Legitimizing informal housing: accommodating low-income groups in Alexandria, Egypt

This paper describes the different residential areas within the city of Alexandria and how those with low incomes have to compromise on the size and quality of housing and on the possibility of secure tenure and of improved basic services if they need to be in a relatively central location. It also shows how “semi-formal” housing developments account for much of the increase in the housing stock and the explicit and implicit role of the state in their development and commercialization.