Urban Expert Consultant under the Home Equals Project in Egypt
Habitat for Humanity Egypt (HFHE)
Habitat for Humanity (HFH) is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1976 as the world’s leader in addressing the housing challenges faced by vulnerable communities. Currently it operates in more than 60 countries around the world and brings people together to build more prosperous and vibrant communities by making sure everyone has a safe, affordable place to call home. Since its founding in 1976, it has helped more than 62 million people globally build their futures on their own terms through access to decent housing. HFH works alongside people of all walks of life to build, repair and finance their homes, by innovating new ways of building and financing, and by advocating for policies that make constructing and accessing housing easier for everyone. HFH started operating in Egypt in 1989, and has supported more than 48,000 households in 6 governorates across Egypt to improve their housing conditions in partnership with strategic local partners and community members.
About the Project:
Home Equals “Home Equals” is a five-year global advocacy campaign launched by Habitat for Humanity in 2023 to drive systemic and sustainable change and advance the right to safe and secure housing for people living in informal settlements worldwide. The campaign uses on-theground evidence, community voices, and practical demonstrations to influence policies and promote more inclusive urban development.
In Egypt, the Home Equals project contributes to this global advocacy effort through a practical demonstration in an informal settlement in Greater Cairo, focused on inclusive and climateresilient urban development.The project addresses urban heat stress by mapping heatvulnerable areas and transforming a selected public space into a shaded, accessible, and climate-responsive community hub as a demonstration area that responds to residents’ needs. By combining participatory design, data collection, and volunteer engagement, the project generates locally grounded evidence and lessons learned that feed into advocacy messages and policy dialogue. In this way, the Egypt project supports the broader Home Equals advocacy agenda by demonstrating how reimagined public spaces can enhance livability, equity, and climate resilience, while informing future urban planning and policy discussions at the national level.
Objective of the Assignment
In cooperation with the UDF and Giza governorate HFHE selected an upgraded informal settlement in Giza to implement the demonstration project. The consultant will work with the project team to assess the needs of the community by conducting rapid community profile and site assessments, as well as participatory consultations with community members and stakeholders. This will translate into a high-quality, implementable public space intervention that addresses urban heat stress, accessibility, and social inclusion in the upgraded settlement covering an area of approximately 1,900 m².
The Consultant will develop a design and BoQ package and s/he will develop operation and maintenance plan for this space in collaboration with key stakeholders. In addition, the expert will provide targeted capacity building to project volunteers, ensuring they are equipped to support participatory processes and understand the design principles underpinning the demonstration project.
Scope of Work
1. Design and Technical Development of the Demonstration Public Space
The Urban Expert will be responsible for leading the full design process of the demonstration public space, including:
• Conducting participatory activities with the residents and stakeholders, then translating the outcomes into a coherent spatial and design concept.
• Conducting site analysis, including environmental, climatic, spatial, and social considerations, with a focus on heat exposure and usability.
• Developing climate-responsive and inclusive and sustainable design solutions that enhance comfort, safety, and everyday use for all residents, particularly women, children, elderly persons, and persons with disabilities.
• Integrating heat adaptation measures such as shading, vegetation, natural ventilation, surface materials, and other low-cost, scalable interventions suitable for the target area.
• Preparing concept designs, detailed drawings, and technical specifications required for implementation.
• Developing a Bill of Quantities (BoQ) and materials specifications aligned with project budgets and sustainability objectives
• In consultations with key stakeholders develop an operation and maintenance plan to be integrated into the design.
• Ensuring compliance with relevant local standards, safety regulations, and accessibility requirements.
• Coordinating with the Habitat project team) throughout the review, feedback, and approval process.
• Documenting how community inputs, climate considerations, and inclusion principles are reflected in the final design
2. Capacity Building and Support to Project Volunteers
The Urban Expert will design and deliver a one-day practical training aimed at supporting volunteers’ engagement in the demonstration project, covering topics such as:
• Urban Heat and Climate-Responsive Public Spaces in Informal Settlements
• Introduce key concepts related to urban heat islands, climate risks, and the role of public space design in improving thermal comfort.
• Explain how urban form, materials, shading, and vegetation affect microclimates.
• Share relevant case studies and low-cost, scalable solutions applicable to informal contexts.
The training will be directly linked to the demonstration project and designed to strengthen volunteers’ understanding of its objectives, design logic, and community relevance.
Deliverables
Deliverable 1 (20%)
• Rapid demographic and spatial site analysis.
• Outcomes of participatory activities with the community and the various project stakeholders.
• Training Report including: agenda, training materials (presentations and handouts) and highlights of key discussions and learning outcomes.
Deliverable 2 (15%)
• Design concept package, including sketches and explanatory notes aligning with the participatory activities, climate and heat adaptation considerations and accessibility for persons with disabilities. The design package should be aligning with approvals obtained from government stakeholders.
• Participation in dialogues with government.
• Maintenance and operation plan.
Deliverable 3 (50%)
• Final technical design package ready for procurement and implementation including final plans for operation and maintenance.
• Bill of Quantities (BoQ) and detailed materials list.
• Implementation timeframe.
Deliverable 4 (15%)
• The consultant will formally hand over and approve the deliverables to ensure alignment of implementation with the submitted technical packages.
• A final report explaining how community inputs were incorporated, climate and heat adaptation considerations were addressed and how universal design concepts were applied.
Qualifications
• Advanced degree in urban planning, architecture, landscape architecture, or environmental design.
• Minimum of 7 years of experience in urban design, public space planning, or informal settlement upgrading.
• Proven experience in climate-responsive and participatory design approaches.
• Proven experience in designing and developing public spaces in a similar context in Egypt.
• Familiarity with Egyptian building codes, accessibility standards, and sustainable design principles.
• Strong facilitation skills and experience delivering training to non-technical audiences.
• Excellent communication and writing skills in English and Arabic.
• Active support of HFHI Values:
Humility – We are part of something bigger than ourselves,
Courage – We do what’s right, even when it is difficult or unpopular,
Accountability – We take personal responsibility for Habitat’s mission),
Safeguarding: HFHI requires that all employees take seriously their ethical responsibilities to safeguarding our intended beneficiaries, their communities, and all those with whom we work. Managers at all levels have responsibilities to support and develop systems that create and maintain an environment that prevents harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse, safeguards the rights of beneficiaries and community members (especially children), and promotes the implementation of Habitat for Humanity’s code of conduct
Duration and Commitment
The consultancy will extend over a period of up to 12 months on an intermittent basis, with an estimated level of effort of 25–28 working days. Payments will be issued monthly as per approved timesheet and applicants will be required to submit an electronic invoice during the payment stage, in line with local regulations.
Application Procedures
Interested consultants are invited to submit a proposal consisting of:
1.Technical Offer (60%): A brief description of the consultant’s understanding of the assignment and proposed implementation approach. Consultant’s CV and relevant experiences.
2.Financial Offer (40%): Gross Daily Rate including all applicable taxes.
Send applications to: hr@habitategypt.org Subject line: "Urban Expert Consultant – Home Equals Project"
Deadline for Applications April 16,2026