Alamein city, which will eventually cover 48,000 feddans and cost LE2 billion, was inaugurated last week by President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi. The city is planned to provide residents with first-class modern services and is part of a series of ambitious urban development programmes that will accommodate Egypt's growing population while offering job opportunities and acting as engines of economic growth. “The construction of these fourth-generation cities is not a luxury. They have become an urgent need, both in tackling population growth and in upping Egypt's profile on the global investment map,” said Al-Sisi. Alamein city and other similar projects have already successfully absorbed workers returning from Libya and other countries, said the president. The city will be developed using contemporary architectural and eco-friendly systems and is scheduled to be completed within a year. The new city also offers investment opportunities in real estate development and tourism. Sixteen hotels are planned. The city will eventually accommodate more than three million residents. It will be divided into 14 residential neighbourhoods, alongside 8,000 feddans earmarked for industrial and service zones. The Alamein International University for Sciences and Technology, with a capacity of 25,000 students, will be one of three universities based in the new city. The Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport will also have a branch there, on a 62,000 feddan campus which will be home to 10,000 students. Among the academy's departments a branch of the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, one of the world's leading hotel management schools, is planned. The first phase of the city inspected by Al-Sisi includes a 14km tourist walkway with a design based on the Alexandria Corniche. According to Minister of Housing Mustafa Madbouli 110km of roads, sewage networks, rainwater drainage networks and gas and electricity grids are being constructed. The Mediterranean coastal city will also include a water desalination plant with an initial capacity of 150,000 cubic metres, though this will eventually be doubled. The city will boast four bridges, two for pedestrians and two for vehicles. There will also be summer residences for the presidency, cabinet, parliament and for foreign embassies. A Roman theatre, studio complex, concert hall, cinema complex and a museum have also been planned. The latter will occupy a 190 feddan site. The city, when finished, will offer 20,000 hotel rooms. During the visit President Al-Sisi used a video conference to inaugurate other urban projects, including Obour City, New Rafah City in Sinai, built on 535 feddans and containing 10,000 housing units, and Salam City, to be constructed on 16,415 feddans east of Port Said.
