Noor City: Discover Egypt’s ‘Smartest City’

Egypt’s Talaat Moustafa Group (TMG) is now at the forefront of yet another innovative revolution: a homegrown technological age, which promises to redesign and redefine modern lifestyles in Egypt.

Noor City is a benchmark of Egyptian ingenuity, and TMG’s most ambitious project to date. This smart, eco-friendly city is marked as the first of its kind in the region, “positioned to be one of the [biggest] successes at scale” according to the Boston Consulting Group. Located on the outskirts of Egypt’s New Administrative Capital, Noor promises to be Egypt’s turning point for technological integration in the urban space.

Spanning over 21 square kilometers, Noor is a labour of both love and intensive planning by several international design firms, including SWA, SASKI, Perkins Eastman and BCG. From digitized workspaces to smart house implementation, there is hardly a corner within Noor City that has not been founded on the latest 21st century technologies, with the intent to simplify and preserve comfortable living.

With most facilities, transport, and shopping accessible via mobile application, residents are encouraged to tap into the 5G network available city-wide for the first time in Egypt. Noor’s mission is to lay the groundwork for future 5G-enabled fourth-generation cities, providing an unparalleled leap forward for Egyptian urban development, while enhancing the “contemporary community lifestyle” which prioritizes health and safety above all for its residents.

Units and Personal Wellness

Much like other TMG projects, Noor City offers a wide array of residences tailored to individual preference. From standalone villas, to townhouses and generously sized apartments, all units are furnished with a complete, fully-equipped smart set up; everything within the premises can be controlled via mobile application and smart watch. Smart IOT systems come with each unit to enable the monitoring of security, health, and air quality within the home – all of which are embedded within the property prior to purchase.

Smart appliances – such as automated shades, smart lights and an AI cleaning robot – are provided to ensure the utmost convenience. This data-driven environment is meticulously crafted to allow each resident full awareness of their surroundings, and the ability to track personal and professional achievements. Working from home and collaboration opportunities are facilitated by the inclusion of technologies such as Amazon’s Alexa and smart screen televisions controlled via personal devices.

No longer will one need a house key, either; each unit can be accessed with face recognition.

Noor City’s architecture is one of simplicity and elegance; the sharp greys of its villas are placed within large stretches of greenery. It provides individuals with all the hallmarks of a successful city, with none of the noise, chaos and collateral of Downtown Cairo. Rather, residents are served the ideal view of vast gardens and an enduring sense of peace and comfort.

As part of the city’s “wellness loop” and integrated green systems, several venues are available such as exhibitions, playgrounds, and entertainment spots.

TMG has taken this technological culture and provided potential residents with a never-before-seen opportunity to book their units online. This e-commerce website allows individuals to not only view, book and purchase properties, but it also affords them the ability to chat live with TMG real estate professionals 24-hours a day, in a personalized, private call.

Smart District and Sustainable Mobility

Noor City is dedicated to sustainability and green-living; with its own power sourced from solar panels, the city is able to run street lighting, ebikes, and electric vehicles with little to no carbon emissions. This includes smart drain management and neighborhood circulation systems that ensure no water is wasted in the process of consumption; as part of its circular economy, Noor City ensures that waste is used productively and without harm to the direct – and grand – environment it inhabits.

The city’s “Smart District” concept ensures that individuals have access to free internet service and transportation on demand wherever they are within Noor.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is used liberally, and can be seen in AI-run restaurants, staff-free, cashless stores, and virtual-reality fitting rooms where patrons can try on several outfits without the hassle. Similarly, Augmented Reality (AR) shopping allows for furniture testing prior to purchase. Drones are used to deliver products, removing the middleman entirely from the experience.

Noor City is a valley of community walkways, topography (hillsides, valleys, flatlands), and bike paths which enable its residents to enjoy the clean, untouched outdoors in a way most Cairenes have not experienced in years. Every necessary venue is a five-minute walk from each neighborhood cluster, capitalizing on that feeling of privacy, security, and unbothersome errand running.

Egypt’s technological revolution has, so far, been a steady uphill battle; TMG’s Noor City is a bold attempt to challenge that. It is a leap forward for creative sustainability and ultra-modernization, proving that it is possible to pursue the avant-garde and technological, without forgoing love for the environment and those within it.

In a world of speed, security, and sustainability, Noor City remains ahead of its time.

This article is sponsored.