In an important step representing a new era for the state’s vision of the role that the architect plays in public affairs, and hence his role as a representative of the people, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi took a decision to appoint both
Professor Sahar Attia, Professor and Head of the Department of Architecture
at the Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University
Dalia Al-Saadani, architectural designer and winner of International Design Award – Italy
as members of the Egyptian Parliament within several names that have been appointed according to the percentage appointed by the President of the Republic
It is noteworthy that the specified percentage always represents a special value, as it is intended to appoint prominent individuals from important social and professional groups, but by their nature they do not possess the necessary popularity to exceed voting rates in elections such as engineers and other groups of society or different cultural groups.
This is the first time that architects have been appointed in the Egyptian parliament, reflecting a deeper understanding of the nature of the role the architect plays in public affairs.
The presence of these personalities is expected to contribute strongly to the issuance of legislation that would control the urban system and preserve the Egyptian architectural and civilizational heritage, especially in thorny architectural and urban issues such as dealing with heritage buildings and their re-use, as well as building laws, urban system regulations and other important issues.
It is noteworthy that the state during the past period has paid special attention to the urban system through the issuance of laws to control urbanization and urban coordination, especially with regard to illegal construction and informal settlements, as well as laws for land use and others. Moreover, the transfer of the file of building permits from municipalities to engineering colleges is another advanced step towards a practical reformulation of the urban system in Egypt.
