The world is in the midst of a city-building boom
Everyone, from Donald Trump and Peter Thiel to Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, is getting involved
![The central business district under construction in the New Administrative Capital, Egypt](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240309_FNP502.jpg)
Africa’s tallest building is rising under empty skies. Beneath the Iconic Tower in northern Egypt sits a city that officials expect to one day house 6.5m people. For now, though, it is mostly empty—like the desert that came before it.
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This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “Boom: towns”
Finance & economics March 9th 2024
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