Papers by Ahmed El-Kholei
ArchNet-IJAR, Mar 29, 2018
Presently, cities of the Arab world are experiencing many urban ills. Some are physical, such as ... more Presently, cities of the Arab world are experiencing many urban ills. Some are physical, such as environmental degradation, housing problems, unemployment, urban infrastructure-related issues, and congested roads; while others are more subjective such as loss of identity. Transformation in the capitalist system and social structures, the inadequate understanding of planning practice and theory, in addition to design education, are to blame for these issues. Currently, in many Arab countries, planning education is still limited to the realm of architectural education, where it is restricted to city form, land use, and design requirements, while little attention is paid to the social, political, institutional, and economic realities of cities that serve as driving forces behind these changes. This paper tries to trace the development of the capitalist system and its corresponding societal transformations and their implications for cities in the Arab region. Subsequently, it reviews the development of planning theory and practice in the developed world and its implication for Arab cities. It attempts to shed light on the reasons behind these transformations and to explore the driving forces of the current state of the Arabian city including, capitalism, class, culture, and communication. Subsequently, it investigates challenges and explores opportunities, and elaborates on possible corrective scenarios to recommend three actions regarding the fields of planning theory research, practice, and education.
Hermeneutic phenomenology for spatial analysis
ArchNet-IJAR, Mar 17, 2022
PurposeFrom scholars' view, there are various research approaches to investigate the city and... more PurposeFrom scholars' view, there are various research approaches to investigate the city and its spaces. However, there is a need to examine the city and its spaces from the residents' perspective. Hermeneutic phenomenology might be applicable and valuable. Also, communication is a requirement for successful participatory planning and spatial analysis. Architects, urban designers and landscape architects must possess intersubjective competencies to communicate and engage with the public. Hermeneutic knowledge is the source for developing these intersubjective capabilities essential for communication. All design preparation and execution steps require distorted-free communication, starting with defining a problem and ending with implementation, monitoring and evaluation.Design/methodology/approachThe paper aims to test the applicability of hermeneutic phenomenology in urban studies. The author examines the right to the city and producing space in Cairo, Egypt. Besides web pages, documents and social networks, data sources vary, including proverbs and poems. Semiotics is the qualitative research technique used to interrogate the collected material using qualitative data analysis software.FindingsCairo's growth is the outcome of the division of labor, administration and power dynamics. Egyptians' right to take part in Cairo's planning and management is the issue. Hermeneutic phenomenology is an approach to perform spatial environmental investigations. It could inform decision-making, ensure the planning process's validity and guarantee people's ownership of planned projects.Originality/valuePhenomenology allows for inside and outside the understanding of a spatial phenomenon. The current focus of architectural and planning schools' curricula is on technical actions. These schools consider increasing the dose of social sciences in their curricula. Educators could teach students how to use hermeneutic phenomenological research methodologies. Using hermeneutic knowledge in communication encourages public engagement in formulating and implementing projects, thus ensuring their long-term viability.
Implementing CITES in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries: Challenges and Opportunities
Arab Gulf Journal of Scientific Research, Dec 1, 2020
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) contr... more The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) controls the wildlife trade. All the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are parties to CITES. GCC countries are the prime destination of exported falcons and Oud. In 2016, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were the destinations of approximately 26.8% of the world’s seized specimens of agarwood. These facts justify examining countries’ arrangements for implementing and enforcing the convention. Researchers used the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework for inquiry. Sources of information included site visits, surveys, interviews, and documents. The researchers interviewed 742 interviewees representing different stakeholder groups. Results show that the present legal framework is not wholly conducive to an integrated and holistic measure for complying with the convention. Traditions and culture, lack of trained cadres, complicated procedures, inadequate coordination, lack of economic incentives, and imperfect information are challenges for effective implementations of the convention. The research confirms the importance of institutional setup, legal systems, and socioeconomic context in successfully complying with and enforcing CITES. Coordination between executing agencies, strict law enforcement, and capacity building contribute to the effective implementation of the convention.
Arab Gulf Journal of Scientific Research, Dec 1, 2020
New technologies usually replace many of the technologies known to humankind. Today, humanity is ... more New technologies usually replace many of the technologies known to humankind. Today, humanity is experiencing the fourth industrial revolution, i.e., 4IR, where the boundaries between biological, digital, and physical technologies are blurring. The previous industrial revolutions brought opportunities and costs. The paper examines the expected outcomes of 4IR on the city and the means to benefit from 4IR technologies in city planning. The research methodology is mixed, using the symphony metaphor and conducting bibliometric analysis. The researchers interrogated the literature landscape about 4IR to outline the substantial opportunities and potential impacts. They conducted a bibliometric analysis of the contemporary academic discourse linking 4IR to metropolitan areas. Preliminary synthesis shows a growing trend in the total number of documents per year since 2016-the connection between 4IR and the city focus on the smart city. The 4IR technologies could help make smart sustainable cities a reality and avert any harmful outcomes. Planning and architectural education must align their curricula to use these novel technologies by equipping graduates with the competencies to face a changing world and capitalize on opportunities.
Socially sustainable smart cities: mapping the research trends by co-word analysis
Open House International
PurposeThe article attempts to shed light on the social aspects of research that deal with Sustai... more PurposeThe article attempts to shed light on the social aspects of research that deal with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and sustainable cities. The aim is to offer a global view of these facets' evolution and to provide information on people-centered smart cities.Design/methodology/approachThe research is qualitative. A systematic bibliometric approach is a framework for the research. The unit of analysis is publications on SDGs and Smart Cities (SCs) indexed in Scopus. The authors used VOSviewer text mining functionality to construct co-occurrence networks of socially related critical terms extracted from textual data. The co-occurrence of keywords presents a valuable method and process for attaining in-depth analysis and fast comprehension of trends and linkages in articles from a holistic approach.FindingsSocial media, social sustainability and social capital are the three multifaceted social keywords that co-occur in SDGs and SCs. The paper provides a brief compendiu...
Socially sustainable smart cities: mapping the research trends by co-word analysis
Open House International
PurposeThe article attempts to shed light on the social aspects of research that deal with Sustai... more PurposeThe article attempts to shed light on the social aspects of research that deal with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and sustainable cities. The aim is to offer a global view of these facets' evolution and to provide information on people-centered smart cities.Design/methodology/approachThe research is qualitative. A systematic bibliometric approach is a framework for the research. The unit of analysis is publications on SDGs and Smart Cities (SCs) indexed in Scopus. The authors used VOSviewer text mining functionality to construct co-occurrence networks of socially related critical terms extracted from textual data. The co-occurrence of keywords presents a valuable method and process for attaining in-depth analysis and fast comprehension of trends and linkages in articles from a holistic approach.FindingsSocial media, social sustainability and social capital are the three multifaceted social keywords that co-occur in SDGs and SCs. The paper provides a brief compendiu...
Embedding sustainability and SDGs in architectural and planning education: reflections from a KAP survey, Egypt
Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research
PurposeSustainable development requires a mental shift that induces behavioral modification. Educ... more PurposeSustainable development requires a mental shift that induces behavioral modification. Education is central to sustainable development as it alters an individual's worldview. Egypt is a signatory to Agenda 2030 and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Many Egyptian educational institutions have adopted the universal trend of incorporating sustainability and SDGs into their curricula. A recent UN assessment reports that Egypt faces challenges in meeting most SDGs. Therefore, this article investigates how students' knowledge, attitude and practices reflect their awareness regarding sustainability? Has their education induced any behavioral changes? What is the instructors' role in mainstreaming sustainability?Design/methodology/approachThe article investigates the progression of environmental consciousness among Egyptian architectural students and its relationship to sustainability. There are two sources of data: (1) documents, including study plans and cours...
Embedding sustainability and SDGs in architectural and planning education: reflections from a KAP survey, Egypt
Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research
PurposeSustainable development requires a mental shift that induces behavioral modification. Educ... more PurposeSustainable development requires a mental shift that induces behavioral modification. Education is central to sustainable development as it alters an individual's worldview. Egypt is a signatory to Agenda 2030 and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Many Egyptian educational institutions have adopted the universal trend of incorporating sustainability and SDGs into their curricula. A recent UN assessment reports that Egypt faces challenges in meeting most SDGs. Therefore, this article investigates how students' knowledge, attitude and practices reflect their awareness regarding sustainability? Has their education induced any behavioral changes? What is the instructors' role in mainstreaming sustainability?Design/methodology/approachThe article investigates the progression of environmental consciousness among Egyptian architectural students and its relationship to sustainability. There are two sources of data: (1) documents, including study plans and cours...
Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ), 2016
Architecture is a profession that men have dominated for centuries, while the transmission model ... more Architecture is a profession that men have dominated for centuries, while the transmission model of education has been the common basis for architectural education. In Egypt, architectural education continues to be masculine despite the increase in the number of female students enrolled in architectural programs. In such a type of education, the studio is the venue where concepts and building competencies are transformed. Therefore, this research paper investigates the impact of gender inequality on architectural education by surveying the educational process in the studio among male and female students at Egyptian universities. By exploring the actual difficulties related to gender that face architectural education in Egypt, the research aims to enhance the quality of the educational process for architecture students in general, and help them to equally qualify for the profession. This in turn should raise awareness for all the participants in the educational process in order to create a better educational environment for architecture students with special regard to gender sensitivity.
The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imp... more The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of FAO.
Sayings and Songs
Routledge eBooks, Nov 2, 2022
Impact of Air Pollution on Prices of Real Estate and the Internal Structure of Bahraini Metropolitan Area
Arab Gulf Journal of Scientific Research
In 2017, the World Bank estimated the cost of air pollution in Bahrain at 0.1 percent of the Gros... more In 2017, the World Bank estimated the cost of air pollution in Bahrain at 0.1 percent of the Gross National Income (GNI) using health statistics that the World Health Organization (WHO) publishes. Anthropogenic activities in an area cause environmental pollution. Using Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to estimate the cost of air pollution appears to be more accurate. In Bahrain, between 2009-2019, respiratory diseases were not among the top four causes of death. The paper quantifies the cost of air pollution in Bahrain’s urban areas using real estate prices. The researchers adopted the willingness-to-pay approach to investigate the connection between air quality, the spatial distribution of population, and real estate price using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and advanced multivariate statistical techniques. The usage of GDP is adequate and trustworthy compared to GNI. Air pollution accounted for 16.7% of the variation in house prices, leaving 83.3% to other confounding variables...
Industrial Revolution 4.0: Reconnaissance of Opportunities and Challenges for Smart Sustainable Cities
Arab Gulf Journal of Scientific Research
New technologies usually replace many of the technologies known to humankind. Today, humanity is ... more New technologies usually replace many of the technologies known to humankind. Today, humanity is experiencing the fourth industrial revolution, i.e., 4IR, where the boundaries between biological, digital, and physical technologies are blurring. The previous industrial revolutions brought opportunities and costs. The paper examines the expected outcomes of 4IR on the city and the means to benefit from 4IR technologies in city planning. The research methodology is mixed, using the symphony metaphor and conducting bibliometric analysis. The researchers interrogated the literature landscape about 4IR to outline the substantial opportunities and potential impacts. They conducted a bibliometric analysis of the contemporary academic discourse linking 4IR to metropolitan areas. Preliminary synthesis shows a growing trend in the total number of documents per year since 2016—the connection between 4IR and the city focus on the smart city. The 4IR technologies could help make smart sustainable...
Implementing CITES in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries: Challenges and Opportunities
Arab Gulf Journal of Scientific Research
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) contr... more The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) controls the wildlife trade. All the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are parties to CITES. GCC countries are the prime destination of exported falcons and Oud. In 2016, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were the destinations of approximately 26.8% of the world’s seized specimens of agarwood. These facts justify examining countries’ arrangements for implementing and enforcing the convention. Researchers used the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework for inquiry. Sources of information included site visits, surveys, interviews, and documents. The researchers interviewed 742 interviewees representing different stakeholder groups. Results show that the present legal framework is not wholly conducive to an integrated and holistic measure for complying with the convention. Traditions and culture, lack of trained cadres, complicated procedures, inadequate coordination, lack of econo...
Harnessing value-based financing for achieving SDGs: Social innovation model for Arab municipalities
Arab Gulf Journal of Scientific Research
It is inconceivable to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the national level without... more It is inconceivable to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the national level without accomplishing them locally. In the Arab region, municipalities face challenges to meet a widening gap between expenses and revenues. Securing a locally based sustainable financing model is of paramount importance. Wāqf is a value-based funding model that can offer new opportunities for sustainable financing to achieve SDGs locally. It agrees with Islamic law with the intent to promote social cohesion. The paper examines whether Wāqf, as a financing modality, is a Social Innovation (SI) model and its potential to finance development at the local level. The research method applied in this paper is qualitative. The authors compiled over 50 published articles, books, and reports covering the Wāqf and SI. The paper attempts to establish and explain linkages between Wāqf and both SI and SDGs. Content analysis using qualitative data analysis software is the research technique the researchers a...
The Mirage of Smart Sustainable Cities in the Arab Region
Open House International
This paper examines the attempt to develop smart, sustainable cities (SSC) in the Arab region. Th... more This paper examines the attempt to develop smart, sustainable cities (SSC) in the Arab region. The paper identifies four barriers: 1) infrastructural need for technological advances and availing information and transparency regarding the functioning of the administration; 2) high rates of adult illiteracy and lack of political participation; 3) methods of data collection, validity, reliability, and analysis, which are of utmost importance for decision-making are not always precise and rigorous; and 4) bound rationality that affects the planning process, thus hampering proper planning. Attempting to develop an SSC is not possible in a country where the majority are illiterate and poor. These attempts could lead to the loss of public space, social segregation, and dysfunctional democracy.
Hermeneutic phenomenology for spatial analysis
Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research
PurposeFrom scholars' view, there are various research approaches to investigate the city and... more PurposeFrom scholars' view, there are various research approaches to investigate the city and its spaces. However, there is a need to examine the city and its spaces from the residents' perspective. Hermeneutic phenomenology might be applicable and valuable. Also, communication is a requirement for successful participatory planning and spatial analysis. Architects, urban designers and landscape architects must possess intersubjective competencies to communicate and engage with the public. Hermeneutic knowledge is the source for developing these intersubjective capabilities essential for communication. All design preparation and execution steps require distorted-free communication, starting with defining a problem and ending with implementation, monitoring and evaluation.Design/methodology/approachThe paper aims to test the applicability of hermeneutic phenomenology in urban studies. The author examines the right to the city and producing space in Cairo, Egypt. Besides web pa...
The Environmental Profile of the Governorate of Suez
Ain Shams Engineering Journal, 2022
Purpose: The primary goal of this research study was to determine the plasma levels of folate, vi... more Purpose: The primary goal of this research study was to determine the plasma levels of folate, vitamin B, and homocysteine in malnourished children in Uttar Pradesh-India, and also to evaluate the 5, 10methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) 677C>T mutation in the MTHFR gene as nutrigenetic factors in the children with malnutrition. Methods: 345 samples were collected to assess the fasting plasma levels of folate, vitamin B, and homocysteine using an ELISA. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with specific primers was used to analyze the MTHFR 677C>T polymorphism, followed by amplicon digestion with the Hinf I restriction enzyme (C677T genotypes were determined by PCR-RFLP). Results: Compared to controls, the malnourished group had higher plasma homocysteine levels and lowered folate and vitamin B12 levels (P<0.001). The CC genotype was present in 26 out of the 167 malnourished children, followed by CT in 52 and TT in 89. CC, CT, and TT genotype frequencies were 15.56%, 31.13%, and 53.29% respectively. In the malnourished group, the frequency of C allele was 0.31, and T allele was 0.68. Genotype frequencies in the control group: CC was observed in 162 (91.01%), CT in 14 (7.86%), and TT in 2 (1.12 %). In control, the C allele was found to have a frequency of 0.94, while the T allele had a frequency of 0.05. Conclusion: In short, the percentage of homozygous genotype (TT) is highest in malnourished children associated with a high level of homocysteine which shown the deficiency of folate and vitamin -B. However, childhood malnutrition may be caused by gene-environment interactions as well as nutrient deficiencies. Nutrient absorption and metabolism may be affected by genetic polymorphisms in host genes. Therefore, it is important to investigate the genetic predisposition to malnutrition, identify genetic markers and biomarkers that can aid in the identification of children at risk of malnutrition, and investigate new treatment modalities that can help in the clinical management and treatment of malnourished children.
Risks, hazards, and disasters
Smart Cities: Issues and Challenges, 2019
Environmental crises, hazards, risks, and disasters are among the challenges for sustainable urba... more Environmental crises, hazards, risks, and disasters are among the challenges for sustainable urban development, which depends on the flow of data, generation of information, institutional framework, and the mindset that is conducive to proper decision-making. New developments in information and communication technologies enhance city planners' capacities to elaborate and implement plans to transform a traditional metropolis into a smart city. These plans can enhance the resilience of the city once city administrators and their constituents adopt disaster risk reduction concepts and applications in their city plans to assure the resilience of a city. The chapter reviews the stages of risk assessment and management and then reviews literature that dealt with environmental problems and smart cities to argue that a smart city is capable of being resilient, and thus sustainable.
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Papers by Ahmed El-Kholei