Egypt’s new city: Is it the answer?
Sponsered by UN-Habitat, Prime Minister Mahlab of Egypt lauched the‘new, green, city of Alamein’ project. The project aims at housing infrastructure and tourism, which Mahlab said “has undiscovered resources.”
A new city in Egypt is considered a necessity given Capital Cairo’s overpopulation problem. Cairo is the destination for all Egyptians with its distinctively better health care, educational systems and more job opportunities. Studies in 2009 show over 2 million people move in and out of the capital each day to run errands.
The self-financed project is expected to boost housing capacity to between 3 to 4 million. There will also be a large medical center, complex of universities and an industrial zone. A theme park will be built. The suez Canal zone is expected to account for a third of Egypt’s economy in 10 years. The first phase creates a minimum of 400,000 jobs with the overall project completed by the next 40 years.
The project is yet to face queries, including location, past failed attempts, lack of transparency and its inconsideration for the poor. Logistics challenges include landmines left from front lines in World War II. The failed records of Egypt’s founded new settlements since the seventies aggravate the public’s worries and fears towards this project. However, with Cairo’s problems emerging, there are pressing needs for at least one answer.
