Mabrouk, M., H. Han, C. Fan, K. I. Abdrabo, G. Shen, M. Saber, S. A. Kantoush, and T. Sumi, "Assessing the effectiveness of nature-based solutions-strengthened urban planning mechanisms in forming flood-resilient cities", Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 344: Elsevier, pp. 118260, 2023. AbstractWebsite

Cities have experienced rapid urbanization-induced harsh climatic events, especially flooding, inevitably resulting in negative and irreversible consequences for urban resilience and endangering residents' lives. Numerous studies have analyzed the effects of anthropogenic practices such as land use changes and urbanization on flood forecasting. However, the effectiveness of non-structural mitigation strategies, particularly Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), has yet to receive adequate attention, especially in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region where their role in operationalizing sustainable cities is increasingly significant. This study investigated the predictive influence of incorporating one of the most common NBS strategies, Low-Impact Development (LID) tools, during the urban planning of Alexandria, Egypt. Examples of LID tools include rain gardens, bio-retention cells, green roofs, infiltration trenches, permeable pavement, and vegetative swales. Fourteen LID scenarios were simulated with recurrence intervals ranging from 2 to 100 years using the LID Treatment Train Tool (LID TTT), based on calibrated rainfall-runoff data from 2015 to 2020. Model validation using the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency index, deterministic coefficient, and root-mean-square error yielded values of 0.97, 0.91, and 0.31, respectively. Results confirmed the significant effectiveness of combined LID tools, reducing total flood runoff volume by 73.7%. The findings suggest that integrating LID strategies into urban planning alongside grey infrastructure can significantly improve flood mitigation in cities with diverse urban patterns. These results provide useful insights for policymakers seeking to plan flood-resilient and sustainable cities in developing countries.

Urban Systems

Introduces the interconnected systems that shape urban environments: land use, transportation, infrastructure, ecology, and governance. Students learn to analyze urban form-function relationships and apply systems thinking to planning challenges using GIS and quantitative methods.

Graduation Project in Urban Planning

Supervises final-year students in developing comprehensive urban planning proposals. Focuses on research methodology, site analysis, design synthesis, community engagement, and professional presentation skills. Projects often address contemporary challenges such as informal settlement upgrading, climate adaptation, or sustainable community design.

Urban Development Management

Covers principles of managing urban growth, project implementation, stakeholder coordination, and sustainable development practices. Emphasizes the integration of planning theory with real-world project delivery in diverse cultural and regulatory contexts.

Mabrouk, M., H. Han, K. I. Abdrabo, and G. Shen, "Assessing the Influence of Commercial Activity Characteristics Spatially on Human Behavior Post-COVID-19 Pandemic", Research Square, 2023. AbstractWebsite

Recently, various infectious diseases have emerged, some of which have evolved into world-threatening pandemic outbreaks. Since December 2019, the disastrous COVID-19 has spread rapidly worldwide, claiming many human lives, and dragging the global economy to a standstill with a dramatic recession. Among the ramifications are the transformations of commercial activity because of the prejudicial impact of the lockdown: a shift of sales channels towards online alternatives, accompanied by procedures for temporary closures or a move into the periphery regions with low operational expenses. Our research has significantly identified the influence of the characteristics of commercial uses on human behavioral changes in two Egyptian cities, namely the 6th of October and Sheikh Zayed, as a case study, in achieving self-sufficiency for residents during devastating outbreaks. Depending on geospatial software, descriptive geostatistical analysis, and semi-structured interviews, the study found that in both cities, new small commercial centers and complexes with more open spaces became more attractive than large malls by 74%. Also, new commercial forms are positively correlated with open spaces and negatively correlated with population density (estimated at 0.992 and -0.366, respectively). This result may guide policymakers to transfer from huge malls to smarter, greener, dispersed malls during city planning and from monocentric urban structures to polycentric and linear commercial centers, shaping pandemic-resilient cities.

Mou, X., R. Chen, L. Chen, Y. Lan, E. M. Atwa, M. Mabrouk, H. Jiang, and P. Zhang, "Collision Dynamics of Cassava Seed Stems: Analyzing Recovery Coefficients and Influential Factors for Precision Agriculture", Agronomy, vol. 15, no. 4: MDPI, pp. 805, 2025. AbstractWebsite

This study investigates the collision model of cassava seed stems in precision planters. Utilizing a physical property analyzer and a custom test platform based on collision dynamics principles, we measured and analyzed the forces and recovery coefficients of seed stem collisions. Mixed orthogonal and one-way tests were conducted to identify the main factors affecting the collision recovery coefficient of seed stems, including collision contact material, drop height, seed stem mass, moisture content, drop direction, and seed stem variety. The results from the orthogonal tests indicated that the factors influencing the collision recovery coefficient were ranked as follows: collision contact material > drop height > seed stem mass > moisture content > drop direction > seed stem variety. Notably, the effects of impact contact material, drop height, stem mass, and moisture content were significant, while the effects of drop direction and seed stem variety were relatively insignificant. The one-way test results revealed that the collision recovery coefficients for cassava seed stems with structural steel Q235, rubber sheet, seed stems, and sandy loam soil decreased progressively, with values for SC205 being 0.8172, 0.6975, 0.6649, and 0.6341, respectively, and values for GR4 being 0.7796, 0.7132, 0.6913, and 0.6134, respectively. Furthermore, as drop height increased, the collision recovery coefficient of cassava seed stems decreased; similarly, higher stem mass and moisture content correlated with lower coefficients. To minimize impact during critical stages of cassava planting, transportation, and processing, materials with lower recovery coefficients should be prioritized in equipment design. Incorporating rubber coatings can effectively mitigate collision effects in components such as seed supply and planting mechanisms. These findings provide valuable insights for designing and enhancing key mechanical features in machinery used for planting, transporting, and processing cassava.

Mahran, M. G. N., H. Han, M. Mabrouk, and S. A. A. AbouKorin, "Social Infrastructure During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evaluating the Impact of Outdoor Recreation on Pandemic Dynamics in Europe", Sustainability, vol. 16, no. 23: MDPI, pp. 10343, 2024. AbstractWebsite

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically affected mental and physical well-being, leading to significant changes in daily habits and preferences. Given that pandemics require the tear down of most social ties and interactions to limit their inevitable spread, this study delved into the extent to which social infrastructures have been affected, focusing on behavioral shifts in essential services such as retail, recreation, groceries, pharmacies, public transport, parks and open spaces, workplaces, and residential areas. Notably, while most social infrastructures saw a decline in public usage, parks and open spaces experienced increased visitation despite public health measures aimed at minimizing social interactions. This striking increase in park and open space visitations has captured the interest of this study to observe the impact it had on the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the underlying causes behind this trend. Since Europe was heavily affected by the pandemic, this study focused specifically on European countries over a two-year period (March 2020 to March 2022), covering the severe period of the pandemic. While parks and open spaces initially showed no direct influence on the pandemic trajectory, when closely observing visitation trends, both increases and declines, opposing insights were revealed. This study found that attempts to reduce park and open space visitation were significantly unsuccessful, leading to substantial increases in both the magnitude and duration of visits once restrictions were eased. This surge in park and open space attendance corresponded to notable spikes in new infections during periods of peak visitation. Therefore, urban planning and public health authorities must prioritize safely accommodating the increased park and open space demand while effectively minimizing virus transmission. This involves considering park sizes and proximity, along with implementing a balanced set of crucial public health strategies to support community well-being and resilience.

Chebika, H., G. Shen, H. Han, M. Ouzir, S. Tahmi, and M. Mabrouk, "Causal complexity of risk perception and mitigation actions on urban flood resilience: Evidence from a semi-arid Algerian city", Sustainable Cities and Society, vol. 136: Elsevier, pp. 107040, 2026. AbstractWebsite

Urban communities face rising flood risks, highlighting the need to identify the factors that shape mitigation actions across diverse socio-spatial contexts. This study applies a configurational theory to examine how objective and subjective aspects of Flood Risk Perception (FRP) interact to jointly influence mitigation actions. Based on an online survey of 392 respondents in BouSaâda, a semi-arid Algerian city, a theoretical framework was developed and validated using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that objective risk perceptions are the primary drivers of mitigation strategies, whereas subjective perceptions predominantly drive non-structural measures. Complementing these findings, fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) reveals that high mitigation levels in planned areas stem from 11 distinct configurations of objective and subjective conditions, whereas only three sufficient pathways emerge in unplanned areas. Insights from six semi-structured interviews further corroborate and clarify these patterns. The findings inform an actionable framework for optimizing context-specific interventions to strengthen urban flood resilience across diverse settings.

Mahran, M. G. N., H. Han, M. Mabrouk, and S. A. A. AbouKorin, "Urban parks and public health: A multi-scale assessment of park and COVID-19 dynamics on public health in the US", Social Science & Medicine, vol. 389: Elsevier, pp. 118829, 2026. AbstractWebsite

During the COVID-19 pandemic, urban parks emerged as vital public spaces, experiencing surges in visitation as people sought safe environments for physical and mental relief. While many other social infrastructures faced sharp declines due to gathering restrictions, parks played a crucial role in supporting public health. This study adopts a multiscale approach, analyzing state- and city-level data to assess how urban park dynamics influenced public health outcomes. By integrating visitation patterns, park design characteristics, policy interventions, and demographic variables, the research captures a comprehensive picture of parks’ role on public health from 2020 to 2022, with park visitation accounting for 41%, 24%, and 19% of the variation in physical, mental, and chronic health outcomes across U.S. states. Park accessibility emerged as the strongest predictor, showing robust associations with lower rates of obesity, diabetes, and coronary heart disease, particularly after accessibility surpassed thresholds of 95%, 60%, and 71%, respectively. These findings underscore the importance of urban parks for public health and as a critical asset during crises, highlighting the need for equitable, resilient urban planning.

Chen, L., M. Wang, E. M. Atwa, J. Wang, X. Mou, H. Jiang, M. Mabrouk, X. Ma, and J. Pan, "Integrating DEM simulations in the design and experimental analysis of a perturbation-type grooved drum seed-metering device for hybrid rice seedlings", Smart Agricultural Technology, vol. 12: Elsevier, pp. 101410, 2025. AbstractWebsite

This study developed a perturbation-type grooved drum seed-metering device to improve seed mobility and filling efficiency in hybrid rice tray cultivation. The device’s structure and working principles were analyzed, and dynamic and kinematic models optimized key parameters of the drum, grooves, and perturbation elements. Using Fengliangyou 3948 rice seeds, performance was assessed via sowing qualification, multiple sowing, and missed sowing indices. Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations identified optimal seed-filling and groove-filling angles and perturbation distribution. A quadratic regression design combined with multi-objective optimization determined the best operational parameters. Tests on Fengliangyou varieties at 550–650 trays/h showed optimal performance at 7.3 r/min drum speed, 85 mm seed layer thickness, 0.26 perturbation aspect ratio, 45° seed-filling angle, 35° groove-filling angle, and 12 mm perturbation spacing. The device achieved a 95.24% qualification rate and 1.96% missed sowing rate, meeting precision cultivation standards and offering guidance for hybrid rice tray seed-metering device design.