A Methodological Approach towards Sustainable Urban Densification for Urban Sprawl Control at the Microscale: Case Study of Tanta, Egypt

Karim I. Abdrabo, Heba Hamed, Kareem A. Fouad, Mohamed Shehata, Sameh A. Kantoush, Tetsuya Sumi, Bahaa Elboshy and Taher Osman
Additional contact information
Karim I. Abdrabo: Department of Urban Planning, Faculty of Urban and Regional Planning, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt
Heba Hamed: Department of Urban Planning, Faculty of Urban and Regional Planning, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt
Kareem A. Fouad: Department of Urban Planning, Faculty of Urban and Regional Planning, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt
Mohamed Shehata: Department of Urban Planning, Faculty of Urban and Regional Planning, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt
Sameh A. Kantoush: Water Resources Research Center, Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI), Kyoto University, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan
Tetsuya Sumi: Water Resources Research Center, Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI), Kyoto University, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan
Bahaa Elboshy: Architectural Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Tanta University, Tanta 31733, Egypt
Taher Osman: Department of Regional Planning, Faculty of Urban and Regional Planning, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 10, 1-20

Abstract: When a high need for new residences coincides with an insufficient area of obtainable land within cities, urban sprawl occurs. Although densification is a well-known policy for controlling urban sprawl, one of the main challenges faced by researchers is that of determining urban densification potentials and priorities at the city scale. This paper aims to establish a methodology to facilitate decision-making regarding urban densification using five different methods. The proposed methodology utilizes high-quality city strategic plans (CSPs) and urban regulation documents and adopts geographic information systems (GISs) to determine and map the potential areas for densification. Multiple sustainability parameters, including environmental, economic, and social parameters, are selected, and weighted using an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to prioritize the densification sites. The proposed method is tested in Tanta, Egypt, which has suffered due to agricultural losses of approximately 10 km 2 within the last 50 years. The results credibly demonstrate the means by which to accommodate approximately 428% of the anticipated population increase in Tanta by 2027 and thereby save more than 53% of the approved deducted agricultural lands under the current urban regulations. Generally, this methodology offers a new model to optimize urban densification, which can be effective in urban management to achieve city resilience.

Keywords: urban sprawl; city strategic plans; microscale; compact city; decision-making support; sustainable cities; urban densification; AHP; GIS; Egypt (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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