Planning Ministry considers best ways to maximize the use of urban plans

The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MPED) held recently a meeting headed by Dr. Ahmed Kamaly, Deputy Minister, to discuss ways of cooperation between the various parties to maximize the benefit of urban plans.The meeting was attended by Eng. Alaa Abdel-Fattah, President of General Organization for Physical Planning (GOPP), Dr. Hisham Hafez, Advisor to the (GOPP), Dr. Mohamed Nada, Senior Expert in Urban Development at the World Bank, Dr. Heba Mughaib, Head of the Regional Planning Sector at the Ministry of Planning, and officials of the Ministry of Local Development.
During the meeting, Dr. Ahmed Kamaly referred to the efforts of Planning Ministry in updating the development planning system in Egypt, in coordination with all ministries and concerned parties, as the development process is based on many principles and main foundations. The most important of which are; ensure a participatory approach in the planning process with the participation of all parties; government, the private sector, and civil society.Kamaly stressed the importance of coordination between urban planning efforts and development planning by agreeing on a coordination methodology between the Ministry of Planning, the Ministry of Local Development, and the General Organization for Physical Planning (GOPP) to ensure obtaining the maximum possible benefit from urban plans.Kamaly explained the importance of the financing equation and its role in equitable distribution of investments, through which local development programs and investments are distributed based on a number of indicators such as population density, poverty indicators, unemployment indicators, and development gaps.Kamaly referred to the importance of improving the investment climate for each governorate by taking advantage of the various competitive advantages among the governorates.The meeting discussed the experience of the project of modernizing the general strategic plans for urban communities for the cities, towns and villages of Gharbia Governorate, and Banha City in Qalyubia Governorate. The project of integration between the existing and the new construction was also discussed, as well as the need to work on developing skills and raising the efficiency of those in charge of implementing the strategic plan.