Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1979
Abstract
In January 201 1, the youth of Egypt revalted against a corrupt govcrnment, which lacked vision and imagination. They had lost hope in a bright future for Egypt - a vast country whose population remained confined along the Nile River and Delta. Its cities and villages are scverely overcrowded, and its education and health systems cannot cope with the dense population. In addition, over the past 20 ycars, fertile land has been jost to urban growth at the rate of 30,000 feddans per year. At that rate all of Egypt's fertilc land of|5 5 million feddans would disappear in 183 years. Thus, there is a dire need for major changes, including the opening of new land for living, not only for the present 80 million people. but also for the expected addition of 60 million by the vear 2050. This proposal of a Development Corridor is designed to salve the looming crises. It includes a north-south axis starting at a new port near El-Alemein along thc Mediterranean coastlinc. This axis would run parallel to the Nile Delta until the latitude of Cairo then southward parallel to the INile Nalley to the border of Sudan, a tolal of 1 2,000 kilometers. h would include an eight-lane highway, a railroad|track, a waler pipelinc (about one meter in diameter) from Lake Nasser for human.consumption and services,|and|an electricity: lfing|to.bcconnceted to/the-main_grid for future production of solar energy. "Thelliving area east of the north-south axis would be served by al Icast 12 east-west branches to conneet the main axis to densely populated cities along its path. The new strip of land that would bc open for development in the plain betwecn the norh-south axis and the inhabited land is 10 5 million acres. This is nearly double the presenily used land area [his expanse of land would be utilized in new urban communities, education citics hospitals!, agricultune, lagro-industries. factories, sports arenas, 1ourist sites, etc, Such a major project would require a decade to compiete; perbaps the first five ycars would be devoted to the cast-west branches to immedintely casc nonulation pressurcs. Another five would be devoted to establishing the main north-south transportation and cnergy axis. Hlowever form the starl, young people would either secure jobs in the building phasc, or plan for economic developmentiactivitiesialong the cast-west hranches, with hope for a better future.
Recommended Citation
El-Baz, Farouk, "Transportaion corridor for sustainable development in Egypt : enhancing science-based, fast-track economic growth" (1979). Farouk El-Baz Library. 215.
https://buescholar.bue.edu.eg/farouk_el-baz_library/215