How To Implement Sustainable Shorelines

Tools To Manage Natural Hazards And Sea Level Rise In Egypt

- Rasha Sayed Mahmoud

Over the past few decades, the world has faced multiple climate challenges and crisis- from droughts, gradual loss of natural resources, land deformation and rising sea levels that have contributed to the reformation of land on an urban scale. Egypt is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change impact, with the Nile Delta and other deltas likely to be threatened by rising sea levels.

The impact of climate change on Egyptian landscape, especially its shorelines, would cause severe changes to social, economic, urban and environmental levels. Food resources, agriculture, land use, climatic conditions and the economy would all suffer dangerous and destructive effects. As urban planners and designers, we should be able to introduce different solutions and mitigation plans and give other alternatives rather than immigration.

Scientific studies and experiments, such as managing realignment of urban settlement and offshore live flora and fauna are targeting futuristic development assessment. The problem is in the way of thinking and methods of applications that architects, planners, and developers initiate. Tangible solutions addressing different development possibilities of shorelines and off shorelines architecture with their local communities’ involvement in design and implementation process. Identification of the problem of dynamic urban planning and architectural design, which face most of the coastal communities that suffer from similar problems, hazards, and natural crisis, will address different research strategies through linking strategic analysis with the current situation. The outcome of the framework synthesize will be in the form of design guidelines and standard framework that match with Egypt’s shorelines and communities.