From Waterways to Axis - Unveiling Societal Ramifications. The Mahmoudieh Canal Transformation
Channel: Asian Studies
Date: 2023-09-05

In this third River Cities Network (RCN) online presentation, our Egyptian colleagues will present their project focused on the Mahmoudieh Canal in Alexandria.

This presentation took place on Tuesday, 5 September 2023, from 13:00 hrs CEST.

The River Cities Network presentation series is an online platform for teams active in the IIAS initiative 'River Cities Network (RCN): Engaging with Waterways in the Anthropocene' to introduce their river-city case study projects to other members of the network and to an external audience.

Project Summary
In 2020, the state initiated a project to transform 21 km of the historic Mahmoudieh waterway into a highway, which is now known as the Mahmoudieh Axis. The newly transformed highway possesses a width of 80 to 120m, containing 6 to 8 lanes for vehicular traffic in each direction. This drastic change, however, led to a disconnect between the city port and the Nile River system. As such, sediment replenishment to the coastal port area ceased, resulting in an increased rate of coastal erosion around the harbor and a significant loss of the area's rich industrial heritage. Our research centers around understanding the societal impact of the Mahmoudieh Waterway Transformation. Our approach is to conduct a comprehensive social survey using qualitative and quantitative questionnaires and a series of semi-structured interviews. Based on the insights derived from this survey, we plan to develop two pilot projects that encapsulate the views of the stakeholders while taking into account pertinent academic and environmental concepts in city strategic planning. 

The Presenters
Mohamed Gohar is an architect and researcher. His work primarily focuses on studying the historical origins of urbanism and the architectural evolution of Mediterranean cities in connection to contemporary socio-cultural context and social history. His architectural scope is design and intervention within historic fabrics, with particular emphasis on the roots of traditional local architecture and its connection to modern society. Gohar works between Alexandria and Marseille as an independent cultural consultant for Mediterranean collaborations in academic and cultural institutions, conducting field research and designing, developing, and implementing urban heritage and social strategy projects. This includes teaching courses about shared cultural heritage through action-oriented educational programs. 

Nancy Abdel-Moneim is the Associate Dean of the College of Engineering & Technology at the Arab Academy for Science Technology and Maritime Transport, Smart Village Campus, and an Assistant Professor at the Architecture Engineering and Environmental Design Department with more than twenty years of academic and professional experience. She worked for four years for The Informal Settlement Development Fund. Abdel-Moneim is interested in the process of resettlement projects and their effect on dwellers' social and economic life quality. Also, she has experience in historic conservation. She worked on many documentation and restoration projects all over Egypt. Currently, she teaches and conducts research in human behavior and the built environment, urban design, and urban environmental psychology within the use of AI. She has several publications related to the enhancement of human being's quality of life within various contexts.

Asmaa Elhussiny is a general manager at the National Organization for Potable Water and Sanitary Drainage (NOPWASD). She graduated as an engineer in 2008. She holds a Master's degree of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Faculty of Engineering Menoufia University (2018). Her research focuses on using renewable energy resources, especially solar energy applications. In 2008, she started working as an elect mechanical engineer at the (NOPWASD), responsible for supervising the implementation of drinking water and sanitation projects, especially sewage plants in which water is recycled and used with a tertiary treatment system. Asmaa is currently working on my PhD in HVDC systems.

About the River Cities Network presentation series
The River Cities Network presentation series is an online platform for teams active in the IIAS initiative River Cities Network (RCN): Engaging with Waterways in the Anthropocene to introduce their river-city case study projects to other members of the network and to an external audience.