Ring Road Update

Driving across the Nile to the Carrefour supermarket in Maadi, we were surprised to see many new "Welcome to Giza" billboards promoting the new Grand Egyptian Museum and other treasures. These were all hung on the newly refinished facades of the buildings along the route.

 

This is a welcome contrast to the unattractive bare red brick facades that lined the route just a few years ago.  More on the red brick construction style so prevalent in Cairo can be found on this 2019 blog post.

 

Depending on how much a builder wants to spend, the bricks might be covered with a coat of stucco or even "fancied up" quite a bit as is the case with these two buildings.

  

According to Egyptian Streets, this is all part of a major "visual identity" project to improve the appearance of the area.

The development of the ring road’s visual identity coincides with state efforts to prepare for the Grand Egyptian Museum’s opening.

The project began after Cairo’s Deputy Governor, Engineer Jihan Abdel Moneim, met with local officials to discuss development plans for the ring road. The meeting focused on finalizing a development work plan that addresses both visual aesthetics and functionality. This will involve improving road and traffic flow efficiency, along with refurbishing the facades of residential buildings bordering the ring road.

The ring road’s visual identity upgrade includes unifying building paint colors, installing billboards with distinctive elements, and incorporating greenery, trees, lighting, and displays.

Until recently, people approaching Giza from the airport were greeted by scenes along the Ring Road like this:

  

 

As the Ring Road was widened from three lanes to six (or more), many buildings were taken down in total or in part.  That looked even worse for a while, although it was interesting to see the colors of the former apartments.

  

 

The widening of the Ring was disruptive to many who lived nearby; and it was expensive.  According to this article in Egypt Today from 2022, one and a half billion Egyptian Pounds were paid out in compensation to 1,380 families, 296 shop owners, and 136 workshop owners in the Basatin neighborhood to accomplish the change.  This was less than half of the affected area along the southern stretch of the Ring.

 

 

Last year many of the red brick exteriors were re-finished with a coat of stucco and painted in preparation for the new welcoming look.  It seemed like there was scaffolding everywhere.

 

(I'm not sure these workers on the outside of the 5th floor would be in compliance with all OSHA regulations back home.)

Now that the work is done, of course, the bill is coming due and just who should pay and how is a subject of some debate.  The "investigative journalist" website, zawia3, has an interesting story on the repainting here.  It appears that the painting and other improvements are all a part of a "Visual Identity Project" originating with students of the German University in Cairo, "GUC."

Some quotes:

Egypt’s governorates are implementing President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s 2019 directives for unified facade painting of all buildings instead of red bricks, with a deadline for completing the four facades, or legal action will be taken.

... In the past two years, the government started implementing an old law that was not previously enforced, imposing taxes on properties near public urban development projects, up to 150 meters away. This is Law No. 222 of 1955 regarding imposing improvement fees on properties that benefit from public utility projects, arguing that the projects increase the value of adjacent properties and that the government is entitled to half of the resulting increase.

 ...Sayed El-Din Farag, Professor of Urban Planning, believes that improving and developing the roads around the Grand Egyptian Museum and the Pyramids Plateau, and constructing new bridges are part of the visual identity project. The urban development strategy relies on basic infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and utilities like water, electricity, and sanitation, alongside public transportation lines such as new metro lines and bus rapid transit, creating a visual sequence for Egypt and reshaping the mental image for visual enjoyment. He cites painting the facades of Tahrir Square buildings, developing Al-Muizz Street, and currently painting residential buildings overlooking the ring road.

Farag believes property owners should share the costs of painting facades, as it increases their market value, fostering a sense of ownership and maintenance.

If the problems associated with financing the visual identity project were not enough, it appears that there was also a problem with a new Cairo logo placed on some of the buildings, per Egyptian Streets.  The logo bore more than a passing resemblance to that of an Italian design studio.

 

In spite of the problems, we have to give credit to the government for a massive improvement in the appearance of the area along the Ring.  It is much more welcoming to visitors.

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

A billboard that I photographed last year provides credits to all of the contractors doing the work on the visual identity development project.  The Google translation is on the right.