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I didn't know this was happening. So I went to Google Maps and checked it out, and it is a huge project. I understand how Dubai and similar places get to expan

I didn't know this was happening. So I went to Google Maps and checked it out, and it is a huge project. I understand how Dubai and similar places get to expand so quickly, but this does not make much sense for Egypt. Looking at what is being built, it starts to look familiar: huge city sectors which are multiplied in layout and construction style, a massive "design part of city once and reuse multiple times" like it so often is happening in China. https://www.google.com/search?q=china+egypt+new+capital https://www.google.com/search?q=china+egypt+new+capital then yields the answer.

sakopov 6y ago
A $2.2 billion loan to a country with a concerning GDP [1] and a third of its population in poverty is one way to expand your reach. China is really busy. [1] https://tradingeconomics.com/egypt/gdp https://tradingeconomics.com/egypt/gdp
imtringued 6y ago
China has a huge migrant population ready to move to any newly built city. They can afford it because of the sheer population size. Not to mention they already figured out how to build functioning cities. Building a dozen more isn't a challenge. Meanwhile egypt still has to pull itself up on its bootstraps. A failed city would be a huge setback.
- the_local_host 6y ago
  Egypt's population is enormous as well, mostly crammed along the Nile; and the PPP GDP per-capita isn't that different the China.
  - kmonsen 6y ago
    China is almost 3x Egypt and the Chinese cities are more or less as rich as western cities. 8130 vs 2900
csomar 6y ago
This is not the first time Cairo had a planned city. They have lots of them, and they have been relatively successful in attracting upper middle-class and keeping them there. The city is unlikely to fail, mainly due to the large number of civil servants / military Egypt already has (they are a 100m nation after all). So it'll get a boost, and if policies are well implemented, they can attract a few other millions.

sakopov 6y ago

A $2.2 billion loan to a country with a concerning GDP [1] and a third of its population in poverty is one way to expand your reach. China is really busy. [1] https://tradingeconomics.com/egypt/gdp https://tradingeconomics.com/egypt/gdp

imtringued 6y ago

China has a huge migrant population ready to move to any newly built city. They can afford it because of the sheer population size. Not to mention they already figured out how to build functioning cities. Building a dozen more isn't a challenge. Meanwhile egypt still has to pull itself up on its bootstraps. A failed city would be a huge setback.

the_local_host 6y ago
Egypt's population is enormous as well, mostly crammed along the Nile; and the PPP GDP per-capita isn't that different the China.
- kmonsen 6y ago
  China is almost 3x Egypt and the Chinese cities are more or less as rich as western cities. 8130 vs 2900

csomar 6y ago

This is not the first time Cairo had a planned city. They have lots of them, and they have been relatively successful in attracting upper middle-class and keeping them there. The city is unlikely to fail, mainly due to the large number of civil servants / military Egypt already has (they are a 100m nation after all). So it'll get a boost, and if policies are well implemented, they can attract a few other millions.