Socio-spatial regeneration challenges in Attaba historic market, Cairo – Egypt

A critical gap in heritage regeneration policies threatens the socio-economic vitality of historic Cairo's Attaba market, one of the few remaining 19th-century covered markets. The study reveals that the absence of clear regeneration strategies and public participation undermines the market's role as a sustainable urban nucleus, endangering both its tangible and intangible values. Through archival analysis, semi-structured interviews with traders (n=30), in-depth observations from 2016 to 2018, and discussions with local officials, researchers identified systemic challenges that hinder the market's potential for sustainable development. The paper proposes a framework for regeneration, offering a scalable model applicable to other historic markets in Cairo, while emphasizing the urgent need for policy intervention to preserve these understudied yet vital urban assets.

AlSadaty, A., ElKerdany, D., Hamza, N., Imam, S., ElSerafi, T., & Abdallah, M. (2020). Socio-spatial regeneration challenges in Attaba historic market, Cairo – Egypt. Journal of Humanities and Applied Social Sciences, 3(3), 217–236. https://doi.org/10.1108/jhass-11-2019-0078