Technology impacts on future urban change in Egypt : Implications for developing countries.
Since the Industrial Revolution, technology achievements, especially in transportation, have introduced significant changes to city structures and urban systems in both the developed and developing countries. Technology advancements of the Post-Industrial era, especially in telecommunications, are expected to introduce a new substantial wave of urban change. This research examines the future urban impacts of technology in developing countries and aims, in the light of these expected changes, to define the necessary approaches for managing the urban future in these countries. Based on the theoretical examination of the relationship between technology and urban change, the urban impacts of different technology forces, the analysis of patterns and problems of urban change in Africa and in Egypt, and the analysis of the main problems of the increasing primacy of Greater Cairo Region, the thesis proposes three necessary approaches for managing the urban future in developing countries. These approaches are: urban decentralisation, small-size settlements, and the incremental planning and development of urban activities.Although the review of current literature demonstrates that these approaches would be effective in managing the urban future in developing countries, and in a further step to confirm the validity of these approaches, the research carried out a forecasting survey of both technology and urban development experts' opinions and expectations. The statistical analysis of the survey results has revealed that the future impacts of technology on developing countries are expected to be substantial and confirmed that the proposed approaches are valid. Also, this analysis has revealed that existing cities, especially large ones, are expected to face considerable changes regarding their future size and function.The research concludes by presenting a summary of research findings, brief recommendations for the application of each these approaches, a critique of methods, and potentials for further future research.
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Sheffield Hallam University (United Kingdom).