New Capital City for the United States of America

A New Capital for the United States of America: Amerigo Project

An Informative Piece by Transportation Equity Specialist Jay Arzu

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Introduction The purpose of this paper is to explore the idea of moving the capital of the United States of America out of Washington DC to a new master planned smart city at the center of the country. The government of such a vast area depends to a great extent on communication, both outwards and inwards, and this is made easier if the seat of government is in a reasonably central position. It has added importance when — as in The United States — a high priority is placed on infrastructure renewal and rural development. A new capital could be a change to expand economic opportunities for Americans and creating a new center of hope.

Caption 1: Smith County, Kansas: The Geographic Center Why do we need a new capital When built Washington DC’s location in The United States was in the center of the new republic and this was fundamental to the growing nation’s democratic principles. A government of the people must be close to the people it serves. Washington DC’s location in the northeast makes it difficult for all Americans to fill connected to the government that serves the populace. This is a primary reason why The United States of America should establish a new capital city deep inside its interior.

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Caption 2. The Location of New Capital Territory (NCT) at Smith County Building a new capital city could encourage more economic investment and encourage more Americans on the coasts to move into the hinterland. The new capital city should be built in a sparsely populated area between Denver and Kansas City. The proposed area of the new capital would center on Smith County, Kansas. This specific area was chosen because of its central location, close proximity to the Republican River and because of the availability of land. All essential government Departments and the three branches of government will be relocated to the NCT.

Caption 3.Map of Smith County

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Design Competition The NCT Master Plan would be decided in an international design competition. The NCT site, in the geographical center of The United States of America, provides a magnificent opportunity for the creation of a new National Capital which could become the new symbol of the diverse heritage and aspirations of the American people. A National Capital Design competition would be held domestically.

The NCT’s competition would look for ideas that are connected to a better quality of life for residents and adherence to sustainable development goals. The design principles below are meant as a guide for participants of the design competition.

Caption 4: Design Principles Design Principles The new capital city of the United States must be a smart city designed for walkability, sustainability and economic growth. The NCT needs to have housing for all economic backgrounds so that it can become a place of upward mobility and class harmony. The new capital would need to house government agencies, the three branches of government and military installations. A monumental core in a scale similar to the National Mall should be built to honor great American citizens. The new government buildings built in the NCT should be built with democracy and transparency in mind. We want to create a new capital that Americans can feel connected too. The NCT should also have strict height limits

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similarly to Washington DC. New design and architectural practices should be used to create a unique capital unlike anything in existence.

Transportation Citizens of the new capital city will have multiple transportation options to get around. Major boulevards, small streets and the monumental core will have completely protected bike lanes. Interstate highways will not be built inside the NCT, instead they will be located on the outside of the city. Visitors will use the NCT’s boulevards and Parkways to enter the city. The initial population of the NCT will not support heavy rail (HRT) or light rail transportation (LRT), so the NCT will get bus rapid transit with dedicated lanes in the center of the NCT’s major boulevards, parkways and streets. The NCT will be connected to both Denver and Kansas City by rail and a new rail station should be built for the new capital. A new international airport will be built far outside the city, it will be connected to the NCT initially by bus rapid transit and in the long term light rail or commuter rail.

Housing To create enough housing for government workers, visitors, tourists and guests modular construction should be used. This offers some construction advantages because modeler housing has a much shorter construction period and the ability to work without disruptions from weather related issues.

The preference should be to build passive apartments across the NCT. Passive housing standards requires buildings to use 80% less energy than a comparable conventional building. This means that building teams must employ multiple layers of insulation in the walls, roof and flooring of a given building, Caption 5: Passive Housing Standards Parkland and Placemaking The NCT should be a city connected by linear parks and engaging public plaza’s and squares. The city should feel very green and have large amounts of tree cover. Government buildings, memorials and housing will line these new greenspaces. The Emerald necklace in Boston should be used as an example of connected linear parks. In Egypt, The New Administrative Capital (Caption 1) directly connects its residential zones to the city’s monumental core via small finger like parks. This creates a healthy green atmosphere that improves a citizens quality of life. Great placemaking will make the NCT a great place to visit and a better place to live.

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Case Studies: Abuja, Nigeria and The New Administrative Capital, Egypt Many countries choose to move their capital cities for various reasons. Countries usually change their capital cities because they want some degree of political, social, or economic reform. In 1991, Nigeria Africa's most populated country, moved their capitol from Lagos to the master planned city Abuja because of overcrowding and congestion. Abuja was also deemed to be a more neutral for Nigeria's many ethnic and religious groups. 1

Caption 7: The New Administrative Capital of Egypt The newest country to relocate their capital city is Egypt. Cairo, home to 19.5 Million Egyptians has become too crowded for the government to properly function. This is due to heavy congestion and poor infrastructure. Egypt’s New Administrative capital is being built on a flat stretch of desert between the Nile River and the Suez Canal. The new capital city is currently a giant construction zone, but work is progressing at breakneck speed. It is slated to be larger than Singapore and will eventually be home to 6.5 million people.2 The government is set to move 34 government ministries, including the presidential complex to the new capital in June 2019, just four years after the project was announced by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.3 When completed The New Administrative Capital will be the world’s largest smart city.

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Walker, Rose. “Countries Which Have Moved Their Capital City.” The Telegraph, 29 Aug. 2014, www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/argentina/11064008/Countries-which-have-moved-theircapital-city.html.

2 Elbaum, Rachel. “Egypt Builds a New Capital City to Replace Cairo.” NBC News , 8 Aug. 2018, www.nbcnews.com/news/world/egypt-builds-new-capital-city-replace-cairo-n893606.

3 Elbaum, Rachel. “Egypt Builds a New Capital City to Replace Cairo.” NBC News , 8 Aug. 2018, www.nbcnews.com/news/world/egypt-builds-new-capital-city-replace-cairo-n893606.

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