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Abstract Currently Egypt suffers from many urban problems and their effects on various aspects of life (economic, social, environment, etc.). Two main urgent problems should be considered in the study of Egypt’s long-range urban development and management: (1) Rapid urbanization and its encroachment on the scarce agricultural land in the Nile Valley and Nile Delta (the main national sources of food supply). The majority of Egyptian cities and their future expansion are located on this land. This problem contributes directly to a reduction of arable land for food production; which is alarming and exacerbates future problems of national dependency. (2) Urban concentration and primacy in the big cities of Cairo and Alexandria further reinforces their dominance through improved urban services and community facilities which give additional incentives for migration from rural communities and small towns which suffer from the lack of such investments that generate stronger employment opportunities and higher quality of life. Upper Egypt has suffered for a long time from the lack of community facilities and development programs as a result of its being far away from Cairo the national capital (the place where political, administrative, and executive decisions are made) in addition to the geographic and social difficulties of this area. Because Upper Egypt has been traditionally ignored by researchers, planners, and administrators, the discovery of its natural and other economic resources as important national and regional wealth remain hidd. n and untapped. This research aims to propose some policies and strategies such as strategic development planning and urban growth management for guiding Egypt’s urban development generally and Upper Egypt’s urban development specifically to achieve national and regional goals. The proposed guidance is based on theories of urban, regional, and physical planning; international experiences in the field of urban development and management; and the understanding of national problems of economic and geographic characteristics and the national urban system. The research also aims to achieve compatibility between the proposed urban policies and current national policies which aim toward the achievement of national reform. The research, therefore, focused on the concept of sustainable development as the best approach to solve not only the current national problems generally and Upper Egypt problems specifically, but also the long-range needs of the country. |