Neighborhood Initiative

The Neighborhood Initiative is focused on how an urban university can play a transformative role in its city by working toward a livable, just and sustainable neighborhood.

The American University in Cairo (AUC) was established in 1919, and has become one of the leading universities in Africa and the Middle East. AUC has a long tradition of civic engagement through a variety of programs.  As such, the establishment of a Neighborhood Initiative on both its Tahrir and New Cairo campuses presents an opportunity for the AUC to reflect on place-based strategies that combine elements of civic engagement and anchor strategies relevant to the region. 

In its relocation, AUC foresaw an opportunity to foster increased engagement with its surrounding community and trigger the positive development of the New Cairo area. Launched in 2015, AUC’s Neighborhood Initiative took up the mission of even further strengthening the University’s integration with the city, conveying the message that “No University is an island.” 

The Neighborhood Initiative adopts a place-based strategic approach that focuses on physical and environmental improvements, combined with a civic engagement approach, focused on social development and an anchor strategy to tackle economic development. In this way, AUC, similar to the American University in Beirut (AUB), is striving to promote sustainable development on and around its campuses in a manner that supports the creation and preservation of a just, livable and diverse neighborhood.

The Neighborhood Initiative works collaboratively across the University with faculty, students, staff and administrators, as well as neighborhood residents, businesses, and public sector decision-makers.

Working Towards a Livable, Just and Sustainable Neighborhood!