New capitals: why governments keep building cities from scratch

Moving a capital city is one of the most expensive decisions a government can make. Yet it keeps happening. Brazil inaugurated Brasília in 1960. Nigeria moved its capital from Lagos to Abuja in 1991. Kazakhstan relocated to Astana in 1997, and Myanmar shifted to Naypyidaw in the mid-2000s. Indonesia is now building Nusantara on the island of Borneo, and Egypt a New Administrative Capital east of Cairo.

The usual reasons

• Congestion: the old capital is overcrowded, polluted or — like Jakarta — sinking.
• Balanced development: pulling investment and people into a neglected region.
• Security and symbolism: a fresh start, a new national identity, sometimes distance from protest-prone cities.

Does it work?

The record is mixed. Brasília is now a city of millions, but the old capital, Rio de Janeiro, remains Brazil’s cultural heart. Abuja has grown fast, while Lagos is still the country’s commercial powerhouse. Planned capitals often struggle to attract private business and everyday life, at least for their first decades.

Governments can move ministries by decree. Moving a country’s economic life takes generations.

For the newest projects, the challenge is the same: building not just government buildings, but a city people actually want to live in.