This lecture provides an overview and agenda for the course "Planning of Environmentally Special Regions". It discusses the focus of the course, outlines the planning process, and emphasizes the importance of understanding ecosystems as the first step. Key points covered include identifying the types and components of ecosystems, their interactions and dynamics, as well as the benefits they provide. The lecture also highlights various socio-cultural, political, economic and environmental factors that influence planning for special regions and stresses the need for an integrated and responsive planning approach.

1. Leture1
Dr Safaa Ghoneim
Cairo University
Faculty Of Urban & Regional Planning
Planning Of Environmentally Special Regions
‫تخطيط‬‫األقاليم‬‫الخاصة‬ ‫البيئية‬
Code 3682

2. Agenda
Lecture 1 2
Planning of environmentally Special Regions
 Focus On the Course Title /the scope of this course
 Natural Ecosystems: step1 to understand an ecosystem
 Course outlines
Dr Safaa Ghoneim

3. Planning Of
Environmentally
Special Regions
Focus On Course Title

4. Planning
Environmentally
Special
Regions
Planning Of
Environmentally
Special Regions

5. Land use planning/Physical planning: The process of designating
and regulating the use of land in order to improve (communities’ /
a community’s) physical, economic, social, and environmental
efficiency and well-being. √
Starting from the common base
Inputs Outputs
Tasks
Planning
Lecture 1 Dr Safaa Ghoneim 5

6. Main steps of Physical Planning Process
Lecture 1 Dr Safaa Ghoneim 6

7. 7Lecture 1
 Is it a liner process?
 Is it a systematic process?
 Does it follow One Approach or
alternative approaches?
 Does is respond to the special Factors?
 &&& How???
How the planning process should be?
Dr Safaa Ghoneim

8. • Not liner but it should include loops & feedbacks
• Not systematic: however it has certain major stages,
steps and details should differ upon the speciality of
each case
• Many planning approaches have been developed.
&New approaches are in the way. We determine the
suitable approach upon the speciality of the case.
Planning

9. Does is respond to the special Factors?
Special factors ???

10. Socio-Cultural factors
Lecture 1 10
Planning of Environmentally Special Regions
Political factor
Economic factor
Environmental factor
…… , factor?
Social
Environmental
Economic
Sustainable
One can lead
/ dominate!
Dr Safaa Ghoneim

11. Socio-Cultural factors
Lecture 1 11
Planning of environmentally Special Regions
 Villages of Noba
 Traditional communities in western desert
 Fishing villages in the north east
 More examples….
Dr Safaa Ghoneim

12. Lecture 1 12
Planning of Environmentally Special Regions
Political factor
 Borders Regions/ communities:,..
 Hot areas: problematic,…???
 Central strategic areas: ministries district, ???
Dr Safaa Ghoneim

13. Lecture 1 13
Planning of environmentally Special Regions
Economic factor
 Ports cities,
 Suez canal region,
 Mining cities,
 ….
Dr Safaa Ghoneim

14. Industrial Cities
Economic factor
Ports
Mining cities
Poor/ slum areas……
….. Regions ……
Lecture 1 Dr Safaa Ghoneim 14

15. The environmental dimension should lead the
planning process if the project area :
Has
Significant
Environment
Planning of Environmentally Special Regions
Environmental factor
Faces
Natural Hazards

16. Hazards driven by water ( i.e. floods, tsunamis, and droughts.
Natural hazards, such as:
Hazards driven by geology (i.e., earthquakes and volcanic waves)
EarthquakesVolcanic Waves
Meteorological: hazards driven by weather
Heat Waves Cold Waves Freezing Rain
Lecture 1 Dr Safaa Ghoneim 16

17. Faces
Natural Hazards
The environmental dimension should lead the
planning process if the project area :
Has
Significant
Environment
Planning of Environmentally Special Regions
Environmental factor

18. Having very significant Environment
Very rich Biodiversity
Rare environmental
features
Threatened
organism/habitats
Aesthetic values
Cultural values
Scientific value /
Economic value
Lecture 1 Dr Safaa Ghoneim 18

19. 19Lecture 1
• Each case has its speciality to some extends but we
always seek for balanced solutions.
• When a particular factor can be seen as the major one, it
should dominate the planning process.
• Although this course will focus on the Environmental
special features, the other dimensions will be integrated
in the planning process.
Remember!!
Dr Safaa Ghoneim

20. Regional planning
Urban/City Planning
Urban design
Landscape
Architecture
Which scale we
are interested
in?
Planning of Environmentally Special Regions
Lecture 1 Dr Safaa Ghoneim 20

21. Lecture 1 21
So, it could be:
o Global-International
o /National- Sub national
o /planning region
o /city/ small community?
o Small area,
o Multi scale,
Planning of Environmentally Special Regions
The special factor can take us up to the global scale
and down to a very detailed local scale
Dr Safaa Ghoneim

22. 22Lecture 1
• Here we focus on the ecosystem as a natural unit.
• The special feature can take us up to the global
scale and down to a very detailed local scale.
• The special features can be Significant Env or
Hazards
• Our Aim ……
Dr Safaa Ghoneim

23. Step1: to understand
an ecosystem

24. Natural Ecosystem
is a dynamic complex of living communities (e.g.
plants, animals, microorganisms, etc) and
nonliving natural components (e.g. Water, soil,
geography, etc) interacting as a functional unit.
Lecture 1 Dr Safaa Ghoneim 24

25. To understand an Ecosystem
Identify:
1. Type;
2. Main components (physical & living);
3. Interactions (functions & processes);
4. Boundaries (as a functional UNIT);
5. Dynamics (daily, seasonal, annual, longer changes)
6. The Benefits they provide (Eco-Services)
Lecture 1 Dr Safaa Ghoneim 25

26. Main Types of Ecosystems
Natural
Arid/
Mountain
Semi-
arid
Oasis Forests
Aquatic
lotic
(Rivers)
Lentic
(Lakes)
SeasWetlands Oceans
Artificial
Terrestrial
Fresh Marine
Ecosystems
Lecture 1 Dr Safaa Ghoneim 26

27. To understand an Ecosystem
Identify:
1. Type;
2. Main components (physical & living);
3. Interactions (functions & processes);
4. Boundaries (as a functional UNIT);
5. Dynamics (daily, seasonal, annual, longer changes)
6. The Benefits they provide (Eco-Services)
Lecture 1 Dr Safaa Ghoneim 27

28. Main components
Natural Ecosystem
Biotic
Fauna Flora
Abiotic
Geomorpholgy Hydrology Climate
Lecture 1 Dr Safaa Ghoneim 28

29. To understand an Ecosystem
1. Type;
2. Main components (physical & living);
3. Ecosystem Structure
4. Interactions (functions & processes);
5. Boundaries (as a functional UNIT);
6. Dynamics (daily, seasonal, annual, longer changes)
7. The Benefits they provide (Eco-Services)
Lecture 1 Dr Safaa Ghoneim 29

30. Vertical & Horizontal distribution of ecosystem
components
(e.g., vegetation ht., distribution of plant biomass above and
below ground, etc.)
Ecosystem Structure
Function = Chain of processes that are conducted or evaluated at the
ecosystem scale.
Ecosystem Functions
Lecture 1 Dr Safaa Ghoneim 30

31. To understand an Ecosystem
1. Type;
2. Main components (physical & living);
3. Ecosystem Structure
4. Interactions (functions & processes);
5. Boundaries (as a functional UNIT);
6. Dynamics (daily, seasonal, annual, longer changes)
7. The Benefits they provide (Eco-Services)
Lecture 1 Dr Safaa Ghoneim 31

32. How do we decide where to draw the lines around an
ecosystem?
Boundaries of Ecosystem (as a functional UNIT);
Natural Boundaries:
Ecosystems sometimes are bounded by
naturally delineated borders (crop field, lake);
appropriate questions include whole-lake
trophic dynamics and energy fluxes (e.g.,
Lindeman 1942)
Lecture 1 Dr Safaa Ghoneim 32

33. To understand an Ecosystem
1. Type;
2. Main components (physical & living);
3. Ecosystem Structure
4. Interactions (functions & processes);
5. Boundaries (as a functional UNIT);
6. Dynamics (daily, seasonal, annual, longer changes)
7. The Benefits they provide (Eco-Services)
Lecture 1 Dr Safaa Ghoneim 33

34. Time Scale in Ecosystem Ecology
• Rapid: over the day/ days/ weeks, e.g. wetlands
• Seasonal: e.g. forest, desert grassland
• Successional: 3 months after fire, 300 years after
fire
• Species migration/invasions: 1 to thousands of
years
Lecture 1 Dr Safaa Ghoneim 34

35. To understand an Ecosystem
Identify:
1. Type;
2. Main components (physical & living);
3. Ecosystem Structure
4. Interactions (functions & processes);
5. Boundaries (as a functional UNIT);
6. Dynamics (daily, seasonal, annual, longer changes)
7. The Benefits they provide (Eco-Services)
Lecture 1 Dr Safaa Ghoneim 35

36. No. Lecture Assessment
1 Introduction to the course & approach to
understand Ecosystem
Individual (A3 report
up to 5 pages)
2 Ecosystem services & Human Wellbeing Groups (A2 posters)
3 Environmentally Sensitive Areas Individual (one A3 ex.
+ layers of services
groups)
4 Tools and techniques supporting the planning and
decision making : ESA
Groups (A2 posters)
5 Planning of environmentally sensitive areas (1) Groups (A2 posters)
6 Planning of environmentally sensitive areas (2) Groups (A2 posters)
Week 7  EXAM
Course contents

37. Course contents
No. Lecture Assessment
8 Considering the impacts of development activities & Land
uses
Groups (A2
posters)
9 Reflections of Climate change on the environmental planning. Individual (one
A3 ex.)
10 Natural Hazards and extreme events Groups (A2
posters)
11 Planning of hazard areas (the immediate & recovery plans) Groups (A2
posters)
12 Planning of hazard areas (long term plan) Groups (A2
posters)
13 International frameworks for environmentally special areas. Individual (one
A3 ex.)
Midterm + final Project

38. Dr Safaa Ghoneim38 Lecture 1

39. Lecture 1 39
Title Degree Date
1 Class activities ‫المحاضرة‬ ‫أثناء‬ ‫التفاعل‬ 5 Weekly
3 Exercise (one A3 )
‫مختصر‬ ‫فردية‬ ‫تمرينات‬(‫واحدة‬ ‫صفحة‬)
5 Weekly
4 Practical sessions
‫المشروع‬ ‫على‬ ‫تطبيقية‬ ‫تمرينات‬(‫السكش‬ ‫نهاية‬ ‫في‬ ‫تقييمها‬ ‫يتم‬)
(groups + individual evaluation)
15 Weeks
(2:6 & 9:12)
5 Final Project
‫تسليمات‬‫للمشروع‬ ‫نهائية‬
10 Weeks 6 & 12
6 Report of the term
‫تقرير‬‫التيرم‬(‫فردي‬)
5 Week 8 & 12
7 Midterm ‫التيرم‬ ‫منتصف‬ ‫إمتحان‬ 20 Week 7
8 Exam ‫التيرم‬ ‫نهاية‬ ‫إمتحان‬ 40
Total ‫إجمالي‬ 100
Dr Safaa Ghoneim

40. Lecture 1 40
Tasks
‫مهام‬
Start
‫التوقيت‬
Duration (H)
‫بالساعة‬ ‫المدة‬
1 Lecture
‫المحاضرة‬
Saturdays 11:00 am
‫السبت‬: 11 ‫صباحا‬
‫ساعتين‬
2 Practical session
‫العملي‬ ‫التطبيق‬
Saturdays 1:00 pm
‫السبت‬:‫الواحدة‬
‫تقريبا‬ ‫ساعتين‬
3 Academic supervision
‫األكاديمي‬ ‫اإلرشاد‬
Wednesday 1:00
‫االربعاء‬:‫الواحدة‬‫ظهرا‬
‫ساعتين‬
Dr Safaa Ghoneim

41. Dr Safaa Ghoneim 41Lecture 1