the other hand, according to Cronin; it is fault assuming
slum dwellers want to own their home or prioritize housing in
their lives. Informal Settlement dwellers may not care about
ownership and security of tenure preferring to rent. There
are advantages to renting and even living in Informal Settle-
ments, which may suit residents best. Many people choose to
live in there, taking advantage of the informal economy, tax
evasion, low or no housing rent, subsidized services, charity
and sitting outside formal government structures [18].
6.2. Social challenges
Informal Settlements have been associated with many social
problems such as high levels of poverty, illiteracy and crime.
Not forgetting the inadequate local services, especially health-
care, education and youth facilities. While this perception
holds true in reality to varying degrees, it puts a stigma on
all informal residents that affects their sense of belonging, cit-
izenship and inclusion in society.
Egypt, like many developing countries, does not have a
well-established practice of social and public participation.
Although a number of leading NGOs have always been invited
and actively participated in almost all workshops, in an
affluent city such as Alexandria, with many civil society
6 D.M. Nassar, H.G. Elsayed
organizations and community groups, the number of organiza-
tions that could not participate has always been greater, there-
fore this issue represents an enormous challenge [13]. At the
national level, there is a lot of support in Egypt for a partici-
patory and more inclusive approach to planning. It is clear
that the current political and economic situation has created
a great deal of interest in planning that reflects the needs of
the average Egyptian to a greater extent than was necessary
in the past [19].
6.3. Environmental challenges
Informal settlements are threatened by natural and/or man-
made hazards; they cannot withstand disasters. To define
the environmental impacts of living in informal settlements
on residents, it must be noticed that the majority of the
threats are related to location where housing or services are
inadequate [4].
Dwellings in Informal Settlements have no access to proper
sanitation. They are exposed to indoor and outdoor polluted
water that impact adversely on their health. The improper san-
itation system leads to- when it rains heavily- expose dwellers
to floods and infectious diseases [20].
Air pollution in informal settlements is divided into two
main types: Stationary sources: including industrial facilities,
thermal power stations, commercial and residential activities.
Mobile sources: including passenger cars, buses, trucks and
Motorcycles. The most polluting sources of air pollution are
major industrial sites. Over the years, industry and the cities
grew together, and industrial complexes that used to be at
the outskirts of the urban area, are now within the center of
the residential areas. The planned industrial zones and
unplanned agglomerations of industrial activities result in sev-
eral air pollution hotspots [4].
Solid waste includes agricultural, animal, municipal, and
industrial wastes. Solid waste management concluded that
key limitation of collection and transfer was the lack of mod-
ern mechanical equipment. Ability of doing daily collections is
very poor. Related issues are poor equipment, maintenance,
processing management, lack of waste treatment and valoriza-
tion, and lack of sanitary landfills for final disposal [20].
7. Case Study: Houd 10 Informal Settlement
This research presents a case study of an Informal Settlement
in Alexandria named; Houd 10. By analyzing its current situ-
ation to better understand local needs and potentials, thus
transform this slum into a sustainable community [21]. The
reason for selecting this case study is that Houd 10 presents
one of more than thirty slums with the same situation. The sur-
vey took place on the settlement in 2015. This case presents a
situation of a marginal rural area with unplanned sprawl on
agriculture land. More new settlers will eventually continue
to sprawl through iterative densification causing desertification
of agricultural land. Houd 10 is becoming part of Alexandria’s
city outskirts, with some hidden positive qualities that can turn
it into sustainable community. In the following section, the
study investigates the buildings’ physical structure, state of
infrastructure, service availability, environmental aspects,
and the socioeconomic situation. A coherent pattern of prob-
lems and priorities emerged.
Please cite this article in press as: D.M. Nassar, H.G. Elsayed, From Informal Settlements to sustainable communities, Alexandria Eng. J. (2017), https://doi.org/
10.1016/j.aej.2017.09.004
7.1. Site inventory
Houd 10 is nearly 0.25 km2. It is located at the edge of the
south east city boundaries which is called ‘‘the green belt”,
near the southern edge of Al-Montazah district, at the south-
ern boundaries of Alexandria city. It is administratively man-
aged under khorshid-1 municipality, 6.2 km away from the
water front and 3.15 km away from Mostafa Kamel Road. It
is surrounded by some rural paths that connect it with nearby
settlements. Houd 10 is poorly connected to public transporta-
tions, such as train and bus stations. The only accessibility to
the area is through the extension of Al-Nabawi-El-Mohandes
Road. Transportation is mainly by private mini buses and tri-
cycles. The road is unpaved, narrow and dangerous; it was
once a bypath of Al-Mahmodya Canal1 which was recently
transformed into a covered agricultural irrigation canal.
Dwellers must reach MostafaKamel Road to find public buses
or private transportation, as shown in Fig. 2.
7.2. Study area profile
Houd 10 is growing fast and going through iterative subdivi-
sion of agricultural land, with approximately 875 housing
units. Most of the housing units were built spontaneously by
the locals themselves. As a result, they are degraded structures
and most of them have no access to services and infra-
structure. The expansion on agricultural land is uncontrolled.
Throughout four years, much infringement and degrading on
the agricultural land occurred. Those cases are shown in
Fig. 3 with an absence of governmental supervision.
7.3. Demographic profile
The population at Houd 10 is approximately 7875 capita
according to a survey held in March 2105 by ‘‘Hadedd Hada-
fak Charity”, most of them are women and children under the
age of eighteen. The number of single mothers and widows is
high resulting from early marriage and high unemployment
rates among males. The population density is 0.0315 capita/
m2 and it will increase as the area is attracting more population
from nearby degraded rural areas.
7.4. Land use and activities analysis
The area used to be a small rural settlement ‘‘ezba” with most
of its inhabitant working in agriculture. But due to; illegal
transformation of productive agricultural land into buildings,
the absence of government role in supporting agricultural
activities, as a result agricultural activities degraded and many
farmers lost their jobs; their income level got worse, so many of
them got temporary jobs with scrimpy wages, mostly in the
construction sector.
7.5. Physical building structural analyses
Most of buildings are in a deteriorated condition. Some
families of seven members live in a one space hut from light
1
El-Mahmoudia Canal is a manmade 45-mile-long sub-canal from
the Nile River. It was built to supply Alexandria with fresh water from
the Nile. It goes through Alexandria and ends in the Mediterranean
Sea in the west port.
From Informal Settlements to sustainable communities 7

Fig. 2 Accessibility and General Transportation to Houd 10 (Source: Authors).

Fig. 3 Layout in 2011, 2016 Infringement Cases Determined with Yellow (Source: Authors).

Fig. 4 Buildings’ structure type – Houd 10 Slum (Source: Authors).

structure materials, like wood and tin, others live in simple covered with plastic sheets, as seen in Fig. 4. Most of the build-
bearing wall enclosures, built with mud brick and sand lime- ings are no more than two stories with a deteriorated construc-
stone. Roofs are light structured from wood, straw and reed tion condition. Some of the dwellers are threatened of building

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10.1016/j.aej.2017.09.004
8 D.M. Nassar, H.G. Elsayed
collapse. Dwellers build their homes themselves. Most of these
shelters are in a hazardous state. Several campaigns were
established with the efforts of non-profit organizations and
dedicated engineers who donated their efforts and experience
for improving living standards for settlers. They mainly
worked on installing roofs for the shelters.
7.6. The services provision
More than 20 percent of dwellers have no access to utility net-
works; they obtain their fresh water by filling plastic containers
from an open water channel or a public tap from the same
source. The drainage network is mostly in a subterranean
trench or into agricultural land causing serious health issues,
as seen in Fig. 5. Available water supply networks are done
by charity organizations.2 A water purification plant is needed
to prevent diseases caused by polluted water, for providing the
essential need for potable water. Electricity is usually the first
service to be provided in Informal Settlements, due to its ease
of installation. Nearly 40 percent of dwellers that are illegally
connected to the electricity service have compromised their sta-
tus with the government.
7.7. Health care
One health unit was built by local efforts. It suffers from over-
crowding. Physicians work part time, only once a week, with
no availability of all specialties. Most of dwellers resort to
charity organizations to afford their treatment, because most
of the locals have no medical insurance.
Waste management is not available. Waste disposal and
animal bodies are thrown in water channels, causing diseases
and environmental pollution.
7.8. Education
There is only one school for both the primary and preparatory
stages and the nearest one is 3 km away. This school was estab-
lished by one of the notable families in the area. Classes are
overcrowded with more than 70 pupils and some of them have
no place to sit. There is no secondary school nearby, so most
students do not continue their education.
7.9. Women
As a result of bad inherited habits, most women are illiterate;
they do not complete their elementary education. Because of
poverty, families force their very young daughters into mar-
riage. They call it an ‘‘Orf” marriage in front of a religious
man because they are under the legal age of marriage. Unfor-
tunately young women end up divorced with children. Some of
them are under twenty with no legal rights, protection or edu-
cation. Most of those single mothers depend on financial aids
from charities. They are unable to send their children to school
or afford their education.
2  In-cooperating with the civilian society training programs,
‘‘Resala” since 1999, <http://resala.org/> and ‘‘Hadded Hadfak”
sice 2008, <https://www.facebook.com/hadded.hadfak/> are two
NGOs working in Egypt.
Please cite this article in press as: D.M. Nassar, H.G. Elsayed, From Informal Settlements to sustainable communities, Alexandria Eng. J. (2017), https://doi.org/
10.1016/j.aej.2017.09.004
7.10. Unemployment
According to the degradation of farm land, many locals lost
their source of income. High unemployment rates, among
the youth and especially women, reaching up to 80%, pre-
vented them from reaching basic socio-economic requirements.
They began working in the informal real-estate sector, without
any kind of insurance. Many of them had injuries and left with
permanent disability.
8. Results and recommendations for sustaining Houd 10
At the end of the investigation analyses, the research attends to
present recommendations that can transform Houd 10 into a
sustainable community. These recommendations can be
applied on other nearby settlements, thus improve their envi-
ronmental, social and economic situation.
Results from the site survey are laid in a group of investiga-
tion maps prepared by the investigation team in 2015. The
maps present analyses of the land use, services, building
heights and structural condition, as seen in investigation maps
of Fig. 6. Information in these maps is needed for proposing an
upgrade project for Houd 10. This sustainable project gener-
ates a permanent improvement in the quality of life of the peo-
ple involved. Because a sustainable project is one that
permanently augments a community’s resources and hence
it’s social initiative and social capital thus, reducing its
vulnerability.
Key point towards transforming Houd 10 into a sustainable
community:
 Maximizing economic growth and reducing unemployment
by creating job opportunities with small capital-intensive.
That will be in light industries like; food processing, small
mechanical workshops, small clothes workshops also some
furniture and carpentry relying on nearby agriculture prod-
ucts. This will also create job opportunities in the services’
sector, like light transportation and recharging batteries
of agricultural equipment.
 Investing in successful rapidly growing business sectors,
such as manufacturing, and agricultural activities, like sup-
porting manufacturing or the processing of food garments
sewing, detergent mixing, simple farming, and animal
husbandry.
 Educating future generations, which means sequentially a
higher level of living and better live hood environment, con-
sidering different programs that enhance the growth of
activities and thus sustain the levels of employment and cre-
ate better job opportunities.
 Developing services, housing design, and transportation, to
expand the potential employment pool in the area.
 Building a secondary school for girls will help in women’s
empowerment.
 Creating social urban spaces allow the diversity of cultural,
educational and social environment.
 Encouraging the project of ‘‘Eradication of Illiteracy” from
voluntarily institutions, especially for women and young
adults. This enables them to compete in the labor market.
which can be held for different skills according to labor
market demands.
From Informal Settlements to sustainable communities 9

Fig. 5 Drainage directly discharged in the irrigation channel (Source: Authors).

Fig. 6 Houd 10 investigation maps from up left clockwise: land use, building heights, building structure systems, available water supply.
(Source: Authors).

 In-cooperating with the government, it is possible to reacti-
vate the role of the agricultural bank for providing seeds
and fodder to farmers.
 Restoring the agricultural education for farmers.
 A water purification plant is needed to prevent diseases
caused by polluted water and for providing the essential
need for potable water.
 Recycling organic waste is the best way to manage agricultural
and organic wastes, because most of the quantities of agricul-
tural waste in Houd 10 are generated from cotton and other
crops, while the lowest quantities are generated from rice straw.
therefore they can be used for the following purposes [22]:
– Green fodder for animals and the work stacks fertilizer
compost.

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10.1016/j.aej.2017.09.004
10
– Silage work that uses non-conventional feed in the man-
ufacturing of paper (such as rice straw).
– Generating biogas which is; a safe and cheap alternative
energy source, a good organic fertilizer, non-toxic and a
good source for thermal and electrical energy that does
not cause pollution to the air. It also runs stoves, pros-
pectors, machines, and tractors in farms.
9. Conclusion
Sustainable efforts permanently improve living conditions;
more importantly, they start a long-term development process.
Therefore, it is requested to identify the local’s needs, voice
their demands, and helps them organize themselves so as to
improve their livelihood with the help of the financial, techni-
cal, and human resources offered by development projects, as
well as their own.
Planning is a multidisciplinary team work. All relevant
stakeholders must be included in the development of an urban
sustainable vision and they must be granted a voice in the
actual design, implementation and prioritization of urban
investments. The role of voluntary and charity associations is
also very important to assist people to integrate into an urban
lifestyle and share development experience.
As urban planning is a technical and political process con-
cerned with the control of the use of land and design of the
urban environment, issues of social participation, locals’
empowerment and organization voluntary work are found to
be fundamental pillars in sustaining the upgrading of any
Informal Settlement.
Acknowledgment
The authors wish to acknowledge the late Prof. Dr. Mustafa
M. El-Araby, Professor of Architecture and Planning at the
Department of Architecture Engineering, Faculty of Engineer-
ing, Alexandria University, for his contentious advise and
efforts in bringing out the research as intended.
Also, the authors would like to acknowledge the dedicated
team that gathered the data for preparing the maps in the sum-
mer of 2015. The survey would not have been possible without
them. The survey team are; Dalia Essam, Nihal Hassan
Elkhatib, Mai Mohammed Mtwali, Asmaa Elsayed, Hala
Mamdouh and Fatma Roushdy from Classes of 2010 &
2011, Architecture Engineering Department, Faculty of Engi-
neering, Alexandria University. As well as Menna Ezzat from
Class of 2009, Architecture Department, Faculty of Fine Arts,
Alexandria University.
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