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Going Green in the Cairo Desert - The New American University Campus
In roughly one year, the American University in Cairo will relocate from the bustling and smog-filled city center to a brand new 300-million dollar campus in the East Cairo Desert. The new campus will occupy a sprawling 260 acres compared to the current 7.3 acre downtown location.
The university cites environmental optimization, sensitivity and sustainability as part of it’s major goals. Two sets of studies were conducted to minimize the site’s environmental impact. The first set was based on macro-climactic concerns, building location and landscape. The second on micro-climactic issues primarily building design and climate control of indoor and outdoor spaces through renewable and natural means.
The building layout is meant to compliment the desert environment and regional traditions of desert life- using architecture rather than energy to provide comfort. Passive architectural designs provide better illumination with natural light, fully shaded courtyards and naturally ventilated buildings and hallways. Also, over 8,000 trees from 150 species are in the process of being planted. They will be planted in the campus center, providing shade and cleaner air, as well as around the campus perimeter to block desert winds and dust.
But how green is it?
All of these measures will undoubtedly minimize energy requirements and make the new campus on the cutting edge of eco-conscious construction in the Middle East and may begin a new push for sustainable designs in the region.
However, there are some obvious major downsides to this move. The campus is located 40 minutes outside of the city-center and is meant to be a flagship in a new district of Cairo (imaginatively called “New Cairo”). Such urban sprawl encourages increased development outside of the current city boundaries and promotes the building of more infrastructure for easier access into the district. Students and faculty living in Cairo proper will also need to drive to the new site. Even if all the buildings are built green it will end up doing more harm than good. Since the old campus will continue to be used, in the end, there is a net negative environmental effect.
Unfortunately, with the city center already incredibly crowded and choking with the smog of over 3 million cars it’s hard to convince anyone to stay.
:: Info from AUC ::
posted by kfarzaneh on Tuesday, February 05 2008 permalink | comments (0)
Palestinian Ibdaa dance troupe
The Ibdaa dance troupe remembers 1948
posted by advocacyproject on Wednesday, June 11 2008 permalink | comments (1)
Inside the Damascus gate
A marketplace inside the gate at Damascus
posted by advocacyproject on Wednesday, June 11 2008 permalink | comments (1)
Residents of the Gaza strip
A woman and her daughter in Gaza.
posted by advocacyproject on Wednesday, June 11 2008 permalink | comments (1)
Family of the Gaza strip
A family in the Gaza strip
posted by advocacyproject on Wednesday, June 11 2008 permalink | comments (1)
Checkpoint in Bethlehem
The checkpoint at Bethlehem, along the Israel/Palestine divide
posted by advocacyproject on Wednesday, June 11 2008 permalink | comments (1)
Citizens at a Bethlehem checkpoint
Citizens waiting at a Bethlehem security checkpoint.
posted by advocacyproject on Wednesday, June 11 2008 permalink | comments (1)
Ramallah Protester
posted by advocacyproject on Wednesday, June 11 2008 permalink | comments (1)
Appointment of New Labor Judges Promises Justice for Palestinian Workers
West Bank, Occupied Palestinian Territories: Palestinian workers who are wronged by their employers now have a better chance at justice, after the appointment of several labor judges in the West Bank.The announcement came last week (July 13), when the new Palestinian Labor Minister, Dr Ahmad Majdalani, reached an agreement with the President of the Higher Judicial Council assigning specific judges to labor cases in Ramallah, Hebron and Nablus.Palestinian construction workers. Photo credit: Willow Heske
The move is a major victory for the Democracy and Workers' Rights Center (DWRC), an Advocacy Project (AP) partner in Ramallah that defends Palestinian labor rights. AP has sent three Peace Fellows to the DWRC, and all have helped the group develop advocacy tools - such as press releases and a website - to amplify the voices of Palestinian workers (shown at left).
The DWRC sees the new judges as a positive step towards the creation of a dedicated labor court - a longtime demand on the part of trade unions and labor organizations: "We consider this effort to be a crucial first step toward establishing a specialized labor court where judges with an expertise in labor rights and protection preside," said Mohammed Amarneh, the DWRC's Legal Unit Coordinator. "Without a specialized labor court, the struggle to expedite labor cases and ensure workers' rights will undoubtedly continue."
The absence of specialized labor courts in the Territories has forced workers to file complaints against their employers in regular courts, which are not suited to handling labor cases and are also plagued by huge backlogs of cases. This served as a major deterrent for many workers.
In 2007, the DWRC analyzed a sample of 200 labor cases filed in Palestinian courts. The study highlighted the extreme slowness in processing labor cases, which makes it difficult for workers to obtain legal representation. Many lawyers decline labor cases due to their duration and meager financial returns.
The DWRC will monitor the work of the new judges in the three West Bank cities through its Legal Aid and Human Rights Protection Unit. DWRC is also calling on the Palestinian Ministry of Labor to better enforce labor legislation, and improve its labor inspection department.Checkpoint near Bethlehem. Photo Credit: Rianne Van Doeveren
Overall, Palestinian workers face a stagnant economy, exacerbated by the Israeli occupation and severe limitations on the movement of people and goods (such as the checkpoint shown at right). According to a June 2009 report by the International Labor Organization (ILO), the unemployment rate was 20 percent in the West Bank and 45 percent in Gaza last year. These numbers have likely increased following the Israeli invasion of Gaza in January.
AP is helping the DWRC to bring Palestinian labor issues to an international audience. Earlier this week, Mira Said of the DWRC visited New York for a radio interview on WBAI's "Wake Up Call" program. She later spoke on the Palestinian labor movement at the New York office of 1199SEIU, a health care workers' labor union. Ms Said's visit was organized by Eliza Bates, who volunteered as an AP Peace Fellow with the DWRC in 2007.
Willow Heske, who followed Ms Bates as the 2008 Peace Fellow with DWRC, has returned to the Occupied Territories after completing her Masters degree at Columbia University, and resumed her work with Palestinian civil society. Ms Heske is exploring the possibility of supporting disabled workers in the West Bank with job creation and skills training.
Meanwhile, this year's Peace Fellow with the DWRC, Rangineh Azimzadeh, is helping the organization reach out to independent workers, who are particularly vulnerable because they are not affiliated with the formal union structure.
● Read the blog of 2009 Peace Fellow Rangineh Azimzadeh
● Watch an interview with DWRC Founder Hassan Barghouthi
● Learn more about the DWRC
● Read the ILO report
posted by advproject on Monday, July 27 2009 permalink | comments (1)
Take A Tour
