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Cairo's New Megacities

Thanks to: Ryan Sloan
26 August 2010 - 11:00am

Overcrowding and pollution in Cairo have inspired planners to push out into the desert, raising two brand-new cities out of the sand.

The New York Times reports that the new cities are expected to attract 5 million Cairo residents, relieving overcrowding:

"While the plans are intended to help resolve the problem of overcrowding and the proliferation of illegal slums, critics are worried that the cities will do nothing but transfer the inequalities. Low income housing is part of the planning, but the first low income housing projects are already causing headaches for residents as long commutes and isolation cut into already meager wages.

The cities, named "6 October City" and "New Cairo", already have roughly a million residents each and Egyptian planners expect these populations to grow above 3 million by 2020."

Full Story: To Catch Cairo Overflow, 2 Megacities Rise in Sand
Source: The New York Times, August 24, 2010
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