埃及為了解決首都開羅的擁堵、污染等問題，提出了建設新首都的計劃。已有兩家中國企業承諾為該項目投資，使得新首都向成為現實又邁進了一步。但一些人并不看好這一項目，認為新首都可能會成為“鬼城”，而這一方案并不能解決城市發展規劃中存在的根本問題。

Egypt's new capital city moved a step closer to reality with the announcement that Chinese developers will largely fund the megaproject.
中國開發商宣布了對埃及新首都大型工程的巨額投資后，這座新首都向成為現實又邁進了一步。

The China Fortune Land Development Company (CFLD) agreed to provide $20 billion for the currently unnamed city, after a meeting between heads of the firm and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi.
在埃及總統塞西與華夏幸福公司領導會談后，該公司同意為這座目前尚未命名的城市提供200億美元的資金。

This follows a previous commitment of $15 billion from another Chinese state-owned company, bringing the project close to its $45 billion budget requirements for phase I.
此前，另一家中國國有企業承諾投資150億美元。此舉使該項目離一期工程450億美元的預算要求更進一步。

Plans for the new capital were first announced in March 2015. Government officials described the development as a solution to crowding, pollution and rising house prices in Cairo.
新都計劃于2015年3月公布，政府官員稱開發新城是開羅擁堵、污染和房價上漲等問題的解決方案。

"Cairo Capital is a momentous endeavor to build national spirit, foster consensus, provide for long-term sustainable growth," said the project website. "(The) new city will create more places to live, work and visit."
該項目網站稱：“此舉是為建立民族精神、促進共識、提供長期可持續發展做出的重大嘗試。新城將為人們的生活、工作和出游創造更多的區域。”

Under construction
在建中的新城

The 700 square kilometer city to be constructed in the desert to the East of Cairo would become the new seat of government, and it is presented as a far grander vision than the current capital.
這座將被建在開羅東部沙漠的城市面積為700平方公里，它將成為政府新址，且提出了比當前首都更宏大的設想。

Proposals for the city include housing for five million people, over 1,000 mosques, smart villages, industrial zones, a 5,000-seat conference center, and the world's largest park.
關于這座城市的構想包括可滿足五百萬人需求的住房、1000多座清真寺、智能村、工業區、一座容納5000人的會議中心和世界上最大的公園。

Interest in the project has been brisk. An Indian company is reportedly planning a vast medical center and university, while a Saudi firm intends to build a 12.6 hectare mosque and Islamic museum.
該項目一直受到許多關注。據報道，一家印度公司正在計劃投資一座龐大的醫療中心和大學，而一家沙特公司打算在此建造一座占地12.6公頃的清真寺和伊斯蘭博物館。

Construction is already under way. According to Egypt's Al-Ahram newspaper, engineers have begun work on infrastructure including bridges and 210 kilometers of roads.
城市建設已經在進行中。據埃及《金字塔報》報道，工程師們已經開始建造橋梁和長210公里的公路等基礎設施。

The first phase of the project will see government ministries and residential blocks rise from the sand. This phase could be complete within five years, with the first residents moving in.
在項目的第一階段中，政府部門和住宅街區將從沙漠中被建起。五年內可完成這一階段，并有第一批居民遷入。

Ghost town?
“鬼城”？

Despite the optimism from officials, there are concerns that the project will encounter familiar problems. Egypt has already constructed several satellite towns around Cairo, which have registered low occupancy despite high investment.
盡管官方態度樂觀，但也有人擔心該項目會遇到一些常見的問題。埃及已經在開羅周邊建設了幾個衛星城，盡管投入頗高，但是顯示的居住率卻很低。

"The needs of Cairo should be met by the existing eight new towns around it," says David Sims, an urban planner and author based in the Cairo. "But people call them ghost towns."
居住在開羅的城市規劃師兼作家大衛?西姆斯說：“開羅周邊現有的八個新城鎮本就能滿足其需求。但人們卻稱它們為‘鬼城’。”

The satellites repeated the same mistakes, says Sims, which are also likely to affect the new capital.
西姆斯說：“這些衛星城重復了同樣的錯誤，它們也可能會影響新的城市。”

"The new towns produced housing that is unaffordable, unobtainable and inaccessible for the majority of Cairo's inhabitants," says Sims. "The new towns were built with a high modernist approach that did not allow the informal enterprises and activities that most Egyptians rely on."
“新城鎮建造的住房是大多數開羅居民買不起、買不到也無法理解的。新城鎮根據高度現代化的方式建造，禁止了大多數埃及人依靠的非正規企業和活動。”

Learning lessons
經驗教訓

Egypt has a fundamentally misguided approach to development planning, according to architect and planner Kareem Ibrahim of the NGO Tadamun.
據非政府組織Tadamun的建筑師和規劃師卡里姆?易卜拉辛稱，埃及的發展規劃方式存在根本誤區。

"We have a chronic problem with the urban government of existing cities, and no matter how many cities you build you are not solving this problem," he says.
他說：“我們現有城市的市政府長期存在一個問題，無論建了多少城市，都沒有解決這個問題。”

Ibrahim's research found that around 50% of Cairo neighborhoods lacked access to sewage services, while public services were failing, and municipal councils were operating with as little as $4 per capita per year.
易卜拉辛的研究發現，開羅周邊近50%的地區缺乏污水處理系統，公共服務缺失，市政局的人均經費每年只有4美元。

"The levels of deprivation were shocking," says Ibrahim. "The investment should be going towards providing equal rights to public services and utilities. Let's think about how to develop better governing structure for the cities we have, and then build new cities."
“公共服務匱乏的程度令人震驚。政府應為保障人們獲得公共服務和公共設施的公平權利而投資。讓我們先思考如何為現有城市開發更好的治理結構，然后再建設新城市。”

英文來源：美國有線電視新聞網
翻譯：董靜
編審：yaning