Projects: 2015 to 2019

Keywords: Waterfront Development, Urban Regeneration, Spatial Strategy, Benchmarking, Place Design, Economic Strategy

Benchmark Study of Globally Leading Waterfronts

Although the context of each coastal region is different and demands a design solution tailored to its specific social, cultural, and economic dynamics, a number of lessons may be fruitfully taken from existing waterfront developments that in some way share in the priorities and aims driving new thinking in the redevelopment of waterfronts worldwide. For a major investor in infrastructure and real-estate, OHK Consultants was hired to conduct a benchmark study that offers examples to follow of seaside areas that successfully serve prominent civic and commercial functions.

The Barcelona and Stockholm waterfronts, for example, each demonstrate the tremendous potential for the mixed usage and vitality that emerges from the interaction of urbanized areas and marine activities. Other projects illustrate the transformative potential of a civic development to adaptably reuse an existing waterfront environment and imbue it with tremendous added value and global relevance. Our benchmark study also included waterfronts such as the Tide Point Urban Waterfront in America, Donegal Quay in Northern Ireland, and the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in South Africa, all of which entail the transformation of industrial and working port elements into an area of civic, cultural, and economic centrality while connecting to a larger urban context.

On the other hand, certain benchmarked projects illustrate the process by which substantially new developments can bring economies of scale to bear on surrounding areas, thus enlivening their regional landscapes and becoming focal points of commerce and activity. Included among these benchmarks are the Port Ghalib project in Egypt and Cairns Esplanade in Australia, both entail land reclamation and fundamental destination building and revitalize the relevance and economic performance of respective hinterlands.

The benchmarks we considered illustrate the potential of iconic and landmark structures to serve as a node around which ostensibly disparate elements coalesce and fruitfully interact. In this respect, we benchmarked the Tate Modern in England and the Sydney Bridge and Opera House, both are writ large on their local landscapes and the broader, global imagination. Overall, our benchmarks are selected to underscore larger conceptual and philosophical inspiration to new waterfronts and offer value for their attention to detail and the design solutions they bring to bear on their unique contexts. A framework of 20 waterfront benchmarks distil and articulate viable choices and options in areas of spatial design and economic strategy.

Check our blog posts where we share analysis and viewpoints from this benchmarking assignment.  For more information about OHK’s urban redevelopment practice, as well as its ongoing work in several waterfronts in Asia and the Middle East, contact us.

Keywords: Urban Regeneration, Spatial Strategy, Energy Efficiency, Sustainability, Urban Policy, Place Design, Economic Strategy 

Downtown Cairo Regeneration

Downtown Cairo, home to the famed Tahrir Square and Egyptian Museum and the birthplace of Egypt's belle époque architectural heritage, is significant both as a living, economic engine as well as an indelible part of Egyptians' image of their capital. In an effort to reverse the impact of two centuries of urban development policy that sought economic growth at the expense of urban quality of life, the Government of Egypt intends to redevelop the Downtown district into a livable, inclusive, and thriving heart of the Cairo metropolis. Though rehabilitation efforts over the past decade have stalled despite a number of urban plans and the formal declaration of the district as an "urban protectorate" under Egyptian law, the government has partnered with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to refocus efforts toward a workable urban strategy.

The Bank has retained OHK Consultants as an advisor for a one year engagement in which OHK will facilitate a national policy dialogue to promote improved sustainability, more inclusive urban planning, expanded heritage conservation, and robust standards for the build environment. As a key catalyst for the redevelopment process, OHK will conduct a comprehensive review of several decades-worth of urban plans and studies from both public and private stakeholders, advising the Bank, the Government of Egypt, and Cairo Governorate on how to mobilize past efforts while addressing contemporary challenges to implementation. OHK brings to the engagement more than two decades of experience in the revitalization of historic urban cores in Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco, and will be leading a team of over twenty experts from Egypt, Austria, and OHK's offices in San Francisco and Cairo.

Keywords: Innovation, Institution Building, Change Management, Market Analysis, Information Technology

Mapping Jordan's National Center for Innovation

As an emerging regional technology hub, Jordan is unique in the Arab Middle East for its entrepreneurial verve, with the potential to host a vibrant startup scene. Its greatest challenge to realizing this potential, however, lies in institutionalizing this entrepreneurial sprit into an ecosystem of innovation that touches lives throughout Jordan and reverberates beyond the tech sector alone. To this end, Jordan’s Higher Council for Science and Technology, in collaboration with the Prime Minister-led National Council on Competitiveness and Innovation, is embarking upon the creation of a National Center for Innovation (NCI) to serve as a bridge that unites Jordan’s fragmented innovation ecosystem, address skill mismatches, spur a culture of R&D, and track innovation on a national scale.

OHK conducted institutional mapping for the NCI that leveraged international best practices in innovation promotion, positioning the NCI as a leading innovation institution in the region. “Given Jordan’s commitment to education and competitiveness,” noted OHK Managing Partner Mr. Hassan, “we believe that an institution like the NCI is long overdue, and that it is time for Jordan to join the vanguard in innovation reform.” Working on behalf of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, OHK provided strategic advice and planning for the NCI in both the near- and long-terms, benchmarking the NCI against its peer institutions globally while refining a mandate for the Center that is uniquely Jordanian. OHK brought to this assignment knowledge of various innovation systems and policy structures from around the world, showcasing  innovation trends and global benchmarks for successful, government-led innovation policies, focusing on examples of successful translation of policy to action. The mapping effort culminated in a comprehensive vision for the NCI, including business models, operational structures, detailed concepts for technology-enabled innovation services, and implementation roadmaps that will situate the NCI as an innovator itself. As a result of OHK's analysis, the NCI is poised to become the leading innovation promotion agency in the Middle East.

Keywords: Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Economic Strategy, Market Research, Platform Design, Venture Ideation, Venture Finance

Startup Entry Strategy into the Jordanian Venture Landscape

Over the course of a sustained, multi-year engagement, OHK is advising Z9th on local innovation ecosystems, setting a strategy for Z9th’s sustained investment within the region’s seed- and early-stage venture markets. As part of its advisory work, OHK is assessing cross-sectoral opportunities for entry, conducting market research, formulating bankable investment proposals, and synthesizing these insights into an entry strategy that seeks out the sector opportunities with the highest potential for sustained innovation and licensable technologies. This engagement is expected to result in 12 startups either receiving seed investment or in direct incubation by Z9th within the first four years.

OHK is also making recommendations into locally-appropriate organizational and operational structures both for Z9th itself as well as its portfolio companies and startups, tailoring deal structures and technology licensing agreements to fit within legal and cultural contours of local innovation ecosystems. OHK’s advisory work has already resulted in the authoring of innovation assessment studies across some of the Middle East’s most innovative sectors, including education, logistics, and healthcare, as well as market intelligence reporting on the regional VC market deal flow and characteristics, and due diligence assessments of existing startups for potential equity investments. OHK’s efforts are expected to contribute to the deepening and professionalization of local venture investment markets, while facilitating Silicon Valley-Middle Eastern capital, expertise, and best practice linkages.

Keywords: Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Economic Strategy, Market Research, Platform Design, Venture Ideation

MENA-Silicon Valley Venture Incubation Platform Pilot

As part of its mission to bridge national boundaries and link emerging market business models with Silicon Valley expertise and finance, Z9th Ventures believes in immersion incubation as a critical capacity building for its portfolio startups. Z9th has retained OHK Consultants to design and set-up a pilot incubation program from strategy to implementation on the ground. In this model, promising Middle Eastern startups are vetted, selected, and hosted in an intensive, Silicon Valley-based incubation program that exposes entrepreneurs to the American market and encourages their maturation.

OHK is developing the entire incubation program, drafting the overall operational strategy, the supply pipeline strategy (including automated processes for marketing, soliciting and vetting Middle Eastern startups), an external engagement strategy, a monitoring and evaluation program to track incubatee progress, and the establishment of the incubation facilities themselves, including the recruitment of staff and space design and provision. Z9th Labs is set to become the Arab Middle East’s first resident-incubation model, and is expected to matriculate its first cadre in late 2017.

Keywords: Capacity Building, Policy Review, Economic Development, Study Tours

Best Practices for Egypt Planning and Fiscal Management Reform

OHK supported the USAID Effective Planning and Services Project (EPSP) to enhance the organizational capacity of Egypt’s its Ministry of Planning, Monitoring, and Administrative Reform (MPMAR). OHK's role was to review the MPMAR organizational, technical and functional capacity and to match it with relevant best practices from international peers that have achieved effective reform. We focused on capacity building of ministry officials as a critical vector for such reform. 

OHK prepared recommendations for strengthening the efficiency and effectiveness of the Ministry for resource mobilization and ran a study tour of Egyptian Ministerial officials to South Africa, a country which itself has wrestled with reform of its state planning systems in an effort to transform society and redress imbalances in access to resources and opportunities. OHK offered insights from a wide spectrum of planning agencies and institutions, ranging from high-level national strategy bodies to local implementation and monitoring entities on the ground. 

Keywords: Innovation, Economic Strategy, Market Research, Platform Design, Venture Ideation

Jordanian Healthcare Services Marketplace Platform

Despite a unique history of healthcare excellence and a commanding ranking of 5th globally in medical tourism, Jordan has struggled to grow its share of this market or advance it more aggressively. Moreover, the sector lacks any semblance of innovation. As global service markets increasingly move towards tech-enabled platforms that cut out middlemen and connect supply and demand more effectively, Jordan continues to use antiquated models. Moreover, Jordan’s healthcare providers have not experienced the same productivity gains as their peer nations, suffering from fragmentation and poor adoption of IT-enabled productivity tools.

These constraints pose an opportunity for the astute investor. OHK was retained by an American venture investment fund to assess the healthcare markets in the Levant and North Africa, identifying latent opportunities that could be unlocked through innovative technology startups and serve as market entry points for our client. As an expert in the local market, OHK was uniquely positioned not only to advise on opportunities for sector innovation, but to actually strategize specific projects and concepts for immediate mobilization as investible startups. After scanning from over fifty healthcare opportunities, OHK honed in on a particularly promising innovation business model in the medical tourism field in Jordan.

OHK proceeded to design the business model, defining a compelling value proposition and creating a customer experience to realize that value. OHK’s strategy for the tech startup included a full set of functional and technical requirements for the core technical platform, financial projections and budgeting, talent identification and executive placement, capacity building, and recruitment planning. The startup, which remains in stealth-mode, is currently building its beta product on the basis of OHK’s design and operational strategy, and is poised to become a leading example of Jordanian healthcare innovation.

Keywords: Innovation, Institution Building, Spatial Design, Market Research, Economic Strategy

Dar al-Consul Rehabilitation Strategy and Entrepreneur Center Development Program

As part of its broader efforts to contribute to the economic life of Jerusalem’s Old City, a key landowner has embarked upon an effort to rehabilitate a number of its moribund holdings and tie them into the economic flows of the city. OHK Consultants was retained to strategize this economic development and conceptualize micro-scale development concepts that not only turn these holdings into financially sustainable concerns but serve as hubs for civic engagement and laboratories for entrepreneurship.

OHK spearheaded an effort to benchmark economic activity in and around the Old City of Jerusalem, diagnosing the macro-trends that have shaped the commercial and economic offerings available in the city, as well as exploring local and international models for inner-city economic diversification. By conducting focused interviews with a diverse set of stakeholders ranging from the chamber of commerce, to hospitality operators, to artistic and cultural organizations, OHK established a nuanced portrait of existing economic networks within the city, and crucially, identified where opportunities may exist to break entrenched cycles of disinvestment.

OHK developed the identity, organizational design, and business model of the project, the spatial and economic strategy, and the business model behind this urban regeneration scheme. OHK’s vision for the Dar al-Consul complex has been embraced by key enabling stakeholders, including the its owner which, as the largest private landowner in Jerusalem, is now expanding the concept to accommodate surrounding sites, heralding the development of an innovation cluster in the Old City of Jerusalem.