Assessing the Spatial Structure of Urban and Population Growth in the Greater Cairo Area, Egypt: A GIS and Imagery Analysis Approach

Summary. This article examines growth in the extent of Cairo’s urban area and changes in population distribution between 1986 and 1996. It includes a quantitative assessment of urban growth and changing patterns of population density in the city’s administrative sub-districts. In a unique contribution to the available research on Cairo, the population density for the built-up area of the census units is calculated, giving much greater insight into the city’s growth than previous research that calculated density based on census units in their entirety. The study finds significant population decentralisation taking place and discusses the possible implications if this trend continues