Understanding Cairo : The Logic of a City Out of Control

Sims, David; Abu-Lughod, Janet (FRW)

ISBN 10: 9774165535 / ISBN 13: 9789774165535

Published by The American University in Cairo Press, 2012

About this Item

Unread book in perfect condition. Seller Inventory # 16669524

Bibliographic Details

Title: Understanding Cairo : The Logic of a City ...

Publisher: The American University in Cairo Press

Publication Date: 2012

Binding: Soft cover

Condition: As New

About this title

Synopsis:

This book moves beyond superficial generalizations about Cairo as a chaotic metropolis in the developing world into an analysis of the ways the city’s eighteen million inhabitants have, in the face of a largely neglectful government, built and shaped their own city. Using a wealth of recent studies on Greater Cairo and a deep reading of informal urban processes, the city and its recent history are portrayed and mapped: the huge, spontaneous neighborhoods; housing; traffic and transport; city government; and its people and their enterprises.
The book argues that understanding a city such as Cairo is not a daunting task as long as pre-conceived notions are discarded and care is taken to apprehend available information and to assess it with a critical eye. In the case of Cairo, this approach leads to a conclusion that the city can be considered a kind of success story, in spite of everything.

About the Author:

David Sims is an American economist and urban planner who has led a number of studies about Cairo’s urban development and housing.