August 14, 2018 Comments (1) Views: 1847 Urban Trekker

New smart city in the desert?

Cairo, the ancient capital of Egypt, might soon be written off the list of capital cities around the world. The Egyptian government is determined with its plan to relocate the capital from Cairo to a new location, by 2019.

The new city is being built in the desert, between the Nile River and the Suez Canal and it will integrate a “smart traffic system,” and will be also bolstered by vast green areas and opulent-looking housing, expected to accommodate up to 6.5 million people. Its name has not been revealed yet.

The construction effort is set at full speed at the moment. Once completed, the new Egyptian capital will be larger than entire island nations such as Singapore. Accordingly, the government will relocate over 30 of its ministries to the new city, including the presidential complex, according to NBC News.

The entire effort was first announced in 2015 by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, and work has apparently progressed fast. It will be the country’s most high-tech city; will accommodate Africa’s tallest tower, and Egypt’s largest minaret and tallest church steeple.

Former Brig. Gen. Khaled el-Husseiny Soliman, the international coordination manager with the Administrative Capital for Urban Development, which is supervising the partnership between the housing ministry and the military, said the project would create “the first smart city in Egypt,” writes NBC News.

Besides a vast green area compared to the size of Central Park in New York, the city plan encompasses different purpose-orientated districts. The residential areas will be separate from commercial zones. A distinct cultural complex is set to feature theaters, cinemas, and an opera house. Adjoined, also a science and a tech campus.

Though it’s a costly project, the government is confident that land sales will compensate at the end. According to other experts, the recently introduced new taxes on low and middle-class families, combined with the country’s significant rate of inflation, might be a serious problem. Will people come to live in the new capital?

It largely depends on what profiles of people will be lured to the new capital, besides politicians. It is also important what new cultural values will be endorsed as soon as the roads open next year. Nevertheless, the idea to build a new city out of scratch, and in the middle of the desert, is not so new.

Only four decades ago, Egyptians braced themselves to a similar experience. Halfway between Cairo and Alexandria, the city of Sadat was founded, which picked its name after the late president Anwar Sadat. Its purpose was to have a new thriving center, but it turned out far from any success story. The city currently wanes with its 150,000 residents.

But the recurrent attempt to relocate the capital, certainly speaks volumes of what an issue it has become to keep Cairo as an ongoing capital city. For decades, Cairo has struggled with its ever-growing crowds. Like other capital cities in the world, Cairo has relentlessly attracted people from all across the country, who themselves are in a relentless quest to find new jobs and better life opportunities. Therefore, Cairo now accommodates about a fifth of the total population of Egypt ( approximately 97 million). It is an overcrowded city where new urban developments are sold out the instance they are advertised. “We can talk about Cairo as a capital that is full of traffic jams, very crowded. The infrastructure cannot absorb more people,” said Khaled el-Husseiny Soliman. Hopes remain high among officials that the new city will replicate some of Cairo’s appeal, which is not only the administrative heart of the ancient country but also its cultural hotbed.

Countries that changed capital cities in the past

If the plan really works, Egypt should join a squad of countries who have already successfully relocated a capital city over history. One such example is Brazil, which relocated from its overcrowded Rio de Janeiro to the planned city of Brasilia, in 1961. Upon its establishment as the new capital of Brazil, Brasilia went through a rapid growth and expansion. The Brazilian case also inspired others to seek similar solutions to the well-known overcrowding problem.

Nigerians opted for Abuja instead of Lagos as their new capital in 1991. Just like Brasilia, Abuja was planned in advanced. It was situated in the central part of the country, deemed more neutral for Nigeria’s array of different ethnic and religious groups.

That same year, Almaty became the new capital of Kazakhstan, following the country’s dissolving from the Soviet Union. Almaty was eventually dismissed as a capital, due to its position on an earthquake-prone grounds, its proximity to border zones, and little room to expand. The Kazakh people then changed their capital once again, in 1997, to Astana, by some considered the strangest capital city in the world.

Belize, Tanzania, Cote d’Ivoire, and Burma are also on the list of countries which changed their capital cities from the 1960s and onwards. An older case is Russia who kept Moscow as its main city during the Russian Empire days, from the 14th century until 1712. In order to strengthen ties with Europe, St. Petersburg was proclaimed the main city, until 1918 when the prestige title was reclaimed back by Moscow.

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Tags: Cairo, capital cities, Egypt, overcrowded cities