Planning ministry spox calls for new administrative capital to ease strain on Baghdad

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Planning Ministry spokesperson has called for the establishment of a new administrative capital, saying Baghdad can no longer sustain the pressure of 10 million residents, 4 million vehicles and decades of unplanned urban growth.

“Baghdad, in its current state, is no longer suitable for living, like many congested capitals around the world,” Abdul Zahra al-Hindawi wrote in an article published in state-run newspaper Al-Sabah.

Hindawi said the city has been “suffocated” by its population growth, vehicles and commercial expansion, with green spaces disappearing to informal housing and urban sprawl. “We no longer find traces of home gardens or the trees in the median strips after they were removed because of the spread of housing, informal settlements and commercial centers,” he wrote. Millions more travel daily to Baghdad from other governorates for work, study, medical treatment and tourism, compounding the strain.

“This congestion should make us accelerate steps toward establishing a new administrative capital,” he wrote, describing the idea as a “strategic response to chronic problems related to congestion, poor services and the difficulty of managing the state from a crowded and complex urban center.”

Hindawi said a new capital could reorganize state institutions “within a modern environment based on smart planning, advanced infrastructure, digital connectivity, good governance and visual identity,” but warned against “hasty decisions or unstudied projects,” saying success would require accurate feasibility studies, integrated urban planning and clear financial guarantees. “An administrative capital is not just government buildings, but an integrated system for life, work and sustainability,” he wrote.