Egypt's largest city and its capital.

埃及最大的城市，也是其首都。

For decades it's been home to Egyptian rulers and their palaces.

幾十年來，這裡一直是埃及統治者和他們的宮殿的所在地。

The Parliament has met in this building for over 150 years.

議會在這座建築裡開會已經有150多年了。

And this public square in the heart of Cairo has been the site of several revolutions.

而這個位於開羅市中心的公共廣場曾是幾場革命的發生地。

But in 2015, the Egyptian government announced the capital would move

但在2015年，埃及政府宣佈首都將遷往

about 50 kilometers away...

約50公里外...

To this patch of empty desert.

為了這塊空曠的沙漠。

Which is quickly shaping up to be the New Administrative Capital of Egypt.

它正迅速成為埃及的新行政首都。

This is where a new presidential palace will go...

這是一個新的總統府將去的地方...

the new Parliament building and a new public square.

新的議會大廈和一個新的公共廣場。

Egypt's government, led by president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi

由總統阿卜杜勒-法塔赫-塞西上司的埃及政府

claims this new city will solve a specific problem:

聲稱這個新城市將解決一個具體問題。

Cairo's overpopulation.

開羅的人口過剩。

But the country has a long history of building new cities to decongest Cairo.

但該國在建設新城市以緩解開羅的擁擠方面有著悠久的歷史。

Many of them sit outside the city today.

他們中的許多人今天坐在城外。

So, why is Cairo's population still considered a ticking time bomb?

那麼，為什麼開羅的人口仍然被認為是一顆定時炸彈？

And what's the real reason behind this new capital?

那麼這個新資本背後的真正原因是什麼呢？

There's a population counter outside one of the ministries.

在其中一個部的外面有一個人口計數器。

It's mundane, but it also

它是平凡的，但也是

it's red, flashing lights with these colors is almost always like telling people...

它是紅色的，用這些顏色閃燈幾乎總是像告訴人們...

A little too many of you are here.

你們在這裡的人有點多了。

This is Mohamed Elshahed

這是穆罕默德-埃爾沙赫德

an architectural historian who studies urban development in Egypt.

一位研究埃及城市發展的建築歷史學家。

And I find this to be quite a dangerous narrative especially since that's actually not the case.

我發現這是一個相當危險的敘述，特別是因為實際上情況並非如此。

Egypt's home to more than 100 million people.

埃及是1億多人的家園。

And about 20% of them live within the boundaries of Greater Cairo.

而其中約有20%的人居住在大開羅地區的範圍內。

The city has one of the highest population densities

該市是人口密度最高的城市之一

in the world

在世界上

with 153,000 people per square kilometer at its peak.

最高峰時每平方公里有153,000人。

That's higher than New York, London, and Shanghai.

這比紐約、倫敦和上海都要高。

What we know as Cairo, today, was officially founded on the banks of the Nile

我們今天所知道的開羅，是在尼羅河畔正式成立的。

in the 10th century, as the capital of the Arab Fatimid Caliphate.

在10世紀，作為阿拉伯法蒂瑪王朝哈里發的首都。

The city had to be built near the river

這座城市必須建在河邊

because the rest of the region was barren desert.

因為該地區的其他地方是貧瘠的沙漠。

Over the next several centuries, each ruler built expansions of Cairo

在接下來的幾個世紀裡，每一位統治者都在開羅建造了擴建的建築。

close to the fertile banks.

靠近肥沃的河岸。

The Ottomans built these areas...

奧斯曼人建造了這些地區...

and the British added these suburbs during their decades-long occupation of Egypt.

而英國人在佔領埃及的數十年間增加了這些郊區。

In the 1950s, when the British left and Egypt became a republic

在20世紀50年代，當英國人離開，埃及成為一個共和國的時候

Cairo was by far the biggest city.

開羅是迄今為止最大的城市。

In the 50s, 60s and 70s, millions of impoverished Egyptians from the countryside

在50年代、60年代和70年代，數百萬來自農村的貧窮的埃及人

moved to Cairo in search of opportunities and better living conditions.

為了尋找機會和更好的生活條件，他們搬到了開羅。

But the city that was built haphazardly along the river

但是，沿著河流胡亂建造的城市

wasn't equipped to house more people.

沒有裝備來容納更多的人。

The city sort of was already kind of shaped and demarcated

這座城市已經有了一定的形狀和分界線。

and the green areas around it were left agricultural.

而它周圍的綠色區域則被留作農業用地。

And it's those areas that were cheap

而正是這些領域的廉價

and close enough to those amenities that allowed then people to step in.

而且離那些允許當時的人介入的設施足夠近。

Since the housing that was available was completely not sufficient.

因為現有的住房完全不夠用。

So farmers started selling small slices of their agricultural land to the migrants.

是以，農民開始向移民出售他們的小片農田。

A lot of people have to build for themselves with little money.

很多人不得不用很少的錢為自己建設。

So together, so entire families would go vertical on a small plot of land.

是以，在一起，所以整個家庭會在一小塊土地上進行垂直管理。

These were the first informal and technically illegal neighborhoods.

這些是第一批非正式的、技術上非法的街區。

It's informal because it's not, you know, given licenses for construction.

它是非正式的，因為它沒有，你知道的，被授予建築許可證。

It's built outside of the economy, that is the “official economy".

它是建立在經濟之外的，也就是 "官方經濟"。

And I think this is actually the result of the fact that

而我認為這實際上是以下事實的結果

the economic system really excluded the majority of the population.

經濟體系確實將大多數人排除在外。

For decades, Egypt's government failed to build affordable housing

幾十年來，埃及政府未能建造經濟適用房

or invest in public services and infrastructure to support the explosive growth

或投資於公共服務和基礎設施以支持爆炸性增長

in Cairo's density.

在開羅的密度。

And that meant these unplanned and informal neighborhoods

而這意味著這些沒有規劃的、非正式的社區

continued to get more and more crowded until it became a crisis.

繼續變得越來越擁擠，直到它成為一個危機。

"Egypt's capital is bursting at the seams."

"埃及的首都正在爆裂。"

"Cairo is equipped to handle around 3 million, in fact,

"事實上，開羅的設備可以處理大約300萬。

it's home to 8 million."

它是800萬人口的家園。"

"Housing is an area of desperate need."

"住房是一個迫切需要的領域"。

"Many people in Cairo live in makeshift shacks

"開羅的許多人住在臨時搭建的棚子裡

in the city's center and in much worse conditions in the suburbs."

在城市中心，條件更差的是郊區"。

Today, these informal neighborhoods are home to 60% of Cairo's population.

今天，這些非正式的社區是開羅60%人口的家。

Most of them are inhabited by the poor

其中大多數是窮人居住的地方。

but many have evolved into middle class neighborhoods.

但許多已經演變成了中產階級的社區。

Collectively, these are the most crowded areas of Cairo.

總的來說，這些是開羅最擁擠的地區。

And Egypt's government, under Sisi, points to them

而塞西上司的埃及政府則指出，他們

as the real problem behind Cairo's overcrowding.

作為開羅過度擁擠背後的真正問題。

I find this to be a very problematic narrative because then we take a question of

我發現這是一個非常有問題的敘述，因為我們把一個問題

let's say, bad design or bad management from a state perspective

比方說，從國家的角度來看，設計不良或管理不良

and turn the blame on actually the people who are suffering

並把責任推給正在受苦的人

from the bad design and the bad policies

糟糕的設計和糟糕的政策

and say, there's just too many of you.

並說，你們人太多了。

In fact, the government still considers them illegal, referring to them as slums.

事實上，政府仍然認為它們是非法的，把它們稱為貧民窟。

From the point of view of the state, calling an area a slum facilitates its removal.

從國家的角度來看，稱一個地區為貧民窟有利於其拆除。

In 2019, the government announced it would eradicate Cairo's slums by 2030.

2019年，政府宣佈將在2030年前消除開羅的貧民窟。

Many neighborhoods will be redeveloped as affluent housing

許多社區將被重新開發為富人區

while thousands of residents will be forcibly pushed out of their homes

而成千上萬的居民將被強行趕出他們的家園

and into affordable housing outside the city.

並進入城外的經濟適用房。

But instead of focusing on sufficient affordable housing

但沒有把重點放在足夠的經濟適用房上

they invested billions of dollars in a whole new city elsewhere.

他們在其他地方投資數十億美元建造一個全新的城市。

And it's not the first time an Egyptian ruler

而且這也不是埃及統治者第一次

has tried to solve the crisis by starting fresh in the desert.

試圖通過在沙漠中重新開始來解決這一危機。

"A building boom is in progress."

"一場建築熱潮正在進行中"。

"New apartment blocks are going up at a greater rate

"新的公寓樓正在以更大的速度拔地而起

since the start of Nasser's Revolution."

自納賽爾革命開始以來，"。

The concept of a new city as a solution for Cairo's growing population began in the 1950s.

作為解決開羅不斷增長的人口的方案，建立一個新城市的概念開始於20世紀50年代。

The first attempt was under President Gamal Abdel Nasser

第一次嘗試是在賈邁勒-阿卜杜勒-納賽爾總統時期

who ordered the construction of a new city called Nasr City.

他下令建造一個名為納斯爾城的新城市。

It was also designed to be a new capital at the time.

它在當時也被設計成一個新的首都。

There would be space for government buildings, markets, and a huge new stadium.

這裡將有空間用於政府大樓、市場和一個巨大的新體育場。

But there was a big flaw.

但是有一個很大的缺陷。

The plan didn't involve affordable housing

該計劃並不涉及經濟適用房

for the people in Cairo's most crowded areas.

為開羅最擁擠地區的人們提供服務。

The need was for a lot of lower class housing.

當時需要大量的低級別的住房。

But that wasn't going to be placed in the new capital.

但這並不打算放在新的資本中。

Nobody wants to build a shiny new capital and then fill it with low cost housing.

沒有人願意建造一個閃亮的新首都，然後用低成本的住房填滿它。

So it's sort of a trend that already starts there.

是以，這是一種已經在那裡開始的趨勢。

By the 1970s, Egypt had a new leader, Anwar Sadat

到1970年代，埃及有了新的領導人，安瓦爾-薩達特

who didn't end up moving the capitol to Nasr City.

他最終沒有把首都遷到納斯爾城。

But he really leaned into the trend of building 'desert cities'.

但他真正靠攏了建設 "沙漠城市 "的趨勢。

Starting in 1976, Egypt's government built 8 new cities

從1976年開始，埃及政府建造了8個新城市

in the desert around Cairo.

在開羅周圍的沙漠中。

Each time they claimed the goal was to alleviate overcrowding.

每次他們都聲稱其目的是為了緩解過度擁擠。

But, most included only expensive housing.

但是，大多數只包括昂貴的住房。

And barely any featured public transportation

而且幾乎沒有任何有特色的公共交通工具

making them inaccessible for anyone without a car.

使得沒有汽車的人無法進入這些地方。

That's why today, many of these desert cities are only partially occupied.

這就是為什麼今天這些沙漠中的許多城市只被部分佔領。

Most who have moved here are Cairo's middle and upper class residents.

大多數搬到這裡的人都是開羅的中產階級和上層居民。

That means that the majority of the population that's squeezed in the little green belt

這意味著被擠壓在小綠化帶中的大部分人口

that's now urbanized around the Nile are kind of X'd-out of these developments.

現在尼羅河周圍的城市化是一種X-d-出這些發展。

So we're looking at a condition that's a result of

是以，我們正在尋找一種條件，是由以下原因造成的

I would say, 3 to 4 decades in particular of

我想說，特別是三到四十年的

misguided policy that

誤導性的政策，即

looks to the outside of the city.

看向城市的外面。

President Sisi is continuing that trend with his new capital.

塞西總統正在用他的新首都繼續這一趨勢。

These areas are designated for housing, but mostly

這些地區被指定為住房區，但主要是

for middle and upper class residents.

為中產階級和上層階級的居民。

Those people are not moving in with handouts.

這些人不是靠施捨搬來的。

They're buying their those properties.

他們正在購買他們的那些房產。

And so the main target audience is, again, a moneyed class.

是以，主要的目標閱聽人又是有錢人階層。

I think the housing for low-income communities will be included in the capital

我認為低收入社區的住房將包括在資本中。

but definitely very limited.

但肯定非常有限。

All of this land will be used for government buildings

這些土地將全部用於建造政府大樓

and this section will be a business district

而這部分將是一個商業區

featuring this soon-to-be-tallest building in Africa.

以這座即將成為非洲最高的建築為特色。

So, if this new capital isn't really about solving Cairo's population density crisis

是以，如果這個新首都不是真的為了解決開羅的人口密度危機

why is the government so determined to build it?

為什麼政府如此堅決地要建造它？

In 2011, protests erupted in Egypt over police brutality.

2011年，埃及爆發了對警察暴行的抗議活動。

And they quickly evolved into widespread calls

而他們很快就演變成了廣泛的呼籲

for the resignation of Egypt's ruler of 30 years,

為埃及30年來的統治者辭職。

Hosni Mubarak.

胡斯尼-穆巴拉克。

Demonstrations took place all over Egypt.

埃及各地都發生了示威活動。

But the biggest were in Cairo.

但最大的是在開羅。

Specifically, Tahrir Square.

具體來說，就是解放廣場。

It's been the epicenter of many political demonstrations

它是許多政治示威活動的中心。

since the early 20th century.

自20世紀初以來。

Largely because it's so close to Egyptian government buildings, including the Parliament.

主要是因為它離埃及政府大樓非常近，包括議會。

In 2011, millions of people occupied Tahrir Square for 18 days.

2011年，數百萬人佔領瞭解放廣場，為期18天。

They set up roadblocks...

他們設置了路障...

and battled with police.

並與警察進行了搏鬥。

On February 11, thousands marched from Tahrir Square

2月11日，成千上萬的人從解放廣場遊行

to the presidential palace, 10 km away

到總統府，距離10公里

where they ultimately forced Mubarak to step down.

在那裡他們最終迫使穆巴拉克下臺。

The ability to control Tahrir Square and inner Cairo

有能力控制解放廣場和開羅內城

allowed the protestors to effectively paralyze the government.

讓抗議者有效地癱瘓了政府。

Making their presence and their demands impossible to ignore.

使他們的存在和他們的要求無法被忽視。

Sisi remembers that.

塞西記住了這一點。

He was the head of Egypt's powerful military when he seized power in 2013

他在2013年奪取政權時是埃及強大軍隊的首腦

on the heels of the revolution.

在革命的腳步聲中。

Barely a month after taking power

掌權後不到一個月

he commanded his soldiers and police to crack down

他指揮他的阿兵哥和警察進行鎮壓

on protestors who opposed him.

對反對他的抗議者。

The brutal raid killed more than 800 people.

這次野蠻的突襲造成800多人死亡。

Ever since, he's been systematically trying to prevent

從那時起，他就開始系統地試圖阻止

a revolution that could topple him.

一場可以顛覆他的革命。

His government has shut down political dissents, punished journalists, and hindered free speech.

他的政府關閉了政治異議，懲罰了記者，並阻礙了自由言論。

Now, they are redesigning several aspects of Cairo

現在，他們正在重新設計開羅的幾個方面

to make the city harder to protest in.

以使這個城市更難被抗議。

They've widened dozens of streets

他們已經拓寬了幾十條街道

making it more difficult to erect road-blocks.

使得設置路障更加困難。

And they plan to add 40 bridges

而且他們計劃增加40座橋樑

which will give the military and police easier access to the city center.

這將使軍隊和警察更容易進入城市中心。

Sisi's government has also renovated Tahrir Square

塞西的政府還對解放廣場進行了修繕

adding giant monuments and private security guards

增加巨大的紀念碑和私人保鏢

which, some experts, say will make it harder for large crowds to gather.

一些專家說，這將使大型人群更難聚集。

Now, they're taking the final step:

現在，他們正在採取最後的步驟。

removing the government entirely from Cairo.

將政府完全從開羅撤出。

Just 7 years after announcing the construction of the new capital

在宣佈建設新首都僅僅7年之後

government officials are starting to move into these new buildings.

政府官員開始搬進這些新樓。

Once that's complete, all of Egypt's political power, including Sisi

一旦完成，埃及的所有政治權力，包括塞西

will be concentrated here... almost 50 kilometers from Cairo.

將集中在這裡......距離開羅近50公里。

And it will all be under heavy guard:

而這一切都將在嚴密的警衛下進行。

this is the military's sprawling complex nearby.

這是軍方在附近的龐大的建築群。

Even though there is a public square, called the People's Piazza

儘管有一個公共廣場，稱為人民廣場

it's hard to imagine millions of people

很難想象數以百萬計的人

making the journey from Cairo to demonstrate here.

從開羅到這裡展示的旅程。

And that may be the point.

而這可能就是問題的關鍵。

The distance, plus the military presence

距離，加上軍事存在

will allow Sisi to defend his power in case of an uprising.

將使塞西在發生起義時能夠捍衛自己的權力。

So instead of a capital that offers a solution for the people of Cairo

是以，與其說是一個為開羅人民提供解決方案的資本

this city is designed to move the government out of their reach.

這個城市的目的是將政府移出他們的範圍。