Urbanization and Authoritarian Governance in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital

State-led urbanization in authoritarian regimes often extends beyond infrastructure, serving as a tool to consolidate power and reshape socio-political relations. Egypt’s New Administrative Capital (NAC), a multi-billion-dollar project located east of Cairo, exemplifies this phenomenon. While presented as a solution to overpopulation and infrastructural challenges, the NAC functions as a mechanism for regime consolidation, isolating political elites from historic centers of dissent and reinforcing authoritarian control. Drawing on comparative cases such as Astana and Naypyidaw, this study examines how purpose-built capitals enable elite centralization, social control, and the projection of state legitimacy. Using thematic analysis of policy documents, official narratives, media coverage, and social media discourse, the research explores government strategies, public perceptions, and forms of resistance. The NAC also highlights the socio-economic costs of such projects, including displacement of marginalized populations and privileging of elite interests. By integrating insights from comparative politics and urban studies, this study illuminates the intersection of urban development and authoritarian governance in the Middle East, demonstrating how megaprojects serve not only as instruments of modernization but also as mechanisms of power consolidation.