---
id: "entity-al-fustat-gardens"
type: "entity"
source_timestamps: ["§ Charging something is better than nothing."]
tags: ["case-study", "public-goods", "failure-mode"]
related: ["claim-token-charge-responsibility", "entity-al-azhar-park", "contrarian-public-goods-fees"]
entityType: "place"
canonicalName: "Al-Fustat Gardens"
aliases: ["Fustat Gardens", "Al-Fustat Garden", "Fustat Public Garden"]
sources: ["commercial"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-commercial"
originDay: 5
articleStem: "hbr-ext-23-risks-of-free"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2025/06/the-risks-of-offering-free-goods-and-services"
sourceTitle: "The Risks of Offering “Free” Goods and Services"
---
# Al-Fustat Gardens

**Al-Fustat Gardens** is an ambitious park project in **Cairo, Egypt**, located near [[entity-al-azhar-park]]. Unlike Al-Azhar, it **did not charge an entrance fee**. Consequently — per the source — it slid into severe **disrepair**, marred by neglect and environmental decline, ultimately requiring the government to spend **$120 million** to rescue it.

It is the *failure* half of the paired case in [[claim-token-charge-responsibility]] and grounds the contrarian public-policy point in [[contrarian-public-goods-fees]].

**Enrichment note (important).** The supplied search results do **not** corroborate the **$120 million rescue figure**, nor the claim that free access *directly caused* the disrepair. Treat both the cost figure and the causal attribution as **unverified** pending a primary reporting source or official project documentation. Canonical reference: Cairo's Fustat/Al-Fustat public-garden redevelopment project (verification still required).