2008年-世界发展银行全球_Arab_Republic_of_Egypt_Urban_Sector_Note___Volume_1_Urban_Sector_Update_112页_5mb

Egypt Urban Sector Update Summary (June 2008)

Core Content

This report provides an in-depth analysis of Egypt's urban sector, focusing on the challenges of urbanization, the inefficiencies in urban expansion and service delivery, and the need for policy reform to address these issues. It outlines the current state of urban development, the limitations of existing policies, and a set of recommendations for improving the urban management framework.

Main Issues and Challenges

• Urban Population Growth: Egypt's population is projected to increase by 27 million over the next 15 years, with most growth occurring in urban areas and "urban villages" within urban agglomerations.
• Informal Settlements: Over 16 million urban inhabitants live in informal and squatter settlements, often lacking basic infrastructure and services.
• Urban Poverty and Inequality: A significant portion of Egypt's urban population, especially in low-income areas, suffers from inadequate housing, unemployment, and poor access to services.
• Urbanization Dynamics: Migration is now primarily urban-to-urban, with little residential mobility. Urban expansion into rural hinterlands and the emergence of hundreds of new towns in rural governorates are observed.
• Desert Development Focus: The government has historically focused on shifting population to new towns in the desert, often at the expense of the more densely populated Nile Valley and Delta.

Key Findings

• Urban Policies: Current urban policies are often top-down and supply-driven, with limited involvement of local governments and the private sector. This has led to inefficiencies and a lack of responsiveness to citizens' needs.
• Desert Development Strategy: The strategy to shift urban growth to the desert has not met its stated objectives. Public resources have been heavily invested in desert development with limited results.
• Informal Housing Sector: The informal housing sector is dynamic and driven by limited affordability. Formal housing mechanisms have not been able to replicate the affordability outcomes of informal housing.
• Land Management: There is a need for more rational use of public land and improved mechanisms to capture the value of land appreciation due to urban development.
• Institutional Weakness: Local governments lack financial autonomy and effective tools to manage urban growth. There is a need for decentralization and capacity building.

Recommendations

1. Re-evaluate the Desert Development Strategy

• Focus on Existing Cities: Redirect attention from the desert to guiding growth in existing cities, as they house the majority of Egypt's population.
• Assess New Towns: Conduct an in-depth evaluation of the 20 existing New Towns to determine their viability and effectiveness, and identify which land and urban management tools have worked well.

2. Create Appropriate Planning and Building Standards

• Tailored Standards: Develop specific planning and building standards for designated "popular" neighborhoods to enable affordable housing and align with the needs of low-income households.
• Down-Market Penetration: Ensure that these standards support the development of affordable housing that can compete with informal housing in terms of cost and accessibility.

3. Expand Control over Asset Management to Local Authorities

• Decentralization: Accelerate the decentralization process by allowing local authorities to manage urban assets and pursue sustainable financing mechanisms.
• Local Funds: Expand the allowed expenditures of local funds to include urban land management, and improve transparency and accountability in these funds.
• Sub-accounts for Projects: Create sub-accounts within local funds for specific urban projects, enabling better project management and performance assessment.

4. Establish a Policy Making Council

• National Council for Urban Planning and Development (NCUPD): Create a high-level policy-making body, led by the Prime Minister, to coordinate urban development with economic strategies.
• Institutional Inclusion: Include relevant ministries, civil society, and planning experts in the council to ensure a holistic approach to urban policy.
• Urban Observatory: Establish an urban observatory under GOPP to maintain an updated urban information database and track demographic and socio-economic trends.

5. Institutional Reform and Capacity Building

• Long-Term Reform: Institutional reform is necessary to remove fragmented mandates and improve coordination in urban development.
• Technical Training: Enhance the technical capacity of urban planners and managers by incorporating skills such as cost recovery, land value capture, and market analysis into their training.

6. Improve Public Land Management

• Rational Use of Land: Revise the sectoral public land management model to improve efficiency and coordination.
• Land Bank: Make public lands available for future urban use, particularly those in near-desert areas close to existing urban agglomerations.

7. Reduce Land and Property Speculation

• Property Tax Reform: Improve the property tax regime to include vacant serviced land and ensure regular updates based on market value.
• Revenue Sharing: Increase local governments' share of revenues generated from urban development to support service delivery and infrastructure.

8. Reform Urban Development Tools on Private Lands

• Land Subdivision Standards: Introduce more relaxed and competitive land subdivision and plot exploitation standards.
• Integrated Management: Explore the use of various urban land development tools, including improved land registration, streamlined building permits, improvement taxes, and a regulatory framework for land assembly and readjustment.

Conclusion

Egypt's urban sector faces significant challenges due to rapid population growth, informal settlements, and an overemphasis on desert development. The report emphasizes the need for a shift towards more inclusive, participatory, and sustainable urban policies. It advocates for the establishment of a comprehensive urban policy framework, enhanced local governance, and the integration of market-oriented approaches to urban planning and development. These changes are essential to meet the growing urban demand and ensure equitable and efficient service delivery.