Why is Egypt building a new capital? | Opinions | Al Jazeera This paper examines these policies while attempting to determine the success of the new cities in achieving their goals. In short, the New Administrative Capital will help the military and the government consolidate their power. But why are they doing this and why would they choose this unfavorable landscap. New Administrative Capital - Wikipedia Writing for Cairobserver, a blog about the current capital, Khaled Fahmy, a history professor at the American University in Cairo, said: Assuming that the aim of building a new administrative capital is to alleviate the pressure from downtown Cairo where the majority of government offices are located, and assuming, for arguments sake, that the 5 million inhabitants will actually be moved from overcrowded city, what will happen to the rest of us?. These buildings under construction are part of the new capitals Fifth Residential Neighborhood. As one first-generation garage owner put it: The first few years here were the hardest thing Ive ever done. One businesswoman in her mid-30s praised Sheikh Zayed Citys decent malls and good supermarkets. THE 10 BEST Egypt Deserts (Updated 2023) - Tripadvisor World Population Review . It will always be here.. Besides this grand edifice, the city will have complexes for parliament, government ministries, and diplomats. Egypt prepares to start move to 'high-tech' new capital, away from Seen from space, Egypt is a vast dusty land with a green Y opening into the Mediterranean Sea a fertile valley that makes up 5% of the country yet is home to 95% of the population. Everything I could want is here.. Otherwise, the eerie silence in the desert city, broken intermittently by the growling of construction machinery, underscored the projects degree of difficulty. This means the military will see huge financial returns once the new capital is completed. Egypt's new desert capital faces delays as it battles for funds CNN On the easternmost outskirts of Cairo, the Egyptian government is building a giant belt of lakes and parks deep in the desert. A 2012 study detected chemical inorganic, biological, organic and bacteriological pollutants in all 31 groundwater samples tested. Population challenges aside, other potential motives for the move include a desire by President Sisi who came to power when the military took charge in 2011 to break from the past and make his mark in history, as well as efforts to stimulate the economy, which has remained sluggish since the events of the Arab Spring. These 5 cities vanished without a trace. Here, everything will be orderly and polishedand gigantic: the tallest office building in Africa, the continents biggest mosque and biggest cathedral, a public gathering area twice as long as New York Citys Central Park. That was the year when Fatimid invaders began to build a grand enclosure to house their new mosques and palaces a private city known to its residents as al-Qahera, and eventually to the world as Cairo. "There is something very wrong with the order of priorities," agreed political analyst Hassan Nafaain an interview with AP. There will be a monorail passing through a business district where a 385-metre central tower is close to completion. It has to be done, Fattem said. "And the state doesn't have money to give me." Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Lancaster, Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights. It is impossible to think of the new city without thinking of el-Sisi. The city projected a sedate affluence, far more akin to suburban Dallas than to the clamorous pulse of historic Cairo. Cities like New York City, New York, and Atlanta, Georgia, can be 5 degrees warmer than the surrounding area. The business district, with its 77-story Iconic Tower, is still under construction. In 1960, the Brazilian government relocated from Rio de Janeiro on the southeastern coast to a more central site in the savanna heartland, creating Braslia from scratch in 41 months. Suddenly, the Mubarak regime had no legitimacy. And it will be a resolutely crime-free onewith a government protected from protests like those in 2011 that toppled Hosni Mubaraks regimecourtesy of a citywide surveillance system designed by the U.S. firm Honeywell. Huge open spaces, currently home to wandering packs of dogs, are flagged for future development. Speak to many of those who do live here, though, especially those who can afford to live in gated compounds, and many contrast the place positively with Cairo. Egypt presses on with new capital in the desert amid virus outbreak . There are fears, as expressed by Amar Ali Hassan, a socio-political expert, that Cairo Egypt's capital for over a thousand years "could be neglected, become estranged and left to die a slow death.". Projected costs for the new capital range between $45bn and $58bn. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Traffic and shoppers throng Port Said Street in a historic area of central Cairo. Low income residents rely on limited public transport options to reach cheaper options in nearby satellite cities or in downtown Cairo. With urbanization well above the global average, a young tech-savvy population and a raft of major infrastructure projects, the Gulf region is helping pioneer the smart city model. There are golf courses, swimming pools and manmade lakes which must be regularly refilled due to evaporation. Its impressive but pint-size in comparison with the soon-to-be-constructed Oblisco Capitale. Cairos population is forecast to double over the next 40 years. In Cairo, alongside the Nile River, the first mile of a promenade called the Mamsha Ahl Misr (walkway of the Egyptian people) had just opened, affording sweeping views of the famed waterfront. Through all this, el-Sisi was undoubtedly taking notes and became aware that Tahrir Square is the key to gaining and holding on to power in Egypt. No one walks here distances are far and walking would imply that one cannot afford a car. It seems more like Europe.. It seems that it will not only move administrative buildings out of Cairo, but also create much-needed housing. In response to these critics, the government said the city will eventually also include social housing, but provided no details as to when these units will be built and made available to those in need. It will also reap enormous financial benefits from this ambitious endeavour. As Egypt continues to construct cities from scratch in the sand the aged urban areas of downtown Cairo and Alexandria have no large-scale renovation or upgrading plans. At the heart of the city, workers are putting finishing touches to an avenue of ministries that echo the architecture of pharaonic temples and adjoin a raised Islamic complex, two domed parliament buildings and a sprawling presidential compound. But to do that you need a car, and that means you have to have a certain income to live there., Historically, the Egyptian government has forced people to live in areas on Cairos periphery, by evicting them from poor inner-city areas, and relocating them to the desert towns. The most concerning thing to me was the speed at which this is intended to be built five to seven years. Luxury housing accommodates 71% of the citys residents while low-income housing accounts for just 15%. However, whether creating a new capital city is the best solution to this problem is a moot point. Some classes will be able to live there, others wont, said Alaa Ibrahim, a 39-year-old electrician in Cairos impoverished Imbaba district. Egypt is building a brand new capital city right in the middle of the desert. The city is being designed as a high-tech model for Egypts future. Blink and you miss the line where lush date palms and cotton plants become desert sand. Plans for a 90-square-kilometers solar (35-square-miles) farm are also part of the mix. And if you build it that fast, it will be a ghost town, like most other development plays have been.. You feel free, she added. Of the $25 billion cost for the first phase, about $3 billion is being spent on the government district, said Husseiny. Not long after we spoke, Abdeen resigned, ostensibly for health reasons but amid reports of costly flaws in some of the buildings. But it has made halting progress, and after Emirati funding fell through shortly after it was announced in 2015, the military and government took on the estimated $25 billion cost of the first phase, injecting off-budget investment. Cairo is dirty, overcrowded, unsafe, polluted, they say; Sheikh Zayed is clean, quiet, well-organised and safe. It's a very bad and wasteful project built on high interest debt by a brutal dictatorship looking to spread propaganda and protect it's grip on power by transferring all it's important government institutions away from the populated areas to avoid the possibility of being overthrown in case of an uprising in the future. Hundreds of houses on Warraq, a small island in the Nile, have been bulldozed to make way for hotels. Dirty, dirty.. Why Egypt Is Building a New Capital City - YouTube Places like New Cairo have not provided enough jobs for poorer residents, or affordable transport to areas where they could find more work. The fear is that Egypts capital, if it gets built, will be just as exclusive and private a city as al-Qahera was when it began back in 969. Aug. 10, 2018, 4:37 PM UTC By Rachel Elbaum On a flat stretch of desert between the Nile River and the Suez Canal, a new city is being built that will one day replace ancient Cairo as. According to Abdeen, China has contributed up to $4.5bn towards the costs and China State Construction Engineering is also training 10,000 Egyptian construction workers. Workers in the new capital are constructing enormous outdoor plazas and parks in the Eastern Desert, this one in front of the presidential palace. In this Oz-like urban miracle, one rather idiosyncratic building, already finished, stands out: Egypts Capitals Museum. The Toshka project, Egypt's first serious attempt to invade its vast desert, was launched by late President Hosni Mubarak in 1997. Cities 'Cairo has started to become ugly': why Egypt is building a new capital city Billed as smart city in the desert, boasting greenery and luxury housing, the government is set to. Their boom shows no sign of stopping. The scale is huge, and there are questions like: how are you going to do the infrastructure? Many were content with the lack of public transport, believing a metro connection to Cairo would attract the wrong kind of new resident. (August 2020) Egypt population density and low elevation coastal zones Egypt's environmental problems include, but are not limited to, water scarcity, air pollution, damage to historic monuments, animal welfare issues and deficiencies in its waste management system . That same heavy hand also has sought to project an image of enlightenment and tolerancedecreeing, for example, that the new capitals Al Fattah Al Aleem mega-mosque open on January 6, 2019, the same day the citys 9,200-capacity Cathedral of the Nativity was inaugurated. Its true that Cairo as a city is massively congested, and there is probably a need for a new capital city. The new capital will have a central green river, a combination of open water and planted greenery twice the size of New Yorks Central Park. In certain quarters in Egypt, these astonishing numbers have been hailed by those who desperately hope a new capital can symbolise a process of national renewal under President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, after several years of deep social division, political upheaval and economic crisis. The capitals opening would mark the birth of a new state, he added. The city of New Cairo - in the desert 20 miles to the east of its namesake - was conceived in the late 1990s and established by presidential decree in 2000. Moreover, recent history is littered with examples from Brasilia to Abuja of new administrative capitals that didn't quite deliver on their early promises. Noor City, for example, is expected to generate estimated tax revenue of $7bn. These experiments aim to achieve developmental strategic aspects in the fields of. Egypt: a megacity grows in the desert - KAWA The new capital of Egypt has yet to be given a name. New cities in the sand: inside Egypt's dream to conquer the desert All rights reserved. 1. But elsewhere in the UAE, the new city called Masdar (founded, incidentally, by the minister now driving Emirati investment in Egypt, Sultan al-Jaber) was supposed to house 50,000 people by now. Around 7 million people now call these new cities home. Today there are 22 built or part-built Egyptian new cities and the New Urban Communities Authority (NUCA) has plans for 19 more. Egypt prepares to start move to new capital, away from the - YouTube Meanwhile, the state-owned operator Telecom Egypt agreed in September 2019 to build a EGP40bn ($2.44bn) telecommunications network within the next six months. Sign up here. We are moving forward with the old and the new together, the president said last week. So the project is also being sold as an effort to tackle pollution and make Egypt greener. The Economist, for example, described the move as "an elephant in the desert",noting that although the new capital will be an employment hub, "few civil servants can afford to live there". (PDF) Toward revitalization of new towns in Egypt case - ResearchGate Egypt's New Administrative Capital Rises, but at What Price? - The New Electric train and monorail links are under construction. Egypt ends visa-on-arrival policy for individual tourists, Tourist desert Egypt desperate towoo back visitors after years of unrest, Egypt's tourism revenues fall after political upheavals, Anurbanist's guide to Cairo: a city weighed down by stereotypes, Exact replica of Tutankhamun's tomb unveiled in Egypt, the Emirati businessman behind the Burj Khalifa, the economic conference at which it was announced. There are too many cheerleaders for desert development, too many interests intertwined in this development, and too many client groups to satisfy. First, this new project will help bring Egypts powerful businesses to el-Sisis side. Some foreign loans and financing have been secured. A Look at Egypt's $58 Billion New Capital City in the Desert | The new places look quite nice, she said. The business district, with its 77-story Iconic Tower, is still under construction. Egypt revives Western Desert agricultural project - Al-Monitor We are not leaving Cairo, or Alexandria or Port Said or other provinces. The scale of the plans certainly defy historical norms. Cairos character was both welcoming and confounding, a spirited tempest of humanity, an irreplaceable feat of architecture. Implicit in this narrative of Egyptian history is the argument that relocating ones capital constitutes a momentous but also somewhat customary turn of events. Mesh routers vs. Wi-Fi routers: What's best for your home office? The new capital will cover 700 square kilometers, or 270 square miles, making it about the size of Singapore, and will be located 35 kilometers, or 21 miles, east of Cairo. Reuters reported last yearthat the "project is struggling to raise funds and needs to overcome other challenges after investors pulled out". The Eastern Desert covers more than 20 percent of Egypt's land area, but only has a few populated villages along the Red Sea coast. Their access to clients, materials, and supplies evaporates.. Described by Danny Di Perna, the president of Bombardier Transportation, as "the smart mobility solution for Cairo's urban future", the 54km (33-mile) line can carry 45,000 passengers an hour. Among them is a new administrative capital, Wedian City, for 15 million people, to be built to the east of Cairo. I cant believe this is Egypt, she said. While the initiative has its supporters, others have questioned the expense, given some of the financial challenges such as rapid inflation, unemployment, a downturn in tourism, "shoddy infrastructure" and "modest" job creation that the country has faced in recent years. If you take a walk or. The city, known simply as the New Administrative Capital, is designed to operate with smart technology on virgin land away from the clutter and chaos of Cairo. Connected to it by a long pedestrian skyway is the City of Arts and Culture, a stupefying and mostly completed 127-acre array of manicured gardens, grand performance halls, art galleries, and artist studios. 'Cairo has started to become ugly': why Egypt is building a new capital Deserts Geologic Formations. And in June 2012, on the day of his election, Morsi went to Tahrir Square, greeted the crowds and unbuttoned his jacket showing the people that he was not wearing a bulletproof vest, and as their representative, was not afraid of them. Also telling is how El Sisi is depicted facing outward, toward his creationattentively presiding over how contemporary Egypt will be shaped and how its story will be told. Based on historic and global track records, trying to build a new city from scratch is a massive gamble, says Brent Toderian, Vancouvers former chief planner, and a consultant for several cities outside of the Middle East. Meanwhile, an aquifer gives 10th of Ramadan independence from the Nile, but makes the city vulnerable to pollution. But in practice, most cannot afford to move there. The military, for example, has the capacity to provide much of the steel and cement needed to complete the construction of the new city. The programme also gives the government something to splash across state media, claiming it has done its job by building new homes, and supplies luxury housing so Egypts upper classes can escape from downtown. Returning to Cairo, I headed east to a satellite city, New Cairo, replete with shiny office towers and plush restaurants, most of which had sprung up since my previous visit from what had been the emptiness of the Eastern Desert. The rate of completion of the first phase has passed 60% across all projects, said Khaled el-Husseiny, spokesman for the new capital. Here is the origin. But there are fears that the project will not only help the countrys backbone industries and struggling businesses to get back on their feet, but also allow the military to spread its tentacles further across the Egyptian economy. We have already a very clear plan.. People do want to abandon Cairo and live in their secessionary envelope. A model of the planned new capital was displayed for investors during the Egypt Economic Development Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh. Egypts new smart city will emphasise green energy and cashless payment systems. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have invested significantlyand indeed, the citys main thoroughfare is named Mohammed bin Zayed Road, after the U.A.E.s president. "Forget ISIS, Egypt's population boom is its biggest threat," Newsweek declared in 2017. A new administrative center being built between the Nile and the Suez Canal will be the country's first smart city. When its finished, more than six million people are expected to live in this city 30 miles east of Cairo, relieving pressure on the overcrowded Nile Valley. Somehow, by the end of the decade, this view would also encompass millions of residents. Accessed April 1, 2020. Every year the half-built new city is filled with more sand-coloured apartment blocks and villas. While 10th of Ramadan and Egypts other first generation new cities were industrial at heart, a restructuring from the World Bank and IMF in the 1990s brought a radical shift in policy. Show Although the masterplan - drawn up by Egyptian and Swedish engineering firms, and inspired by the modernist principles of Constantinos Doxiadis and the French villes nouvelles - depicts the. Instead, it has just a few hundred. In theory, the strategy is based in logic: around 96% of Egyptians live on just 4% of Egyptian land, and as the population mushrooms, relocating some of the former might solve the congestion in the latter. Residents know what cosmopolitan Cairenes think of 10th of Ramadan: that it is a blue-collar city without culture or finesse. It will allow el-Sisi to give legitimacy to his regime and build a legacy. When I returned to Egypt in June for the first time in 15 years, I struggled to recognise it. With this project which will likely make the countrys rich richer, the military stronger, and contribute to the ever-increasing misdistribution of resources el-Sisi appears to be repeating the mistakes that led to Mubaraks downfall. He was in control of Tahrir Square, and hence, Egypt. Run-down sections had been razed, and pricey riverside apartments will take their placepart of a plan to demolish 357 residential areas throughout Egypts 27 governorates. The New Administrative Capital will be linked to Cairo by a 35-mile monorail, expected to open in 2023. Back in 2011, it was clear to all of us in Egypt that Mubarak lost power the moment he lost control of the strategic Tahrir Square. Beyond, the contours of a 10km park stretching to a giant mosque are taking shape. Driving around, the city feels most like a collection of inaccessible islands of gated compounds and luxury plazas rather than a coherent whole. Accessed April 1, 2020. The centuries-old square, one of the citys best known, is surrounded by cultural landmarks and historic buildings. But if the project is not going to help the people, and increase their support for the government, why is el-Sisi going forward with this enormous effort? What to know about this shopping app before you place an order, Special Feature: Unlock the Full Power of Your Phone, These $400 XR glasses gave my MacBook a 120-inch screen to work with, Google Pixel Fold review: Samsung's first big competitor comes out swinging, Smart home starter pack: 5 devices that will make your life easier. Egypt faces acute water shortage, but it's still building a giant - CNN Here is the history. The private sector had significant economic and political clout in Egypt during Mubaraks rule. Accessed April 1, 2020. Public housing areas, in contrast, exude an atmosphere of general neglect and roadsides are strewn with garbage. But after el-Sisis rise to power, it has mostly been sidelined by the military and reduced to a secondary actor. Photograph: Rachel Keeton/INTI, New cities in the sand: inside Egypts dream to conquer the desert, Sheep graze in public space around standard five-storey public housing blocks in 10th of Ramadan. In a years time, perhaps less, what also had been nothing but desert will shimmer with thousands of new residences. As such, it will likely be the military that gains the most from this unprecedented construction drive. It will help the private sector to make money and strengthen its relations with and loyalty to the government. If the government does not take urgent steps to ensure the gates of this new city are also open to poorer citizens, this new project will achieve little in helping underprivileged Egyptians. And, of course, building in the desert also brings with it other challenges. About 45 km from Cairo, spread over 720 km2, the numerous . Debt-ridden Jordan follows Egypt's lead and plans new city in the desert And one of the most prominent slogans in the January 2011 protests that toppled the Mubarak regime was social justice. What is the new city in the Egyptian desert? This is why the New Administrative Capital is already being seen by many as a colossal waste of resources. Could it happen? Most of us are waiting for services such as shops, pharmacies and schools.. Egypt - Wikipedia

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