What is the pedagogical role of “Urban Design” in Egyptian universities in understanding public space, lively communities, and empowering young students after people’s uprising in Tahrir Square and its demise post-2011? Classical urban planning relies on concepts of legibility, public space, and image of the city after a taken-for-granted de facto for what constitutes a public realm. Despite that 2011-uprising took place in a public space, little did it continue as a public realm, and Egyptians never fully experienced the values of public space. Taking this as a point of departure, the studio is an intellectual activist survey for exploring the genealogy of publicness under economic, social, political, and environmental constraints. Moreover, it aims at becoming a vehicle to empower students to learn how to make change through tactical placemaking, and question the (mega) masterplans generated for new cities and enclaves created by developers and the state.
