**2. Case study methodology**

account for an unbalanced share of greenhouse gas emissions. Let alone that the majority of urban south cities with coastal location with high concentration of economic activity and population [3] are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In short, cities and consequences of human settlements are at the core of the problem, both in terms of carbon emissions at sources, and in terms of the effect of global warming. Low- and zero-carbon city design and planning can play a crucial role in reaching global targets in CO2 reduction, ensuring long-term energy security and reducing the impacts of climate change worldwide [3].

26 Sustainable Cities - Authenticity, Ambition and Dream

Egypt like many other several developing countries is facing a series of threats related to limited access to natural resources in relation to the population size and economic growth and energy poverty. All that had a strong influence on urban development and planning. Directing future development out of the narrow Nile valley and Delta becomes indisputable. The future urban development plans in Egypt for 2050 aim at spreading development over 40% of Egypt's area to exploit available natural resources and provide around 20 million job opportunities [4]. Other key concerns now in Egypt are climate change and moving towards a zero carbon era. This is a growing concern with Cairo being the most polluted capital in the Middle East, and according to the World Health Organisation [5], the second most polluted large city in the world in 2018. However, the majority of researchers and designers now throw

around the terms eco-cities and eco-economy without clues on how to achieve them.

stage, it did not include any chapters for sustainable communities or eco-cities.

On a very limited scale in Egypt, few pilot settlements were early focusing on environmental sustainability, using renewables and eco-friendly building construction methods which have given such settlements a vital edge within national competitive sustainable communities. The majority however are private initiatives like Basata in Sinai, Tunis in Fayoum, El Basaysa in Sharkeya and New Basaysa in Ras Sedr. Only one so far is a governmental initiative named productive, lowcost and environmentally friendly village (PLEV) which is still in its study phase. When it comes to rating systems and assessment tools to achieve the objectives of the eco-cities, unfortunately the Egyptian rating system the Green Pyramid is still on hold, and even if it reached the action

This study comes aligned with the new government decision for building a new capital city in new Cairo and another millennium city called New El Alamein. The proposed designs are targeting the wealthy minority and prioritise self-determination without looking at affordability, low-impact living and equality. Investing in green infrastructure especially when it comes to water conservation together with applying energy-efficient building design strategies was not of a concern. Hence, there is a great demand and need for a discrete code or guideline to help in designing and assessing new or existing cities. There is also a necessity for transdisciplinary eco-guidelines for our contemporary and future eco-city design and planning. But how can we design a community that is both liveable and sustainable is a key question that this study is trying to answer by filling in this gap in national codes and rating systems and showing broad lines for a pathway towards zero-carbon eco-city design in Egypt. It draws upon three case studies for private eco-communities in Egypt which are considered as pilot initiatives. Here we are analysing the three case studies and showing different design elements and drawing recommendation that can be used as a set of design framework for an eco-city model in Egypt like renewable energy, permaculture, eco-sanitation, solid waste management, vernacular architecture, traffic and green transportation, green economy and small/micro enterprises. Basata, The study applied qualitative comparative analysis approach using case study methodology. The methodology comprises an in-depth literature search for previous work on eco- and zero-carbon cities to scan the field and understand where the Egyptian situation lays within the modern approaches in eco-cities notions. In this phase, we took a look at current policies of city development in Egypt, especially for the new capital and new El Alamein city. We also scanned for existing design and planning notions and looked at current examples to study. Three cases were then selected and analytically compared to each other to deduce lessons learned for possible recommendations for future city designs.

The three case studies represent private initiatives for pilot models for eco-communities in Sinai Peninsula in the northeast part of Egypt. They were chosen because they show a good mix of low-tech and high-tech building methods using available local materials. They also represent community-driven versus business-driven design approaches. During the case study investigation process, we carried out several site visits and interviews with the projects' owners and some of the workers and inhabitants/visitors. That was one main tool to collect the needed information and materials needed for the study. The projects managed to apply an array of low-impact and sustainable core principles for eco-communities but not necessarily that they have succeeded in all. As they are located in the same geographical zone, they also share the same climatic zone which is mild costal arid climate with harsh summer season. It was easy to compare the climate responsive solutions if any. We have picked the successful best practices and analysed them to drive key design applications that can be considered a start for a pathway towards eco-communities in Egypt. The aim is reach to a set of recommendation for principles that are low-cost, low-impact and can be community-driven and managed.
