Education for sustainable development of the built environment: problem-based learning approach for embedding sustainability

Sustainable development (SD) is a fundamental pillar for the socio-economic welfare of Egypt, as with every other nation. However, the rapid growth of the country limits the resources required to meet its national demands, particularly in the built environment (BE) sector. The building industry is considered the largest resource-consuming sector that has direct impact on the country's economic stability and growth. Regrettably, education for sustainability (ESD) in Egypt is currently limited; compared to the rapid progress and momentous ESD initiatives worldwide. There is significant lack of training that prepares various stakeholders in the BE to embed holistic SD at all scales; buildings, neighbourhoods, and cities. In response, tailored training programmes are developed by a British Council-funded project; Building Capacity for Sustainable Development of the Built Environment (BC-SDBE), to promote sustainable design, planning and performance at all scales of the BE. The training programmes emphasise a balanced approach to environmental, socioeconomic and technical aspects for sustainable built environments. This paper aims to argue the challenges that drove this capacity-building initiative and set out potential approaches to educate and 'train the trainers' in cutting-edge strategies for embedding SD strategies in the BE in Egypt.