- The New City around Benghazi    click here to open paper content2412 kb
by    Giaber, Fatma & El-Emara Engineering Bureau, | buzeriba@hotmail.com   click here to send an email to the auther(s) of this paper
Short Outline
Preparing plans and designs for housing and infra-structure for a settlement in Rajma area southeast of Benghazi, the second largest town in Libya.
Abstract
''Statement of the Problem''

Emara Engineering Bureau was commissioned to prepare plans and designs for
housing and infra-structure for a settlement in Rajma area southeast of
Benghazi, the second largest town in Libya. The housing and infra- structure
development was an attempt to solve the housing expansion problems facing
Benghazi. After preliminary studies were conducted it became clear to all
concerned that the problem was bigger than originally anticipated and major
solutions must be considered to treat the root causes of the urban problems
facing Benghazi.

''The Preliminary Study''

The preliminary study considered four alternatives

one alternative considered in the study was establishing a new satellite
town for approximately 100,000 inhabitants as a first stage. This solution
was adopted by Emara Engineering Bureau in consultation with the Secretariat
of Utilities in Benghazi, the main sponsor of the undertaking.

''The Strategic Study''

Immediately after adopting the New Town option, it became apparent that this
project presents major challenges that neither Emara nor the Secretariat of
utilities in Benghazi has ever face. Therefore a study was commissioned to
study a selected group of new towns projects experiences (local, regional
and international) to try to establish the lessons learned from these
projects in all aspects: legal, economic, political, planning,
architectural, engineering, management…etc.

The selected experiences were as follows:

1. The local Libyan experience which is mainly in the New Town Projects of
Brega, Ras Lanuf, and Sarir.
2. The regional experiences of Saudi Arabia and Egypt with a major emphasis
on Egypt due to its proximity to Libya, the large and diverse extent of the
experience and the similarity of the local conditions to Libya regarding the
transitional political and economic climate from a controlled economy to a
market economy.
3. The international experiences included in the study were the British,
French and American new towns.

The following are among the objectives of the study:

1. To establish the success factors for successful projects and the causes
of failure for the less successful.
2. To establish the common features of new towns projects.
3. To compare the financing strategies of the different projects.
4. To study and compare the management structure and regulations of each.
5. To establish a time frame for the execution of the project.
6. To update the Bureau's planning Information Database.
7. To evaluate the different options form the economic base of the new
town.
8. To evaluate the different morphological options for the new town and its
relationship to the mother town.
9. To establish the base cost for the town and its different components.

Status of the Study

The study is now complete and has been presented to the local government in
Benghazi. However, one of the main conclusions of the study was that no new
town project was successful unless it was part of a regional and national
strategy that adopts new towns as a chosen strategy for urban development.
Therefore, the Bureau is preparing to present the study to the next higher
level of government.
Keywords
Benghazi
Case Study presented on the ISOCARP Congress 2002: The Pulsar Effect
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