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One of the most significant and articulate examples of the use of the right to the city in CSO discourse and advocacy has come in the context of the 2013 deliberations toward the new Egyptian Constitution. A convergence of organizations, self-identified as the Urban Reform Coalition, cooperated in the preparation of a formal submission to the drafters of the new Constitution. Their document, “A Constitutional Approach to Urban Egypt,” [Arabic] localizes the principles of the right to the city as a guidance note for future efforts to improve living conditions, urban development and governance in Egypt through the transition. The localization of the concepts begins with the title, which translates from the Arabic literally as “Constitution of the Built Environment.” It incorporates the Arabic term “al-`umrān” (العمران, the built environment) to convey a more inclusive concept, embracing also human settlements beyond the city. The term also resonates in Arab traditions as a term used by the 14th Century scholar Ibn Khaldūn, who instructed that, in statecraft, “al-`adl asās al-`umrān”(العدل أساس العمران, or “justice is the foundation of the built environment (i.e., the state/civilization).” This articulation of the right to the city establishes a set of basic principles such that: The state recognizes the right to the city for all inhabitants of Egyptian cities, and the people have the full right to enjoy the city and public spaces on the basis of the principles of sustainability, social justice, respect for different cultures, and the balance between the urban and rural sectors. The exercise of the right to the city rests on the foundations of democratic governance of the city, with respect for the social and environmental functions of the various properties and the city as a whole, with full exercise of the right of citizenship.
The collective document proceeds to explain the meaning of the Right to the Built Environment (haq al-`umrān, حق العمران): The state recognizes the right to the human settlement (al-`umrān), for the entire population on the basis of the principles of social justice and sustainability, and respect for different cultures, and the balance between urban and rural areas. The exercise of this right rests on the basis of democratic management of urbanization, with respect for the social and environmental functions of various types of tenure within the following considerations:
تعترف الدولة بالحق في العمران لكافة السكان. كما أن لھم جميعاً الحق الكامل في التمتع بالعمران وفراغاته العامة على أسس مبادئ العدالة الاجتماعية، والاستدامة، واحترام الثقافات المختلفة، والاتزان بين المناطق الحضرية والريفية. وترتكز ممارسة ھذا الحق على أسس الإدارة الديمقراطية للعمران، مع احترام الوظائف الاجتماعية والبيئية للملكيات المختلفة، وللعمران ككل في إطار الاعتبارات التالية:
The “A Constitutional Approach to Urban Egypt” takes the opportunity to explain the meaning and value of social production of habitat (SPH) where it proposes: The state is committed to providing the institutional environment and resources needed to process the social production of housing in the form of legal tools and financing, administrative, and technical support, land and raw materials at a reasonable price consistent with the [needs of persons with] low-income. The State recognizes the efforts of self-construction and supports housing initiatives and cooperatives, whether of individuals or families or organized and collective efforts in this area. Moreover, the State is committed to the fight against abuse and exploitation in rental relations in the context of ensuring the right to adequate housing for marginalized and most vulnerable. تلتزم الدولة بتوفير البيئة المؤسسية والموارد اللازمة لعملية الإنتاج الاجتماعي للمسكن من أدوات قانونية وتمويلية وإدارية، ودعم فني، وأراضي وخامات بسعر مناسب يتلاءم مع قدرات محدودي الدخل، وتعترف الدولة بجھود العمران الذاتية، كما تدعم المبادرات الذاتية والتعاونية سواء من أفراد أو أسر أو جھود جماعية منظمة في ھذا المجال. كذلك تلتزم الدولة بمكافحة التعسف والاستغلال في العلاقات الإيجارية في إطار كفالة حق المسكن الملائم للفئات المھمشة والأكثر ضعفا. Clearly this CSO initiative and articulation of the right to the city, human rights in the city, even more broadly as the human rights habitat, speaks to the state context that the city inhabits. However, this exercise also follows in the tradition of city-based human rights charters, while taking a page from the World Charter on the Right to the City and indigenizes its tenets. |