COMMUNITY WORKSHOP | Shubra

Community Workshops

The purpose of the community workshops is to develop an understanding for different neighborhoods in Cairo from the perspective of those who know it the best; its residents. The community workshops start with a brief introduction of TADAMUN project that also showcases success stories of some local initiatives. The participants are then divided into small groups and are asked to draw a map of their area. No instruction is given to influence the type of information or format used. The groups are then asked to comment on their own maps to highlight the following:

• The best 5 potentials in the area
• The biggest 5 problems in the area
• The best 5 places in the area
• The worst 5 places in the area
• The quality of services and facilities in the area
• The activities of local CSOs and NGOs in the area

Shubra Community Workshop

This community workshop was conducted in partnership with Shubrā Hilm Bukrā (Shubra Tomorrow’s Future) local initiative.

Map Your Neighborhood

Most of the group maps included the Shubra, Al-Sahel, and Rod Al-Farag areas as the division between them is rather administrative in nature, and residents live, work and shop in all three areas. All groups pointed out the main major road networks and metro stations in the area, as well as the bridges and tunnels connecting it to Giza, the rest of Cairo, and Qalubiya. Dawaran Shubra square was unanimously named the heart of Shubra. Shubra is also known for its numerous historic churches, Saint Therese being the most well known. Some of the landmarks repeated throughout the group maps were; the train tracks along Shubra’s eastern boundary, Al-Sahel Hospital, Salesian Institute (Italian Engineering School), Banha University Faculty of Engineering campus, Al-Khazindar mosque, Rod Al-Farag youth center, shopping districts, schools, and the two police stations.

As one would expect, each map focused on different features of the area depending on participants’ perspective and use. Two group had detailed knowledge of the area; in addition to setting boundaries, entry points, road networks and squares, and marking hospitals, schools and religious institutions, they had some historical knowledge of the area. Badie Street, where renown poet Salah Jaheen and Baligh Hamdi, the music composer lived, and the Rod Al-Farag market, which was operational since the 1930’s. The market was later transformed by the government into several public service facilities (culture palace, youth center, police and fire department stations, school, and hospital) and the vendors were relocated to a newly constructed market place in Obour city. The Al-Ghalal/Balah market is also a very famous market in the area that has been operation for decades and particularly flourishes during Ramadan. Another landmark pointed out is the residence of Kitchener, the British ruler in the colonial era.

Some groups focused on the Shubra area only, with details on the commercial activity in the area, schools, hospitals, green spaces and religious institutes. The Aga Khan area is highlighted as a higher-income area with better services, and Kholousi Street is compared to the downtown-shopping district.
One group focused on Shubra Street as the youth and leisure hub, and described in detail the shops and facilities. This was the only group that pointed out the cafes, bookstores, restaurants, cinemas, as well as political parties’ offices, and the Shubra District office. The Al-Ra’i Path is also highlighted as a very popular shopping area for middle-income families.

The Best & Worst Places

This workshop was particularly interesting as several of the qualities of Shubra, created some of the area’s problems at the same time. This was apparent in the community participants’ conflicting responses about some of the best and worst areas in Shubra, with a few showing on both lists, such as: Al-Souq Square, Al-Gadeed and Al-Khalafawy streets (commercial areas that are overcrowded with street vendors, rickshaws and traffic congestion), the Omar Tuson Palace (historic significance but abandoned and not maintained), and the Rod Al-Farag Culture Palace (great space with management issues),

Otherwise, most of the responses were consistent, the best places being ones with high commercial (Al-Amir and Shubra shopping malls, Kholousi street, Shubra street, Dawaran Shubra square) and leisure activity (Al-Montazah area, Al-Souq Park, and the Corniche). Religious institutions, particularly Saint Therese church and Al-Khazindar mosque, and the Rod Al-Farag Youth Center are important community pillars as well.

The worst places pointed out by the participants were related to either service quality (Al-Sahel hospital, prevalence of waste in Al-Mazallat square), or high crime rate and drug trade (Al-Gisr street, Al-Hafzia, Ezbet Girgis and Ezbet Sidi Farag). The Shubra tunnel and other bridges were highlighted for being poorly lit and being a waste dump.

Shubra Potentials & Problems

The conflict mentioned above was also seen in responses about the best qualities and biggest problems in the area. The commercial nature of the area and the transformation into a commercial hub to neighboring areas was a point of pride to some in the community, but at the same time, this commercial nature created problems such as high levels of noise, accumulation of waste, and street vendors occupying the limited public space, contributing to traffic congestion.

The most highlighted qualities about Shubra were the tight-knit social fabric and peaceful coexistence between religious sects, the proximity to downtown and accessibility through different modes of transportation (metro, bus, microbus, rickshaws). Participants were proud of the historic landmarks in the area (e.g. Al-Ghalal market, Kitchener’s residence), and the urban planning and street network in the Tuson and Aga Khan areas. The availability of government services, such as schools, hospitals, police stations, and natural gas network was also highlighted.

The main problems facing residents are related to the quality of public services and facilities. Energy supply (electricity, diesel and gasoline), garbage collection, unpaved side streets, lack of sewage network in some of the low-income areas of Shubra, and limited green space were some of the issues highlighted. The quality of public services in the education and health sectors were of importance, in addition to minimal police activity and combating crime in the area. And similar to many areas across Egypt, there has been an increase in illegal (and unsafe) construction in the area over the last few years.

If I were Head of the District, I would…

At the end of the workshop, participants were asked what would be their priority if they were the head of the District. Below is the participants responses to solve their area’s problems:

• Participatory priority setting with the community
• Maximize beneficial usage of local budget
• Involve experts to translate community needs into feasible steps
• Involve youth to increase the sustainability of any upgrading project
• Increase sense of security and collaborate with police to better combat crime and drug trade
• Upgrade services in the area, particularly schools, hospitals, and waste collection
• Fight corruption in public facilities, and involve front-line workers to understand the challenges they face
• Address commercial trespassing over public space by shops and street vendors
• Upgrade street infrastructure and increase green spaces