{"id":622392,"date":"2024-06-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-05T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/hardhats\/smart-mobility-could-help-solve-egypts-urbanization-issues-and-promote-sustainability\/"},"modified":"2024-06-05T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-06-05T00:00:00","slug":"smart-mobility-could-help-solve-egypts-urbanization-issues-and-promote-sustainability","status":"publish","type":"hardhat","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/hardhats\/smart-mobility-could-help-solve-egypts-urbanization-issues-and-promote-sustainability\/","title":{"rendered":"Smart mobility could help solve Egypt\u2019s urbanization issues and promote sustainability"},"content":{"rendered":"

Egypt\u2019s green transition requires greater smart mobility investment: <\/strong>Investing in smart mobility is key to helping countries faced with modern urbanization challenges build sustainable cities and economies. Smart mobility projects will be key to reducing the country\u2019s chronic urban issues, but there are big hurdles to overcome and Egypt remains behind its Gulf neighbors when it comes to smart mobility investment, writes Tarek Selim from the World Economic Forum\u2019s Global Economic Council in an essay within strategic comms firm BLJ\u2019s<\/a> recently released MENA Tech 2024: Mapping the Technology Landscape report (pdf)<\/a>. <\/p>\n

But first of all, what do we mean when we say smart mobility? <\/strong>Smart mobility is a new way to think about transportation and infrastructure to make it \u201cclean, more safe and more efficient,\u201d writes Selim. Whether for existing cities and regions or new ones under construction, the notion of smart mobility pushes us to put in place and create infrastructure for different modes of transport to reduce our reliance on privately owned cars. Smart mobility is about using modern public transport networks and cities made to be traversable on foot or by bike aided by technology to create a healthier climate and residents.<\/p>\n

This is especially important for Egypt<\/strong>, the region\u2019s most populous country. Egypt is expected to witness rapid population growth in the next six years \u2014 with 20 mn more Egyptians to be added to the count between 2021-2030. A rising population and increasingly densely populated urban areas are compounding the country\u2019s struggles with pollution, inflation, informality, rising energy demand, poverty, public financing, and congestion, and Egypt should look to investments in smart mobility to help solve these issues, argues Selim. <\/p>\n

So far, the Gulf seems to be ahead in creating smart cities: <\/strong>Abu Dhabi and Dubai both made it into the top 20 of the International Institute for Management Development\u2019s Smart City Index 2024 (pdf)<\/a>, while Riyadh came in at 25th place, Doha came 48th and Jeddah came 55th. Towards the end of the list out of the 142 cities ranked, Cairo came in an unenviable 114th place, Amman 128th, and Tunis was ranked 137th, while Beirut and Sana\u2019a came in third and second from the bottom of the list.<\/p>\n

The Emirates has been leading the way with smart city initiatives that use smart<\/strong> mobility networks:<\/strong> Selim highlights the UAE\u2019s Smart Dubai Initiative to lower traffic congestion by moving 25% of transportation to autonomous modes by 2030 that is expected to free up USD 6 bn a year in consumer spending power based on the expected savings from using less fuel, having fewer accidents, reducing commute times 20-30 minutes on average and bringing down carbon emissions. Over in Abu Dhabi, Selim also points to Mubadala\u2019s Masdar City project to build an eco-friendly, low-carbon development home to some 40k residents.<\/p>\n

Saudi Arabia has also got some ambitious projects in the works: <\/strong>Saudi Arabia\u2019s under-construction NEOM project will use a mobility model that not only relies completely on renewables, but has no cars or roads \u2014 in the usual sense of the word \u2014 instead, mobility will be based on autonomous electric shuttles and on-demand high-speed underground transit systems. <\/p>\n

Egypt also has some projects in the pipeline with the idea of smart mobility at their<\/strong> center:<\/strong> The government\u2019s new administrative capital will be the country\u2019s first mega smart city, according to Selim, and is expected to house some 7 mn people. The city has been designed to run using smart mobility systems to manage traffic and encourage public transport, with traffic congestion sensors that use AI, a smart CCTV system, and a smart traffic operations center, Selim notes. <\/p>\n

But this isn\u2019t Egypt\u2019s first rodeo with smart mobility systems: <\/strong>The new capital followed the successful implementation of smaller smart mobility networks and cities in Egypt such as New Alamein City, Egypt International City of Olympics, and Borg Al Arab Technology Park. <\/p>\n

There are also proposed cross-border projects that Selim thinks could transform the<\/strong> region: <\/strong>An Egypt-Saudi causeway \u2014 connecting the Gulf to Egypt and North Africa until the Maghreb region \u2014 would \u201ctransform the sustainability, tourism, trade and logistics of the region to a whole new standard,\u201d suggests Selim. Selim also proposes a pan-Arab smart mobility railway network that \u201cif implemented, is poised to upgrade the sustainable livelihood of the region and the trade outlook of the world at large.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not all countries in the region are keep up though:<\/strong> While Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Egypt plan to and are already implementing smart cities and smart mobility systems, other areas of the MENA region are left behind, namely Sudan and Palestine, a divide driven by high financing constraints and security instability.<\/p>\n

The region as a whole is also lagging behind globally:<\/strong> Over the past several years, the MENA region has invested some USD 2.3 bn in smart mobility projects annually, which makes up only 1.9% of the globally spent USD 122 bn every year on smart mobility, according to Selim. By 2030, the global market potential for smart mobility investments is expected to reach USD 250 bn and in the MENA region only USD 6 bn.<\/p>\n

Selim identified six challenges facing the MENA region<\/strong> as it embarks on a smart mobility journey:<\/p>\n