Today marked the official launch of Maadi: On the History and Culture of a Green Suburb, a newly published book edited by Nezar AlSayyad, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Architecture, City Planning, Urban Design, and Urban History at the University of California, Berkeley. The book offers a multifaceted exploration of Maadi, tracing its evolution as one of Cairo’s most distinctive suburban landscapes.
My contribution to the volume, titled “Maadi: From Landscape City to Concrete City,” critically examines the gradual transformation of Maadi’s urban and environmental identity. The chapter reflects on how shifting planning paradigms, development pressures, and socio-economic forces have reshaped the suburb from a green, landscape-oriented settlement into a more densely built and contested urban environment.
The book brings together a diverse group of contributors whose perspectives enrich its interdisciplinary scope. Contributors include Amir Gohar, Amr Essam, Haby Hosny, Hassan Hafez, Heidi Shalaby, Heba Safey Eldeen, Karim Badr, Mohamed El-Rasheedy, and Mona Zakareya, each offering original insights into Maadi’s past and present.
Collectively, the volume addresses a wide range of themes, including the historical and contemporary development of Maadi, its green and ecological character, architectural typologies and urban fabric, transportation networks connecting and structuring the suburb, and representations of Maadi in film and television. It also engages deeply with personal narratives and collective memories, positioning Maadi not only as a physical place but as a lived and remembered landscape.
Together, these contributions present a rich and layered portrait of Maadi, highlighting its cultural significance and the broader urban questions embedded in its transformation.
Many thanks to the National Organisation of Urban Harmony (NOUH) for the excellent quality of the print.
Amir Gohar, PhD. FHEA. AMLI. 