Egypt's New Capital

Original version

BBC Radio 4 FM

BBC Radio 4 is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 30th September 1967. It replaced BBC Home Service.

BBC Radio 4

Radio 4

Radio 4 (FM)

BBC Radio 4 LW

Documentaries

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media: Arts

BBC Radio 4 - Egypt's New Capital

Jonathan Glancey reports on Egypt’s mega-project to build a brand new Cairo in the desert.

Four millennia after The Great Pyramids were built, Jonathan Glancey reports on Egypt’s latest extraordinary mega-project – to construct a brand new 'Cairo in the desert'.

With a population that's grown from 2.5 million to 20 million since 1950, Cairo is among the most congested cities in the world, and its inefficiency costs Egypt 4% of its GDP every year. The bold solution - to build an all new administrative and residential capital, totally from scratch, 45km away from Cairo in a place where before there was only desert.

Jonathan Glancey travels from Old Cairo to this new and as yet unnamed metropolis, touring the enormous ghost town as it springs into life. 

The numbers are impressive. The so-called Sisi’s City will cover 270 square kilometres - the same size as Singapore island, house 6.5 million inhabitants, boast a 10km green area larger than New York’s Central Park. The new city will house all of the Egyptian governments 34 ministries, as well as the stock exchange and central bank. 

While other cities have risen out of the desert, the likes of Las Vegas and Doha still did so somewhat organically. Here we have an entirely pre-planned city. But can such a project possibly predict and satisfy the needs of its inhabitants? Will the Egyptians have learned the lessons of the past 100 years of urbanism and be able to build a truly functioning city from scratch?

Presented by Jonthan Glancey
Produced by Dom Byrne
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Egypt's New Capital

Genres

Formats

BBC Radio 4 FM

About BBC Radio 4