Future Cities

Show #1

Cairo

The big talking point in Cairo is the traffic congestion - it is sucking the economic lifeblood out of the Egyptian capital. Behind the wheel, discipline is in short supply and the roads were designed to carry a fraction of today's load. Over-populated and polluted, this mega-city on the Nile is choking on its own growth. We first take an overview of the city's problems and then look in particular at the transport initiatives of "Project Cairo 2050", a government blueprint to improve the quality of life. Richard Quest samples the hectic streets for himself and seeks salvation underground on Cairo's expanding metro system - the only one on the African continent.

Next we meet Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. He's on a mission to protect Egypt's ancient sites, monuments and treasures from the increasing demands of mass tourism. Top of the list is the revamp of the Giza Plateau. No more will the Sphinx and Pyramids be threatened by Cairo's urban sprawl and marauding tourists. Richard Quest also marvels at Tutankhamun's death mask in Cairo's famous Egyptian Museum, and we see the construction site of what will become the mask’s new home. Scheduled to open in 2013, next door to the pyramids, the $700 million Grand Museum is set to become the largest museum in the world. Cairo is investing heavily in its past to protect its future.