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New Alamein City

El Alamein, Egypt

2014 - Ongoing

CoastLarge Urban ProjectNew CityTouristic

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Project Description

Approach Words: Attractive City, Comprehensive Planning, Urban Livability

Public Policy Instruments: Financial Mechanism, Organization, Physical Intervention, Planning

New Alamein City is a large-scale mixed use urban development project on Egypt’s Northwest Coast¹. Covering an area of 205 square kilometers in a former mine area from the second World War², New Alamein is envisioned as an ‘integrated’³ ‘fourth-generation city’⁴ with “the latest technological and urban projects” in the Middle East⁵. It is a cornerstone of Egypt’s broader “Western North Coast Development Project”, which aims to transform and boost the Northwest Coast’s economy to become a global financial and tourist hub⁶, and to address issues arising from rapid population growth in Cairo⁷ ⁱ.

Title: Master plan of the New Alamein City.

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Title: Picture shows key areas at the New Alamin City under construction.

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Title: Map shows the high-speed train line of El Ain El Sokhna - Marsa Matrouh (Greenline).

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Title: New Alamein city under construction.

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Title: Master plan of the New Alamein City.

Source: Click Here

Title: Picture shows key areas at the New Alamin City under construction.

Source: Click Here

Title: Map shows the high-speed train line of El Ain El Sokhna - Marsa Matrouh (Greenline).

Source: Click Here

Title: New Alamein city under construction.

Source: Click Here

The city is located in Marsa Matruh governorate and extends from Wadi El-Natroun to El-Dabaa along the Alexandria-Matrouh International Road⁸ . It is divided into tourism, historical, and residential districts⁹:

The tourist district consists of a beach with residential towers, a 14 kilometer promenade along the Mediterranean¹⁰, and seaside compounds featuring villas built on reclaimed islands¹¹.
The residential district is located south of the Alexandria -Matrouh International Road¹², offering housing of multiple typologies, from high-end downtown towers to social housing complexes¹³.
The historical district, known as ‘heritage city’ and located near El Alamein cemetery¹⁴, covers an area of 1 square kilometer and features educational and cultural facilities¹⁵, including an opera house, a museum, a theatre, and a cinema complex¹⁶. The city also contains an international medical center, a university, and a regional service center¹⁷ ⁱⁱ.

In terms of transportation, the project will benefit from the upcoming high-speed rail network line (designed to run at a speed of 250 km/h) on a stretch of 675 kilometers from Ain Sokhna to Matrouh, including Alamein¹⁸. The first line comprises 21 stations serviced by 15 high-speed trains, 34 regional trains, and 14 freight trains¹⁹.

The residential and commercial facilities of the city are designed to ensure that it will attract people throughout the year and not only during the summer season²⁰. It is planned to accommodate a population of 3 million residents by 2030 ²¹. Its tourism, commercial, industrial, and entertainment activities seek to attract foreign and local investment²² related to tourism and real-estate. It also seeks to engage major international companies to establish their headquarters in the city²³. To support local industries, and foster export opportunities²⁴, the city will set up a soda ash production complex project.

Owner/Developer (Public)

New Urban Communities Authority ³⁹

Armed Forces Engineering Authority ⁴⁰

City Edge Developments ⁴¹

Owner/Developer

Palm Hills ⁴²

Consultant/Designer

Associated Consultants ⁴³

Funder

New Urban Communities Authority ⁴⁴

Armed Forces Engineering Authority ⁴⁵

Contractor/Implementer

The Arab Contractors ⁴⁶

Société Egyptienne D’entreprises ⁴⁷

Armed Forces Engineering Authority ⁴⁸

Owner/Developer (Public)

New Urban Communities Authority ³⁹

Armed Forces Engineering Authority ⁴⁰

City Edge Developments ⁴¹

Owner/Developer

Palm Hills ⁴²

Contractor/Implementer

The Arab Contractors ⁴⁶

Société Egyptienne D’entreprises ⁴⁷

Armed Forces Engineering Authority ⁴⁸

Funder

New Urban Communities Authority ⁴⁴

Armed Forces Engineering Authority ⁴⁵

Consultant/Designer

Associated Consultants ⁴³

The project is jointly led by the New Urban Communities Authority (NUCA) and the Armed Forces Engineering Authority, with the oversight of the Ministry of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities²⁵ ²⁶. Its development is based on a technical study by the UN Habitat’s ‘Achieving Sustainable Urban Development Programme’ as well as the reallocation of 2.4 square kilometers of state-owned land to NUCA for development in 2014 ²⁷. The conceptual masterplan was designed by Associated Consultants²⁸. The Arab Contractors and the Société Egyptienne D’entreprises (previously known as Mukhtar Ibrahim) are involved in the infrastructure work of the project²⁹, while NUCA and the Engineering Authority are responsible of establishing the city’s facilities, including a water station, infrastructure, sewage, and electricity networks³⁰. Private Developers such as City Edge Developments³¹ ⁱⁱⁱ and Palm Hills³² are reportedly developing large parts of the masterplan.

The project was inaugurated by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on 1 March 2018³³, and is currently under construction on several phases. The first phase covers an area of 100 square kilometers and includes 15 towers, in addition to villas and houses³⁴. The total investment in this phase is approximately EGP 75 billion ($4.51 billion)³⁵. The Ministry of Housing is working with the Engineering Authority of the Armed Forces for the implementation of social housing units, of which 5,000 units out of the total 10,000 are to be developed in the first phase³⁶. The second phase will see the expansion of residential areas and recreational and commercial facilities, including the construction of 10 additional towers³⁷ ³⁸.