Urban Natural Forms – Lake Mariot, scenarios of deterioration or prospects of sustaintability

Abstract

Alexandria’s urban expansion has been greatly determined by the presence of two natural features: the Mediterranean and Lake Mariout. Leisure and tourism are focused on Alexandria’s Mediterranean waterfront, whereas industry and sewage plants are centered around Lake Mariout. Despite plans and strategies to preserve the Lake, yet, urban sprawl, industrial pollution, and untreated wastewater are having a severe negative impact on the Lake’s ecosystem. Moreover, the size of the Lake has drastically diminished over the past decades due to land infill and the pressure of urbanization from an overpopulated metropolis.

According to the former situation, the paper debates very crucial questions: what is the future of the Lake?, and how to balance between preserving the ecosystem of the Lake, while making the necessary urban development?