For a city as old as Cairo, Egypt’s capital has certainly been reinvented many times. The first attempt in the modern era was Masr El Gedida (“New Cairo” in Egyptian dialect), also called Heliopolis, then a city to the north-west of the centre of the city. Originally envisioned as a district away from the crowded centre, Cairo eventually expanded to consume Masr El Gedida.
At the beginning of this century, Egypt tried again. New Cairo was built not far from Heliopolis; a planned community of wide streets and residential compounds. Now Egypt’s president has proposed an even newer “New Cairo”, to be built far to the east of the current, sprawling capital. It is noticeable that each iteration has reflected the prevailing city model of success. Heliopolis was envisioned as a European city, New Cairo as an American one. But the new capital reflects very clearly the most successful big city in the Arab world: Dubai.
The clues are there. Not only will the new city be built by a company headed by the chairman of Emaar, but the model that was displayed in Sharm El Sheikh over the weekend looked very much like Dubai, a mix of glittering high rises, green spaces and villas. That is as it should be. Where once the Arab world looked to Cairo, now – as surveys of young Arabs repeatedly confirm – they look to Dubai as their ideal city.
There is much to applaud about this new project, with some caveats. It is bold, a statement of intent. It also ties Egypt closer to the Gulf states that have been most supportive of the post-Morsi era. But most of all, it suggests a willingness to think big, an essential component in fixing Egypt’s many woes. A city like Cairo, so vast, so sprawling, cannot easily be turned around. It takes bold thinking to reinvent the city.
At the same time, it is essential that New Cairo does not become a substitute for Cairo itself. The new city is envisioned to house around 7 million Egyptians, out of an urban sprawl that is sometimes estimated at 15 million. It cannot be only the richest 7 million. Developing a new city must be done in tandem with developing Cairo itself and forging close transport links between the two; it cannot be merely a property development for rich Cairenes and foreign speculators. Building New Cairo is only the first step: the real challenge will be building a new Egypt.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
Brief scores:
Manchester City 2
Gundogan 27', De Bruyne 85'
Crystal Palace 3
Schlupp 33', Townsend 35', Milivojevic 51' (pen)
Man of the Match: Andros Townsend (Crystal Palace)
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
The view from The National
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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