1. Zeinab N. Tag-Eldeen (PhD)
Researcher at the Regional and Urban Studies Department
Zeinab.tageldeen@abe.kth.se

2.  This work grew largely from practice-oriented
research carried out in an Egyptian context.
 It investigates the complex process of
transferring the collaborative planning model
to the Egyptian context, focusing on Zifta City
as a case study

3.  The appreciation of the history and the
cultural values that characterise a new
context, and the relevance of jointly
developing knowledge that is of benefit to
humankind, must be acknowledged.
 What is ‘context’?
◦ the institutional structure of a society and the
associated cultural values inherited from the history
of that society and still guiding the function of its
daily routine.

4.  Planning has lent legitimacy to the
development of society through the
application of different theories and practices
 With its embodied concepts and values,
planning influences the direction of change
that a society may achieve
 consideration of the context specificity is
particularity essential

5.  Adopts a proactive approach, examining the
practical and theoretical potential imbued in a
new context
 An exogenous planning model has to be re-
contextualized and landed in a new context
through its assimilation with that context’s
history and cultural values

6.  Dual role
◦ practitioner and
action
researcher
 Plurality of
Theory
 Mixing
Methodologies

7.  Define ‘knowledge’ as a concept and investigate
the epistemological questions surrounding
knowledge in general
◦ the way in which knowledge is acquired “possibility,
limits, origin, structure, methods and validity or truth of
knowledge”
 The role of ‘cultural awareness’ of the new place
◦ Knowing through dialogue
◦ Knowing from experiences
◦ Learning from local knowledge
◦ Learning to read symbolic and non-verbal evidence
◦ Learning through contemplative or appreciative
knowledge
◦ Learning-by-doing, or action planning

8.  HEALEY’S COLLABORATIVE PLANNING MODEL
◦ Prerequisite Conditions of Collaborative Planning
 Core Concepts of the Collaborative Planning Model
◦ Stakeholders, rights and duties
 Practical guide on how to lead in a shared-power environment
 Learning-by-doing generate local knowledge
 Appreciative inquiry
◦ Rules of communication – Habermasian ideas
◦ Consensus building
◦ The role of religion – A recent reflection from Habermas
◦ Understanding the social system - Giddens’ theory
◦ Building capacity for institutional change
◦ The role of planner

9.  Examine the planning thinking in the new
context (historical overview)
 Urban Conditions in the Egyptian Cities

11.  Analytical Framework for the Practice of Collaborative
Planning in Zifta
◦ As a researcher, I engaged in working with this analytical
framework during the empirical case (which formed an
essential part of my thesis).
◦ This engagement benefitted from my second role – being a
practitioner and leading the Zifta Demonstration Project,
designing the planning process, making good spaces to
involve stakeholders, managing meetings, solving problems,
and producing a strategic plan for Zifta.
◦ My dual roles – researcher and practitioner – overlapped and
fed into each other through their reciprocal relationship,

12. Where is Zifta now?
Dec 05 Jan 06 Apr 06 May 06 Jun 06 Oct 06 Jan 07 May 07
What does Zifta Want?
Situational analysis
Contextual mapping
Understanding
features of the
society
Stakeholders
Consensus
Building
Zifta Vision
Formal
Approval
Governorate
Project
Initiation
Planning
Team
Identification
Concretisation
Mobilisation
Public
approval
Zifta
Theme 1
Theme 4...
Theme 2
Theme 3
Zifta
discovers
itself
Asset
Mapping
Local/technical
knowledge
Knowledge transfer in
various directions
How to get there?
Getting out
Getting on
Getting in
Entry Point
City Council
Kick‐off Seminar Urban
situation
Workshop
Visioning
Workshop
Focus/thematic
groups
Asset
Mapping
Workshop
Sept 07
Expert Knowledge Local Knowledge
Getting local commitment
Local initiatives
Greening Zifta
Refurbishing a district ‐ pilot
Participatory Budgeting
Local initiative
Vision Questionnaire
Indigenous Knowledge
Formalising the informal
initiatives
Zifta Strategic Plan
Committee
Getting
Started
time Line
Thematic
Workshops
Approval
Popular Council
Workshop
Approval
Governor/GOPP
Seminar
Figure 1 - Learning-oriented planning process elaborated for the purpose of the thesis
Kick‐off
Seminar

13.  The formal interactions practiced by the
city and popular councils (characterised
by inefficiency, non-implementable
rules, reductions in welfare services
provisions, limited resources and
corruption); and,
 The informal interactions practised by
locally based organisations
(characterised by collective economic
activities such as the Friday Market,
different charitable forms, family-based
economic activities, and
interdependence that provides mutual
support among the actors of the
informal sectors). The functioning
mechanism of the informal is guided by
the society’s cultural values, which
determine the rules and the ways of
distributing resources in charitable
forms or basic welfare services as
practised by the citizens.

14.  Social Values Associated with Zifta’s
Institutional Structure
◦ The reciprocal and mutual role of the individual, the
family and the society; and,
◦ The social terms associated with communication
patterns, and their role in establishing and
fostering dialogue between the members of the
society.
 Incorporating the Identified Values in the
Process Helped to Build Consensus
 Collective Memory Contributed to Building
Consensus

15.  Social Values
Associated with city
Institutional Structure
Incorporating the
Identified Values in the
Process
Identification of
characteristics of the
city context

16. The vision should play an important role in
guiding the formulation of Zifta’s strategic
plan, allowing Zifta’s people to look positively
upon and share a common view of their future
so that they can work towards achieving it

19. 
Design learning‐
oriented
planning process;
Set conditions to
balance existing
power relation;
analysis of
stakeholders’ matrix
Incorporating of social values in collaborative planning processes enables communication, fosters interactions & builds consensus
Construction of different types of knowledge that transferred in various directions – interaction with the new planning knowledge
Zifta Context Influences the Practice of Collaborative Planning
Action Researcher ´s & Experts´ Knowledge Joint development of local Knowledge
Time Line
Informal system (economic,
housing; welfare services, etc...)
filled the gap left by the formal
system. Local assets & associated
values guide Zifta to plan for
‘hope out of failure’
Identification of
Potential focus areas
for technical surveys
Vision and Knowledge
guide the formulation
of thematic
development
Important memories;
live experiences
created sense of Shared
meaning
Transformative
dimensions
demonstrated
through different
Local Initiatives Citizens discovered
themselves
Appreciative
Inquiry, Zifta
Asset
mapping
Zifta Vision formulated by
its citizens
Election of ‘Zifta Strategic
Plan Committee’
Zifta socio‐economic
relation with the
surrounding villages
Participants
Integrate
Personal roles
Questioning
Planners´ role –
Shadow Experts
Characters of
reciprocal
trustworthiness
between citizens
City council from
citizens´ views
Non‐efficient
formal system
Development
priorities are
questioned
Financial
Capital flow
out of Zifta
Planning challenges;
Zifta is ‘better’ for
‘whom’; reset
development priorities
Social values
shape the
communicative
patterns
Building of
local
institutional
capacity
How things are done in the reality? Assets Mapping Zifta Vision Integrate local/Expert knowledge in Zifta Strategic Plan
Getting Started Where is Zifta now? How to get there?
MilieuofPracticeorientedresearch
Mutual role between
the ‘individual’,
‘family’ & the society’
Building institutional
capacity – advantage of
planner working at
multilevel of rules
Figure 1 - Typology of transfer of knowledge in various direction
What does Zifta Want?
Identify the characteristics of Zifta
context; situational definition of
lifeworld; structure of the society
and the type of relation between
rules, sources and agency
Visualization
techniques; Delphi
method
Visionning Process
Urban
situational
analysis
‘SWOT’
Technical
interpretation of Zifta
Vision – Incorporate
local knowledge in
technical study

20.  Epistemological Concerns
 Practical Concerns – An opportunity to
develop knowledge
 Theoretical Concerns – Egyptian social
philosophy may contribute to planning
knowledge