A shift in perspectives of progress over recent years has favored gentrification of urban spaces, even more so in heritage sites. Questions arising from this matter concern loss of an Egyptian identity and destruction natural landscapes.
Industry has played a role in both defining culture and gentrification, and can arguably be intrusive to nature. The element of gentrification raises concerns over just how intrusive industry can be to nature and the overall environment. A socioeconomic divide ultimately plays a role in urban planning with what should stay, what should go, and what should be “fixed.”
Other critical concerns include fixation over external appearances of the infrastructure, rather than functionality and the efficient city planning.
Heritage sites and nature do not only symbolize mere history, but rather a study of city planning, urbanization, cultural patterns, and the psyche of people at a set point in time.
From new bridges to new buildings, one can’t help but reflect on the impact this has on a country’s national identity, as well as perspectives in regards to a new and improved version of the capital city, Cairo.
A cross section of documentation of both past and present markings, from building to street signs, as well as construction sites act as a form of photographic essay in exploring the matter of “Industry, Gentrification and Nature.”
