ABOUT
I am an urban and land use planner and sustainable development expert with nearly two decades of working experience with municipal governments, research institutes, international development agencies, private sector firms and local community organizations. I have worked extensively in areas adjacent to national parks and coastal areas that are designated settlements, dense urban forms, and historic urban centers across the Middle East and Africa. My research focuses on finding the appropriate balance between the trendies of rapid urbanization and maintaining ecological integrity in both dense cities as well as remote nomadic towns. My doctorate research in Dep. Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning at UC Berkeley focused on understanding tourism development and its direct impact on the environment. I obtained previous degrees in Urban & Regional planning from Cairo university, a Master in Urban design from Oxford Brookes University, and a diploma in Land Management from Institute of Housing & Urban Development Studies from Erasmus University.
Affiliations
Med_net Mediterranean Network
IFLA International Federation of Landscape
Member of Med_net Mediterranean Network (IFLA), a regional platform connecting landscape professionals across the Mediterranean to exchange knowledge and address shared environmental and cultural challenges.
Tourism Studies Working Group
University of California, Berkeley
Member of the Tourism Studies Working Group, University of California, Berkeley, an interdisciplinary network advancing research and dialogue on tourism, culture, and global mobility.
The Landscape Institute
An Academic Member of the Landscape Institute (AMLI), the UK’s chartered body for landscape professionals committed to advancing the practice of landscape.
Advance HE
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), Advance HE, recognising commitment to excellence in teaching, learning, and student engagement in higher education.
Founding Member of
Egyptian Society of Landscape Architects
Founding Member of ESLA, which is endorsed by the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA), as the National Association representing the discipline of Landscape Architecture in Egypt.
AMAKEN Placemaking
Founding Member of AMAKEN, the Official Arab Network for PlacemakingX, acting as a platform to share knowledge and empower its members with an interest in upgrading and managing public spaces in the Arab-World.
Celebrate your Local Jane Jacobs
Founding Member of CLJJ, an initiative acknowledging women in the Global South who left a lasting impact on their communities and livelihoods.
Urbanics
Founder of Urbanics, a value-driven firm established in 2010, crafting the planning and design of the built environment to be in synergy with nature and culture.
Education
PG.Cer/Dip Fellow Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
School of Education
University of the West of England
Bristol, UK
2025
PhD Landscape Arch & Environmental Planning
Department of Landscape Arch. & Environmental Planning,
University of California, Berkeley
California, USA
2017
Dip. Land Management & Informal Settlement Regularization
Institute of Housing & Urban Development Studies,
Erasmus University
Rotterdam, Netherlands
2006
M.A. Urban Design
Joint Centre of Urban Design, School of Planning & Architecture,
Oxford Brookes University
Oxford, UK
2001
BSc. Urban & Regional Planning
Urban & Landscape Design Specialism, Faculty of Urban & Regional Planning, Cairo University
Cairo, Egypt
1998
