Laval University

From the SelectedWorks of Fathi Habashi

October, 2019

Cairo - - The Expanding City Fathi Habashi

Available at: https://works.bepress.com/fathi_habashi/516/ - - The Expanding City , , New Capital

Introduction Cairo is an old city more than one thousand years old. It has increased greatly becoming about 20 million in population. As a result, many new residential areas have been created. This was not enough, and a New Cairo and a New Capital have been designed and in the process of building.

Cairo on the Nile, Greater Cairo, New Cairo, and the New Capital

Cairo on the Nile Cairo on the Nile comprises Pyramids, , , Abbasia, Masr Al Gadida, , etc.

Cairo on the Nile

Cairo on the Nile

Greater Cairo Greater Cairo comprises the newly added Medinet Nasr, Muqattam, Al Tagamus Al Khamis, Al , 10th of Ramadan City, 6th October City, , etc. It is characterized by the many bridges. This was not enough and a New Cairo has to be built.

Greater Cairo

Traffic bridges in Cairo

New Cairo As a result of increased population, a New Cairo is being built. It is one of the new cities which have been built in and around Cairo to alleviate the congestion in . It was established in the year 2000 by a presidential decree. Located in what was formerly Governorate, and located to the east of and Heliopolis. The city could eventually host a population of 5 million. It is built with the hopes of alleviating the strain on Cairo.

Housing in New Cairo New Capital The concept of creating a new capital is not new. Brazil moved its capital from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia and West Germany moved from Bonn to Berlin after the unification. More recently, Kazakhstan created its new capital Astana instead of Almaty after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Cairo is now building a new capital, half way between Cairo and Suez at a distance of 60 km from Cairo. This cost billions of dollars but the investors are mainly from the Gulf States. There is no doubt that these Emirates have experience in building new cities and workers for these projects are Egyptians. Unemployment in decreased as a result, but not much.

The new capital is half way between Cairo and Suez

Announcement of the New Administrative Center of Cairo

Investors

Investors The proposed new capital of Egypt is a large-scale project under construction since 2015 and was announced by then Egyptian housing minister Mostafa Madbouly at the Egypt Economic Development Conference. According to the plans, the city would become the new administrative and financial capital of Egypt, housing the main government departments and ministries, as well as foreign embassies. It would have a population of 6.5 to 7 million people. A major reason for the undertaking of the project was to relieve congestion in Cairo, which is already one of the world's most crowded cities, with the population of greater Cairo expected to double in the next few decades. Cairo has a population of nearly 20 million.

Buildings on the way

Mosque

Cathedral

Al Masa

Al Masa is an Armed Forces Hotel. It has a large convention center, has 14 presidential villas, 60 apartments, and 90 private suites, 270 rooms, fully equipped to accommodate people with special needs.

Shopping Centers in Cairo Shopping centers in Cairo are called Malls and are relatively new. They are scattered in the new districts and contain the most elegant shops.

Cairo Festival City Mall

City Stars Mall

City Center Mall

Epilogue While the Arab countries Syria and Yemen are collapsing due to civil war, Libya has already deterioated, and other Arab countries have great problems, Egypt is expanding - - thanks to its Armed Forces which saved the country.

See also - Cairo Slums: Problems and Solutions https://works.bepress.com/fathi_habashi/514/ - Egypt: Country of Contrasts https://works.bepress.com/fathi_habashi/440/ - Rule of Military in Egypt https://works.bepress.com/fathi_habashi/281/