Iraq to build 20 new cities
A view of Baghdad, Iraq’s capital.
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Amid efforts to address the overcrowding crisis in major Iraqi cities and the enormous pressure it creates on infrastructure and services, the Iraqi Minister of Construction, Housing and Public Municipalities, Bangen Rekani, revealed that the designs of more than 20 new residential cities have been completed.
During his speech at the ministry’s first conference, entitled ‘The Government Program and Solution to the Housing Crisis,’ Rekani stressed that the deterioration in the housing infrastructure led to a housing crisis.
Rekani explained that three out of the 20 new cities will be constructed in the Baghdad governorate.
The Iraqi minister indicated that the population in Iraq has doubled since 2003 and that Iraqis residing in urban areas represent 70 percent of the population compared to rural areas, which has led to pressure on cities and the emergence of slums.
Rekani elaborated that the number of housing units built with governmental funding since 2003 is less than 7,000.
The Iraqi official noted that the new cities will greatly help in solving the housing problem.
Experts see that continuing to build these cities will address the worsening housing problem in a country with a population of more than 43 million people, create job opportunities, and end congestion in Iraqi cities.