Cairo, an iconic city in Egypt known for its rich history and vibrant culture, is undergoing a significant renovation in its downtown area as part of a broader plan to boost tourism and promote economic development. Although the Egyptian capital was founded more than 1,000 years ago, downtown Cairo was developed in the 1800s, renowned for its European-inspired architecture. The area's design was influenced by Baron George Haussmann's Paris urban model, with several streets circling each main square to connect the city center. Known as the Paris of the East, the historic downtown area is a cluster of the finest architects from across Europe. However, decades of population growth, congestion, pollution and negligence have damaged most of the beautiful buildings and architecture. The government has recently stepped up its efforts to restore the area to its original state. The Al Sharifain Street, the first to be developed, is turned into a pedestrian zone. It houses historic buildings like Egypt's Stock Exchange and the old National Radio Broadcaster built in early 1900s. The Egyptian National Organization for Urban Harmony is leading the renovation work in downtown Cairo, which houses 537 historic buildings registered as UNESCO world heritage sites. The restoration and renovation of downtown Cairo will cost about 200 million U.S. dollars, and is aimed at transforming the area into a vibrant touristic hub with pedestrian zones. Art students have planned open air activities in downtown Cairo to build public support for the restoration initiative. While international hotels will manage several historic buildings, including those at the famous Tahrir Square, other sections will be turned into open-air museums and cultural centers. Shotlist: Cairo, Egypt - Recent: 1. Various of historic buildings; 2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ashraf Reda, CEO of Arts and Culture Complex, Helwan University (starting with shot 1/ending with shot 3): "Downtown Cairo is like an open air museum since it was built by the orders of Khedive Ismael in the 1860s."; 3. Various of historic buildings; 4. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Osama Kamal, higher committee member, Egyptian National Organization for Urban Harmony (starting with shot 3/partially overlaid with shot 5): "You might find European architecture along with the Egyptian architecture, the ancient Egyptian, the Coptic and Islamic architectures."; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 5. Various of historic buildings; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 6. Street, pedestrians; 7. Various of historic buildings; 8. Various of Yasser, lawyer, watching at historic buildings; 9. Historic buildings; 10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Yasser (full name not given), lawyer (starting with shot 9/ending with shot 11): "I've been working in downtown for more than 15 years, and the renovation is extremely important."; 11. Historic building; 12. Various of renovation in progress; 13. Various of historic buildings; 14. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Osama Kamal, higher committee member, Egyptian National Organization for Urban Harmony (starting with shot 13/partially overlaid with shot 15): "We start by fixing and cleaning the damaged areas, so that we can restore its origins. Not only the buildings, but even the spaces in-between the buildings, like alleys and pavements."; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 15. Historic buildings; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 16. Students; 17. Historic building; 18. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Maryam (full name not given), student, Faculty of Arts of Helwan University: "Having different exhibitions here would strengthen the cultural bond with the people, and raise their awareness towards the place."; 19. Various of historic buildings. [Restriction - No access Chinese mainland]