The government is banking on academic expertise in its push for better urban planning: Universities will serve as consultants to the government’s urban planning projects and will have the authority to issue construction licenses and approve building plans in Cairo, Alexandria and Giza, Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly said during a meeting with the housing and local development ministers and the head of the General Authority for Urban Planning. The PM added that the government is working to set the building codes in each governorate, and approved the presentation of planning studies conducted by university staff to the Supreme Council for Planning and Urban Development.

Background: The government passed the Unified Building Code earlier this year, giving authorities the ability to clamp down on illegal construction, and introduced a six-month construction ban in May to allow for time to address building violations. The government has received more than 2.1 mn settlement requests, and has extended the deadline for payment until the end of November.