Could North African Urban Expansion Projects Provide The Solution To Traffic Congestion?
By Own Correspondent: DUBAI, UAE – Rapid urban development and a growing population causes congestion challenges in many of the world’s metropolis. North African nations have the opportunity to learn urban planning lessons from these countries to create modern cities with integrated planning solutions to meet demand needs.
Having said this, many cities are still experiencing difficulty creating solutions that achieve their planning objectives. Asked what the challenges were, Professor Moustafa Ghamrawy, Secretary General of the Egyptian Geotechnical Society (EGS), explained, “There has been vast expansion urban development in Egyptian metropolises in the past decades. This has created several problems including – for example – parking.” Ghamrawy continued, “Heavy traffic due to expansion causes serious delays and financial losses. One of the causes of the sluggish traffic is the lack of parking facilities. Hence, it is imperative to construct multi basement garages in several sites in each city.”
When questioned as to why this has not already been widely implemented he responded, “Construction of multi basements requires thorough knowledge of piling and deep foundations techniques in various soils and rocks. It is necessary for the region’s practitioners to exchange knowledge and brain storm state-of-the-art methods to achieve this goal.”
The changing demand on building requirements will require development of the existing geotechnical technical skill base. Amr Darrag, Director Corporate Planning and Business Development at EGEC and Professor at Cairo University, commented, “Egypt is the largest country in the North African region with a track record of experience in piling over almost 100 years. There is currently extensive need for piling due to increasing use of high rise buildings and structures with heavy loads warranting the use of deep foundations. The region
also has many infrastructure projects that require unique foundations solutions.”
IQPC’s Piling & Deep Foundations North Africa event is taking place at the JW Mariott Hotel Cairo from 22-25 November 2010. This industry leading four-day event program will provide the opportunity for regional geotechnical specialists to discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by project developments. Through benchmarking and learning from local and international case studies and technical presentations the opportunity to improve project performance and optimise design will be provided.
Key industry and academic organisations represented at the event include Hamza Associates, Egyptian Geotechnical Society (EGS), Soilmec, Housing Building and National Research Centre, Ain Shams University, Cairo University, Bauer Egypt, NSCC, Deep Foundations International (DFI), Keller Egypt and many others.
For over thirty years, IQPC has helped the world’s leading corporations solve their business challenges through the sharing of practical industry solutions and global best practice. In the process, the company has built a formidable reputation for quality and value. The world’s most progressive companies have benefited from IQPC’s unrivalled global reach, which has connected international expertise with regional and local leaders.
