Chapter 888: Rhine City Site Selection
July 4, 1894.
After a field investigation, the New Frankfurt City survey team sent by the East African government finally selected the potential site of Rhine City after screening Ernst's requirements one by one, and the team leader Bells finally reported to Ernst.
"Based on our investigation of the area surrounding New Frankfurt and after considering various factors, we determined that the most suitable location for Rhine City is about 49 kilometers southeast of New Frankfurt and about 70 kilometers northeast of Kabwe."
"First of all, the Rensemfowa River passes through here, so there will be no problem with the city's water supply. It is definitely better for a city to be built around a river. This is true for most cities in the world. For example, the first town in our capital is built on the Little Rhine River. Most of the city's water comes from the Little Rhine, which also has agricultural irrigation and shipping value."
"Of course, this is difficult to achieve on the Wensemfuwa River, which is a tributary of the Zambezi River. The tributaries of the Luangwa River, including the Zambezi River, cannot be navigated on a large scale, and the Wensemfuwa River has inherited this. The river has a large drop in elevation, and its shipping value can only be improved by building a lock."
"However, there are also advantages on the other hand. 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 construct an artificial reservoir, so as to form a large lake."
Ernst had some impression of this, because in the past life, Zambia built the Runsemfuwa Dam here to provide power generation for the city of Kabwe and also had aquaculture functions, forming the Mittashan Reservoir which is quite large.
So Ernst said: "This is a good idea, but we have no intention of building a large dam for the time being. After all, the current technology is not mature yet. If an accident occurs or it causes waste, it will not be good."
This is a lesson learned from the previous Kariba Dam. In Ernst's view, the earlier the dam is built, the greater the risk and the lower the efficiency. Especially for such a large project, the later it is built, the better. This is the reason why some hydropower stations in East Africa are now built on small rivers.
If the Runsemfuwa River Reservoir is built, it will not be a small matter but a huge project.
Bells naturally had an explanation for this: "Your Highness, we have also taken this into consideration. That is why the site of Rhine City is located a certain distance away from the Rensemfuwa River, rather than being built on the riverside like the First Town. The water conservancy department has reserved enough safety distance based on the measurement of the local terrain. Even if there is an idea to build a reservoir on the Rensemfuwa River in the future, it will not threaten the safety of Rhine City."
"At the same time, 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 Rensemfuwa River is still mainly for urban water supply and agricultural irrigation, which can be achieved by relying on the tributaries of the Rensemfuwa River. This is the case with New Frankfurt 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, they could have chosen to be near the river at that time."
Ernst nodded and said, "If that's the case, it is indeed a feasible solution. It also reserves space for future reservoir development and facilitates the sustainable development of Rhine City in the future. Please continue to talk about the advantages and disadvantages of the local area."
Bales said: "The local climate, topography, soil, water, transportation, etc. basically meet the requirements of His Highness. The temperature is basically the same as that of New Frankfurt. The terrain is relatively flat. Although there are ups and downs, they are mainly in the lower reaches of the Rensemfuwa River. It will not have much impact on the place we have chosen. It is convenient for the construction of railways and roads and connecting to the New Frankfurt railway hub. No matter from which aspect, the local area has no obvious shortcomings."
"Of course, all this depends on the subsequent construction of Rhine City. If the subsequent construction and planning are not in place, it will definitely cause some negative impacts. So Your Highness the Crown Prince needs to give more suggestions on this point, so that we can carry out targeted transformation of Rhine City according to your requirements."
Ernst actually had some requirements for the new capital. After all, this was not the first time that East Africa had built a capital. There had already been some experience in building the first towns and cities before, and the long-term use of the first towns and cities as capitals also reflected some problems.
Ernst thought for a while and said, "First of all, the city size. The First Town is still too small, and the city planning is wasteful, so it seems a bit secluded. This is something that people are not used to after staying here for a long time. Therefore, Rhine City should learn from European countries in terms of scale and population design, and not just be limited to administrative functions."
Ernst naturally didn't think so before. After all, he was used to living in big cities in the 21st century. Ernst felt that small cities were better. In addition, the First Town was not the most ideal location for the capital in Ernst's mind at that time, so the expansion of the First Town was not significant over the years.
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 if the new capital had a larger population and was more lively.
Ernst then mentioned: "Among many cities, Vienna is the one that has satisfied me the most in recent years. In addition, considering the future development prospects of East African cities, the best population size for Rhine cities should be around 50 to 3 million."
The range of this number is a bit large. After all, Dar es Salaam is the only city in East Africa with a population of over 500,000, and the second largest city, Mombasa, has a population of nearly 500,000.
Three million is a standard that many European cities today do not meet, including major cities such as Berlin, Vienna and St. Petersburg.
Of course, there is a reason why Ernst put forward this number. First of all, Rhine City must be built according to the standards of a city with a population of at least three million to avoid confusion in the future due to problems such as highways, urban roads, and basic living facilities.
For example, Brasilia, the later capital of Brazil, was initially built according to the standard of a population of 500,000 and was only intended to be responsible for administrative functions, but by the 21st century it was obviously not enough.
Ernst went on to say, "Of course, although the city is large in structure, the initial construction is definitely based on a population of 500,000. In fact, Dar es Salaam is the only city in East Africa with a population of over 500,000, so Rhine City will definitely not see a large influx of people in the short term. So I really want you to look further ahead and reserve enough land for the city."
After all, East Africa is not a small country, and the capital is definitely an important reference object that can reflect the style of a country. Although Ernst does not pursue the kind of super-large city in his previous life, it must also conform to the temperament of a great power in East Africa.
“It is best to reflect modern elements, especially multiple elements. The city should not appear too monotonous. For example, Paris is too homogeneous and lacks the atmosphere of fireworks. You must also grasp this degree. For reference, cities such as Vienna, which have a strong classical and modern atmosphere, should be given priority.”
"The key is not to design too idealistically, but to make life convenient for citizens. Many urban designs in Europe and America now focus too much on artistry or visual impact, which we in East Africa should try to avoid..."
Ernst then spent more than an hour expressing his opinions, which finally made Bales feel the pressure.
Because according to Ernst's requirements, all new things must have a good "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. If it is a rigid design like the one in Paris, it would be much easier. You can just copy the template.
(End of this chapter)
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