By Devon Murray
Have you been out and about in Cairo lately? If so, you may have noticed a trend emerging in the streets. Young people donning multicolored inline skates are seemingly everywhere, from gated communities to the Nile corniche, weaving in and out of traffic and sometimes hitching rides on cars.
Like many dead fads from the 1990s, inline skating was resurrected worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspiring nostalgia for days past, the sport offered an affordable way for people to exercise and socialize while maintaining social distancing. Moreover, the pandemic minimized traffic across major cities and towns, leaving the streets open for cyclists, pedestrians and skaters to access and enjoy without the usual congestion and hazards.
Egypt was not immune to the skating craze. Today, there are teams in the country's major cities, online groups for skaters where videos are shared and used skates sold, and it's hard to walk downtown without spotting a few brave teens zipping around.
Andrew Ezzat, a multimedia communication and journalism senior, set out to photograph this phenomenon for a project in an AUC photography course last fall. "The assignment was to go and shoot something interesting, something that has a story," he says. "I decided to capture people hanging out and skating by the Nile."
Skating on the corniche at night, photo by Andrew Ezzat 
Skaters on the corniche at night, photo by Andrew Ezzat 
The corniche at night, photo by Andrew Ezzat
Ezzat went to Mamsha Ahl Masr (The Walk of Egypt's People), a recent development project along the Nile in downtown Cairo that includes multilevel walkways along parts of the river for public use. The sidewalk in front of the mamsha is where to find the skaters, according to Ezzat.
"Something I noticed in this space is that all people could have fun, regardless of whether or not they have money," he reflects. "It's a place where people can meet and make friends with others from different social circles or socioeconomic classes, which is rare in Cairo." In addition to skaters, Ezzat found families spending time together and people playing live music. "Everyone was very welcoming and enthusiastic about showing off their skills," he says.
A Place for All
The skating culture and dynamic use of urban spaces that Ezzat witnessed is not exclusive to the Nile corniche and points to a larger conversation about the accessibility of public space, particularly in a city like Cairo. According to Mariam Abdelazim '11, assistant professor in AUC's Department of Architecture, the essence of public space is inclusion and accessibility.
"Public space is where people of the same city, regardless of background, can coexist and exchange culture, knowledge and activities," she explains. "That's the beauty of it; it's for everyone. You can have someone from a lower social class sharing this space with someone who is rich, and they both use and enjoy it the same way."
Abdelazim earned her PhD in urban systems from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers University. An architectural designer, educator, urbanist and historian, her research focuses on environmental design, the history of architecture and urbanism, and public space in the Middle East and North Africa.
Her interest in public space developed as a result of growing up in Ismailiya, attending AUC in downtown Cairo and starting her career in New York City -- three very different cities. "In Ismailiya, I regularly spent time at the city's parks. While living in Cairo, I felt a dire need for green, open spaces where I could just breathe and enjoy myself. In New York, I was able to find an abundance of public space despite the city's density. It made me wonder why we didn't have the same in Cairo," she says.
UN-Habitat recommends that public space makes up around half of the surface area of "well-functioning cities, including 30-35% for streets and sidewalks and 15-20% for open public space, including parks, squares and markets. Very few cities around the world meet this target, but Cairo falls significantly short. Egypt's Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics reports that in 2022, botanical gardens, public parks, permanent markets, fish gardens and green space covered less than 3% of the Cairo governorate's surface area. Moreover, most public parks in the city require an entry ticket.
A lack of greenery and open space can bring about negative effects beyond the aesthetic. "The amount of pollution in Cairo is now unbearable," Abdelazim says. "Of course,this has led to an A lack of greenery and open space has negative effects beyond the aesthetic. "The amount of pollution in Cairo is now unbearable," Abdelazim says. "Of course, this has led to an increase of respiratory disease and asthma among Cairenes."
Despite ongoing building renovations around the city and a new capital emerging east of Cairo, more work is needed to increase and improve public space. Local groups and organizations such as UN-Habitat and Cairo Runners regularly push for alternative modes of transportation and additional areas for outdoor recreation. However, Abdelazim points out that "they do not have enough agency to actually make effective change."
The Way Forward
With Cairo's limited public space and growing population, it is only natural that skaters often spill into the streets. A stroll up Kasr El Nil Street in downtown Cairo or a walk between the Maspero metro station and the Nile provide a sure-shot chance to witness skaters racing up and down the road, with little regard to safety.
"Cairenes always enjoy a challenge," Abdelazim says. "For decades, we've seen cyclists balancing bread on their heads while riding through heavy traffic. We Egyptians can be fearless."
While the skaters themselves may just be out for a ride with friends, their presence points out the need for more public recreational spaces in the city, challenges the dominance of cars and promotes the idea of streets as shared spaces. "Observing the dense areas in which people use bikes and skates might better inform urban planning decisions," Abdelazim says, emphasizing that "including stakeholders -- the public, in this case -- in the design process, is essential. It can be as simple as showing people a map of the city and letting them indicate what activities they would like to do and where."
Rollerblading may be here to stay. The movement's growing popularity has led to the creation of a number of skating clubs and social media accounts dedicated to the sport. Abdelazim and Ezzat are hopeful that the increased popularity of the sport and other outdoor activities among Cairenes will further encourage the addition of more public space in the city.
"Cairo needs more spaces for outdoor recreation," Ezzat says. "It's places like these that make society more whole. The skaters at the corniche welcome anyone with an open heart."
Abdelazim shares similar sentiments: "Trends like skating have a ripple effect. When we see someone else doing it, we ourselves are encouraged to try," Abdelazim says. "What better place to start than the corniche?"
