Cairo sits sandwiched at the source of the delta.
An image from the hillside looking back into Cairo
Model of the soon to be built 6 of October City
Golf course built in the desert surrounded by luxury housing
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To Catch Cairo Overflow, 2 Megacities Rise in SandHaving traveled around Cairo last March, I was utterly shocked when Nilus Klingel sent me an article from the New York Times commenting on the development of 2 new mega-cities being constructed well outside of the city. They are the government’s attempt to try and control Cairo’s expanding population (believed to be nearing 20 million). The two new cities, New Cairo and 6 October City are expected to house about 5 million people by 2020 and are meant to relieve the city of congestion.
Similar to Mumbai, Istanbul, and Sao Paolo, Cairo is a congested (densest in the world), polluted, unplanned city in crisis with no foreseeable end. The unveiling of these two new mega-cities, reveals little hope for healing the cities wounds. While, poorer people are being invited (or displaced) to these cities, ultimately they are being designed as escapes from Cairo for the wealthy who can afford to live in the middle of nowhere. While Cairo is trying to sustain its growth and global competitiveness it is ultimately attracting more wealth which will just further intensify the polarization that is already occurring.
I suppose the only good news is that these cities are located in the desert high above the Nile Delta. As the river floods, and the delta’s sea waters rise, these desert oasis will eventually be excellent beach front.
Additionally, here are a few photos from my visit to give a more ‘on the ground’ view of the metropolis.
