Strategic Planning for Urban Centers: Present and Future

Abstract

Whether new cities will be built to accommodate increase populations that could no longer be served by existing city infrastructure and services is in question. The accommodations include clean water, sufficient food, acceptable housing, access to adequate sanitation, garbage/waste collection and secure waste disposal, transportation, personal security, and others. As noted in Chap. 1, during the latter half of the twentieth century three new major cities were purpose built: Brasilia, Brazil, from 1956–1960, Abuja, Nigeria, from 1982–1987, and Astana, Kazakhstan, 1994–1998. The planning for each was careful and precise according previously cited norms and spacing of components that made these urban centers sustainable as well functioning metropolises mindful of the well being of its population. Egypt planned a new city 45 km (28 mi) east of Cairo with construction to start in 2017 to serve 5 million Egyptians and thus relieve Cairene population pressure. The plan includes 1.1 million homes in 21 residential districts and 25 dedicated districts to house the 5 million inhabitants, creation of more than one million jobs, 2000 schools and colleges, 663 health care facilities, and 1250 mosques and churches, all in 5–7 years. However, the cost could not be borne by the country in 2017 and plans to start construction for the new city have been put on hold. China is also planning to build a new city, Xiongan, from scratch 62 mi (100 km) southwest of Beijing to reduce the population pressure (and air pollution) stressing China’s capital city. The China Geological Survey has studied the area and found it good geologically and environmentally for surface and underground development as a new economic zone. The project received $19 billion in 2017 to start planning a “green” city to house 2.5–5 million people, accommodate some government offices, and receive industries that move from the Beijing area with the hope of reducing air pollution there. The project is expected to take 15 years to complete at a cost of more than US$290 billion [1, 2].