African Entrepreneurship Records

Chapter 888 Site Selection in Rhine City

 July 4, 1894.

After an on-site inspection, the East African government sent a new Frankfurt city survey team to screen Ernst's requirements one by one and finally selected a potential site in Rhine City. The team leader Bales finally reported to Ernst. special.

“Based on the investigation around New Frankfurt City and after considering various factors, we determined that a place about 49 kilometers southeast of New Frankfurt City and about 70 kilometers northeast of Kabwe is the most suitable location for Rhine City.”

"First of all, the Rensemfowa River passes through here, so there is no problem with urban water sources. There is definitely no problem that a city is best built around the river. This is true for most cities in the world, such as our capital city. The town is built on the Little Rhine, and most of the city’s water comes from the Little Rhine, which also has agricultural irrigation and shipping values.”

“Of course, shipping is difficult to achieve on the Rensemfowa River, which is a tributary of the Zambezi River. The tributaries of the Luangwa River, including the Zambezi River, cannot be navigable on a large scale, and the Rensem The Foix River has also inherited this. The river has a large drop, and its shipping value cannot be improved unless a lock is built. "

“However, there are also benefits in reverse. For example, the local hydropower potential is huge, especially near the area we selected. After confirmation by the Ministry of Water Resources, it is suitable to cut off the river, build a dam, and build an artificial reservoir. This will form a large area. Big lake.”

Ernst has some impressions of this, because in Zambia's previous life, the Rensemfuwa Dam was built here to provide power generation for the city of Kabwe and also has a breeding function, forming the Mita Mountain Reservoir with a large area. .

So Ernst said: "This idea is good, but we have no idea of ​​building large dams for the time being. After all, the technology is not yet mature. It would not be good if an accident occurs or waste is caused."

This is based on the lessons learned from the Kariba Reservoir in the previous life. In Ernst’s view, the earlier the dam is built, the greater the risk and the lower the efficiency. Especially for such large-scale projects, it is better to build them as late as possible. Now some projects in East Africa This is why hydropower stations are built on small rivers.

If the Rensemfowa River Reservoir is built, it will not be a small project, but a very huge project.

Bales naturally had an explanation for this: "Your Royal Highness, we have also taken this into consideration, so the location of Rhine City is still a certain distance from the Rensemfowa River, rather than being built on the riverside like the first town. , The water conservancy department has set aside a sufficient safe distance based on the local topography, so even if there is an idea to build the Rensemfowa River Reservoir in the future, it will not threaten the safety of the Rhine City. "

"At the same time, the Rhine City is under construction and its main transportation relies on railways and roads, so it does not need to be too close to the river. The use of the Rensemfowa River is still mainly based on urban water supply and agricultural irrigation, and these rely on The tributaries of the Rensemfowa River can do this, as are New Frankfurt City and Kabwe. One of them rose because of the railway hub and the other because of mineral development, not because of the local river. Otherwise, at that time Just choose to be near a river.”

Ernst nodded and said: "If so, it is indeed a feasible solution, and it will reserve space for future reservoir development and facilitate the future sustainable development of Rhine City. Go on and talk about the local advantages and disadvantages."

Bales said: "The local climate, topography, water and soil, transportation, etc. basically meet the requirements of His Highness. The temperature is basically the same as that of New Frankfurt. The terrain is also relatively flat. Although there are also ups and downs, they are mainly in the lower reaches of the Rensemfowa River. , It will not have much impact on the place we selected, it is convenient for the construction of railways and roads, and it is connected to the new Frankfurt railway hub. No matter from any aspect, there are no obvious shortcomings in the local area.”

"Of course, all this depends on the later construction of Rhine City. If the follow-up construction and planning are not in place, it will definitely have some negative impacts. Therefore, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince needs to give more opinions on this point. We can also follow your requirements. Targeted transformation of Rhine City.”

Ernst really has some requirements for the new capital. After all, this is not the first time that East Africa has built a capital city. It has already had some experience in building the first town and city before, and the long-term use of the first town and city as the capital has also reflected some problems.

Ernst thought for a while and then said: "First of all, it is the size of the city. The first town is still too small, coupled with the extravagance and waste in urban planning, so it seems a bit secluded. This makes it difficult to adapt to it after staying for a long time. Therefore, the Rhine City should learn from European countries in terms of size and population design, and it should not be limited to administrative functions. Ernst naturally did not think so in the past. After all, Ernst was used to living in big cities in the 21st century, but he felt that small cities were more suitable. Well, in addition to the fact that First Town was not the most ideal capital location in Ernst's mind at that time, the expansion of First Town over the years has not been significant.

 So after living in the first town for so many years, Ernst was a little tired of this lifeless feeling, so it would be better for the new capital to have a larger population and be more lively.

So Ernst mentioned: "Among many cities, the one that has satisfied me the most in recent years is Vienna. Considering the future development prospects of East African cities, the optimal population size of the Rhine City should be between 50 and 3 million." about."

This number spans a bit. After all, the only city in East Africa with a population of more than 500,000 is Dar es Salaam, and the second largest city, Mombasa, has a population of only close to 500,000.

 3 million, which is a standard that many cities in Europe have not reached today, including large cities such as Berlin, Vienna and St. Petersburg.

Of course, there is a reason for Ernst to mention this number. First of all, the Rhine City must be built according to the standards of a city with a population of at least three million to avoid having to deal with urban expansion problems in the future, such as highways, urban roads, basic living facilities, etc.

For example, Brasilia, the later capital of Brazil, was initially built according to the population standard of 500,000 people. At the beginning, it was only intended to be responsible for administrative functions, but by the 21st century it was obviously not enough.

Ernst continued: "Of course, although the city is large in terms of framework, the initial construction must be based on a population of 500,000. In fact, only Dar es Salaam in East Africa has a population of more than 500,000, so There will definitely not be a large influx of people in Rhine City in a short period of time, so I really want you to take a longer-term view and reserve enough urban land. "

East Africa is not a small country after all, and the capital is definitely an important reference object that can reflect the style of a country. Although Ernst does not pursue the super-large cities of his previous life, he still needs to be in line with the temperament of a big country in East Africa.

"Modern elements, especially multiple elements, should best be reflected, and the city should not be too monotonous. For example, Paris is too homogenized and lacks fireworks. You must also grasp this degree. Vienna is the first choice for reference. This is a city with strong classical and modern atmosphere.”

“The key point is not to be too idealistic in the design and to make citizens’ lives more convenient. Many urban designs in Europe and the United States now focus too much on artistry or visual impact. This is something we in East Africa should try to avoid…”

Ernst then spent more than an hour putting forward his opinions, which finally made Bales feel the pressure.

 Because according to Ernst's requirements, the new city must grasp the "degree", but this degree is entirely Ernst's personal feeling, and there is no unified standard.

This is too difficult. After all, no one knows whether the finished product will be "favored" by the crown prince in the end. If it is a strict design like Paris, it will be much easier, just copy the template.

 (End of this chapter)