What in the World cover image

What in the World

Why governments are building huge cities from scratch

Oct 23, 2023
Learn about why governments construct new capital cities like Nay Pyi Taw in Myanmar and Nusantara in Indonesia. Discover the ambitious plans for an eco-city in Saudi Arabia called The Line. Explore the challenges and motivations behind building new cities from scratch and their impact on the environment and population.
15:43

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Governments build new capital cities to have better control over outlying areas and develop them, but also due to paranoia about foreign attacks.
  • The construction of new capital cities, such as Nusantara in Indonesia, raises concerns about environmental impact and human rights issues.

Deep dives

The Creation of Mepi-Door: A New Capital City in Myanmar

Myanmar's previous military regime secretly constructed a new capital city called Mepi-Door in 2005. The regime's official reason behind the move was to have better control over outlying areas and develop them. However, the regime's paranoia about foreign attacks, influenced by events in Iraq and Libya, also played a role. The new capital city, while well-designed with tree-lined streets and prominent buildings, remains sparsely populated, mainly consisting of civil servants and their families.

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