Architecture

Ambitious plan unveiled to create new Egyptian capital

Ambitious plan unveiled to create new Egyptian capital
The as-yet unnamed city would be located just to the east of the current city of Cairo (Image: The Capital Cairo)
The as-yet unnamed city would be located just to the east of the current city of Cairo (Image: The Capital Cairo)
View 6 Images
The city would house up to 7 million people (Image: The Capital Cairo)
1/6
The city would house up to 7 million people (Image: The Capital Cairo)
The BBC quotesEgyptian Housing Minister Mostafa Madbouly as saying the project will cost $45 billion and take five to seven years to complete (Image: The Capital Cairo)
2/6
The BBC quotesEgyptian Housing Minister Mostafa Madbouly as saying the project will cost $45 billion and take five to seven years to complete (Image: The Capital Cairo)
The as-yet unnamed city would be located just to the east of the current city of Cairo (Image: The Capital Cairo)
3/6
The as-yet unnamed city would be located just to the east of the current city of Cairo (Image: The Capital Cairo)
The new development would serve as a pressure valve for Cairo's ever-growing population (Image: The Capital Cairo)
4/6
The new development would serve as a pressure valve for Cairo's ever-growing population (Image: The Capital Cairo)
The massive city, seven times the size of Paris, and twelve times the size of Manhattan would measure approximately 270 sq miles (700 sq km) (Image: The Capital Cairo)
5/6
The massive city, seven times the size of Paris, and twelve times the size of Manhattan would measure approximately 270 sq miles (700 sq km) (Image: The Capital Cairo)
Some kind of renewable energy farm is also slated for the project (Image: The Capital Cairo)
6/6
Some kind of renewable energy farm is also slated for the project (Image: The Capital Cairo)
View gallery - 6 images

Architecture projects don't come much bigger or more challenging than building an entire new capital city from scratch, but that's what the Egyptian Government, Skidmore, Owings & Merril (SOM), and international group of investors Capital City Partners Limited intend with the Capital Cairo project. The recently-proposed city, seven times the size of Paris, and twelve times bigger than Manhattan, would measure approximately 700 sq km (270 sq miles) and be home to 7 million residents.

Planning of the as-yet unnamed city is being led by SOM, and if it goes ahead, it would be located to the east of the current city of Cairo and serve as something of a pressure valve for the existing capital's ever-growing population. The new city would house 7 million people and create an estimated 1.5 million new jobs.

"While we are at the earliest stages of design, the new city will be built on core principles that include places of education, economic opportunity, and quality of life for Egypt’s youthful population," says SOM's Philip Enquist, who is Partner in Charge of Urban Design and Planning at the firm. "The new city will be designed and built in harmony with nature as a showcase of environmentally sensitive development."

The massive city, seven times the size of Paris, and twelve times the size of Manhattan would measure approximately 270 sq miles (700 sq km) (Image: The Capital Cairo)
The massive city, seven times the size of Paris, and twelve times the size of Manhattan would measure approximately 270 sq miles (700 sq km) (Image: The Capital Cairo)

The city would include some 40,000 hotel rooms, a large park that could comfortably accommodate London's Hyde Park six times over, a theme park that dwarfs Disneyland, and a 4.2 million sq m (approx 45 million sq ft) retail area. The seat of government would be moved to the new city, and the city's design would be relatively flexible and capable of future growth. A large renewable energy farm is mentioned for the project too, but we have no more information on what form this would take (solar power might be a good bet, considering its location in the desert).

The slated infrastructure really brings home the scale of the challenge. For example, the city would include a 20,000 km (12,427 mile)-long water and sewage network, a 10,000 km (6,213 mile) road network, 100 km (62 miles) of bridges and tunnels, and a 16 sq km (6 sq mile) international airport. It would also require a mind-boggling 20 million cubic meters (706 cubic ft) of water every day.

The BBC quotes Egyptian Housing Minister Mostafa Madbouly as saying that the project will cost US$45 billion and take between five and seven years to complete. This timeframe sounds a bit unrealistic to us, and is perhaps a case of wishful thinking – as, one could argue, is the project as a whole.

Sources: The Capital Cairo, SOM

View gallery - 6 images
5 comments
5 comments
Nelson Hyde Chick
Egypt has some of the highest poverty rates on Earth, so of course they should blow billions on a wet dream capitol.
Sally Wilton
The whole concept looks crazy. The population is desperately poor and most people cannot get medical treatment regardless of how serious their condition might be, yet they are building over 1000 hospitals in a place nobody lives in. This project targets a few wealthy people who clearly don't need to get to work in the morning.
Mike Malsed
Brazil did something like this in the 1960s with their capital, Brazilia, which moved the capital into a more central location than Rio. Same kind of thing - a more planned environment for the capital, a better place for conventions and such (thus the lodging), and so forth. Brazilia has had an impact - not on Rio, per se, but on the whole country.
Derek Howe
Wow, it looks nice, but sounds extremely ambitious. Good luck to them, but I don't see it actually getting built.
Andrew Keim
Instead of building ugly buildings, why don't they build something "Egyptian" oh.. say why not use a design thats actually.. "Egyptian"... how about a Giant Pyramid shaped skyscraper that dwarfs the Pyramid of Giza? It could incorporate high-grade solar panels on all sides and even orient it so it is aligned in the same direction as the actual Pyramid of Giza. A pyramid shaped building just makes sense for Egypt.