Challenges of Social Sustainability in Neo-liberal Cairo: Re-questioning the role of public space

Public space has been always regarded as a reflection of the social status of the community. Based on this assumption, the challenge for achieving a 'socially sustainable' community in neo-liberal Cairo is in need to be re-questioned in relation to the role of public spaces. This is relevant in the shadows of the socio-political transformations of post-revolutionary Cairene society. Accordingly, the paper explores the role of public-space in maintaining the social sustenance in the extreme ends of Cairo's social structure, first: the gated communities taking 'Beverly Hills' as a prototype, and second the informal areas taking 'Al-Zahraa' district a prototype. (C) 2012 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.