Tehran, a metropolis of 15 million folks, suffers from persistent site visitors congestion, air air pollution, water shortages and the specter of earthquakes.
The extreme focus of services and authorities places of work has made Tehran a really crowded place. Tehran’s inhabitants density is 11,969 folks per sq. kilometer, greater than 180 occasions larger than the Iranian common.
The metropolis has greater than 20 million journeys each day, with greater than 4 million automobiles and three million bikes plying its streets, inflicting 71% of Tehran’s air air pollution.
Population distribution and the state of financial exercise are the largest elements on this state of affairs. According to estimates, greater than 20% of the inhabitants and 30% of the gross home product are concentrated within the capital.
The concept of relocating the capital isn’t with out precedent. In 1911, British India moved its capital from Calcutta to Delhi and created town of New Delhi. Turkish nationalists moved their capital from Istanbul to Ankara within the Twenties, and Brazilians moved their capital from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia in 1960.
Indonesia plans to maneuver its capital from congested and sinking Jakarta to Nusantara, a $32 billion metropolis being constructed within the jungles of East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo.
Throughout its historical past, starting in 2700 BC, Iran has had 54 capitals, every with a definite chapter, from the Achaemenid “golden age” of Persepolis to the Safavid architectural surprise of Isfahan. I’m.
Tehran was first chosen because the capital of Iran by Agha Mohammad Khan of the Qajar dynasty in 1786 and has remained the nation’s political, social, financial, and cultural heart ever since.
But its days look like numbered, with successive governments insisting on establishing new main cities.
Tehran, tucked away on the slopes of Mount Elburz, is susceptible to earthquakes on account of its many main fault strains. The metropolis can also be surrounded by mountains, which lure pollution which might be blown throughout the area by winds that primarily blow from the west and south.
If Tehran, Iran’s most populous metropolis and its political and administrative capital, have been to be hit by a robust earthquake, it may spark a widespread political and social disaster. Therefore, there isn’t a advantage within the argument for relocating the capital, and it can’t be ignored.
To this record we will add social, environmental, safety and repair supply points, in addition to exorbitant actual property costs.
The challenges posed by Tehran’s fast inhabitants progress and elevated demand for housing, which is inexplicably pegged to the greenback, have perpetually modified the lives of many households.
Some of the staunch opponents of relocating the capital are mentioned to be curiosity teams on this complicated actual property market, because it may cut back hypothesis and curb value will increase.
Other opponents of the plan cite the massive prices concerned, together with constructing new authorities infrastructure and convincing residents and companies to relocate amid sanctions and monetary constraints.
The third group believes {that a} median resolution, taking into consideration the present state of affairs and drawing on the expertise of different international locations, is the best choice, together with the switch of some features from Tehran, corresponding to administrative duties. .
Under this plan, public and political capital could possibly be maintained, however the administrative capital could be moved to a different metropolis with out imposing vital prices on the general public treasury.
What is required is decentralization and decongestion, which routinely solves many issues with far-reaching implications and reduces the adverse results of large-scale relocation.
MNA/