New Alamein City (Egypt)
Core idea
North Coast new city
Why it matters
Year-round coastal city model
Description
New Alamein is a new city on Egypt's Mediterranean North Coast, developed from 2018 by the New Urban Communities Authority as one of the flagship 'fourth-generation' cities of the al-Sisi era. The plan combines high-rise waterfront towers, cultural and university facilities, and extensive housing districts, intended to convert a seasonally occupied resort coastline into a year-round city for a projected population in the millions. It forms part of a national programme of state-led new towns that also includes the New Administrative Capital.
Significance
New Alamein illustrates the revival of large-scale state-directed new-town building in Egypt, financed and driven from the centre as an instrument of economic and political ambition. It has become a focal point in debates about whether such megaprojects address Egypt's real housing needs or produce speculative enclaves, and about the military-led model of urban development on the North Coast.
What shaped it
- The master plan (early 20th c.)
- New Urban Agenda (2016)
- The grid (c. 2500 BCE)
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Urban_Communities_Authority
- https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/1/62712/2018-Accomplishments-Building-new-fourth-generation-c