usually get around Cairo driving my car. On one fortunate evening, I got the chance to sit in the back seat and stare at the rows of apartment buildings as we cruised at a mild speed down one of Nasr City’s streets. Each buidling ever so similar to its neighbors. Its original colors and design that were to differentiate it overwhelmed by the common color of the dust that has setteled over the years (or sometimes just months).One other commonality that caught my eyes were the shops that have settled themselves in each of the buildings on the first, and sometimes even second and third stories of the buildings. Grocery stores, national chains, restaurants, furniture stores, butcher shops, clinics, book stores, tailors,… you name it. Very few buidlings have been fortunate enough not to have become victims. Although many may argue that this is really part of what gives Cairo, or Egypt in general its character, I couldn’t help but think: It is already so crowded now that it is unbearable. One could literally spend hours trying to find a parking spot, while others just give up and park parallel to the already exisiting row (or rows) of parallel parked cars, leaving it to the doorman (bawab) or a self-proclaimed parking official (menady) to handle the mess. This ordeal can be a daily one if you happen to live above one of the more popular commercial venues, let alone the noises of people talking or shouting, the smells (if you live above a restaurant) and the lights.People also live under the mercy of how safely all of these businesses right under their feet operate from day to day. Remember the building that collapsed in Abbas El-Akkad street a while ago? A basement used as a warehouse for potentially explosive materials freaking exploded and brought the buidling down!What will happen 10 or 20 years from now when more and more people (and cars) inhabit Nasr City? I can’t even begin to imagine.I think a proactive solution to this problem is at hand. One thing I think may work is centralization. The government should build centers scattered around Cairo on the outskirts (or in the middle of Cairo if there is any room left and if there is a realistic plan to absorb all the demand for parking space). They should then provide realistic deadlines for stores to move to these new centers and rent them out. To make things easier on shop owners, the rent can be computed in a way so that the move to the center starts out low risk. The centers will be designed in a way so that people go there for the "full experience" … just like a shopping mall. As a store, you win because the number of people passing by your storefront (that actually are potential buyers) will be a lot more per day. The center or mall would group stores in a way that can maximize their exposure and potential sales. For example, group the tailors, shoe stores and apparel stores together. The furniture, lighting, home decor, rugs…etc together. The grocery stores, go with the dairy shops, herbs & spice shops,…etc.All the space left behind by these stores is the desparately needed parking space. This frees up the streets and makes them wider thus improving traffic flow, separates the shoppers from the homeowners and so on. People can go home, relax and leave the hustle and bustle to the new shopping centers far away.I am not saying this is the ultimate solution. Just a very brief thought that came to my mind while cruising along Nasr City in the backseat.