Guardian Report Hails Sisi's call for Unified Buildings' Color

By Nawal Sayed

CAIRO, Jan. 23 (SEE) - Upon

directives of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, Egyptian authorities are reaching

for their paint brushes demanding buildings across the country adhere to a

unified color scheme of “dusty” shades in Cairo and blue on the coast,

according a report published in UK Guardian on Monday.

“The plan is to have unified colors for the buildings instead of

this uncivilized scene," Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, told a cabinet

meeting.

He added that a presidential

decree targeting unpainted red-brick buildings demands local authorities paint

them soon, or face punishment.

Banks, hotels and office buildings are seen around residential buildings at the center of downtown in Cairo, Egypt August 11, 2016. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Cairo governorate has begun

executing the decree as it ordered some buildings to be painted such as

buildings near Cairo International Airport.

The governorate's authorities

chose the "beige" color to be the unified scheme of all buildings.

Cairo deputy governor announced

that the buildings' owners will pay for the painting costs.

In press statements, Mohammed Abu

Saada, the head of the National Organization for Urban Harmony, said the color

scheme for buildings would be determined by area, instead of "clusters of

red-brick tower blocks."

A general view of the housing project "Long Live Egypt", at Al-Asmarat, a housing complex in Al Mokattam area, at Cairo's desert outskirts, Egypt September 12, 2018. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

In an attempt to end informal

housing by the end of this year, Egyptian authorities have also targeted many

of the country’s poorest people to move them to the capital’s outskirts.

David Sims, an urban planning

expert and the author of Understanding Cairo: The Logic of a City Out of

Control, estimated at least 10m buildings across Egypt were in bare red brick.

“Painting all red-brick buildings will be a real national project,” he said

according the Guardian's report.

In order to guarantee implementation of Sisi's directives, authorities threatened punishment for those who do not comply with the painting instructions.

Adel al-Ghadban, the governor of

Port Said, said landlords who failed to paint their buildings before the March deadline

faced cuts to services, the report read.