World Bank, gov't hire Israel firm to plan for five new cities

The government of Uganda and World Bank have hired an Israel Architect, Yigal Tzamir to draw the country's National Development Physical plan.

The plan will include five new cities, industrial parks and a network of infrastructure, like roads and rails for light trains.

According to the website for the Haaretz newspaper, Tzamir won the tender a few days before Israel Prime Minister, Benjamin Natenyahu visited Uganda.

Natenyahu was in Uganda on July 4 to mark 40 years since his country's military raided Entebbe International Airport to rescue dozens of Israelites who had been taken hostage by terrorists.  
 
The spokesperson of Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Denis Obbo confirmed the development. Obbo told New Vision that the government will co-fund the project with World Bank.  

He said the Israelite won the tender after a competitive bidding process initiated by the Uganda government. "He will table his papers and costs anytime," Obbo said.

Tzamir, a Professor who has taught at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, said Uganda's national development physical plan will be based on the collection of surveys that have been carried out in the country.

He will work with a team of local planners to execute the task.

Source said Tzamir has in the past drawn plans for Kampala, blueprints for Haifa Bay area in Israel and the master plan for northern Israel.

He said the five new cities in the plan will be trade and high-tech based.
"They will also have locales of different degrees of economic importance," he said. "Their construction will be dense and there will be complexes with inner courtyards and a network of green areas that allow for the sort of inner life because this is a communal society that lives in the streets a lot," he said.

The chairperson of the National Planning Authority (NPA), Kisamba Mugerwa told New Vision that the national development physical plan was long overdue.