New towns

The Egyptian new towns experience is among the most comprehensive and ambitious, regionally and worldwide. Initiated as a governmental policy within a general strategy to tackle the multitude of problems burdening Egyptian settlements in general and major and secondary cities surrounded by agricultural land. New towns were thought as an effective partial solution for the problems of: encroachment of agricultural land, lack of urban land for development, deteriorating fabric, infrastructure and facilities and low quality living. A variety of New towns were proposed as a result of extensive, serious and comprehensive studies and joint endeavors of local and international experts. The new towns aimed to create self-contained growth poles in the desert which would absorb and redistribute population and activities, offering cheap housing and a healthy environment. Some new towns, have seen considerable success in attracting industry, attributed to their favorable location near Cairo. However, success in encouraging people to relocate to the new towns has been limited. A central criticism of the Egyptian programs is that all new towns together will have absorbed a maximum of 20% of population growth by the year 2000. Aim this paper to address the issue of “Encouragement of settlement and attractions for new cities and communities in Egypt”.