The dilemma of relocating capital from Tehran

The recent idea of relocating the capital from Tehran is the latest in a string of proposals floated by multiple administrations to move the government from the sprawling city of 15 million people, which suffers from chronic congestion, air pollution, water shortage and the threat of earthquakes.

The excessive concentration of facilities and government offices has turned Tehran into an extremely dense place. The population density in Tehran - 11,969 people per square kilometer - is more than 180 times higher than Iran’s average.

More than 20 million daily trips occur in the city, where over 4 million vehicles and 3 million motorcycles chug up and down the streets and produce 71% of Tehran’s air pollution.

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The state of population distribution and economic activity is the biggest contributor to the situation. Estimates show more than 20% of the population and 30% of the country's gross domestic product is concentrated in the capital.

The idea of moving capitals is not without precedent. In 1911, British India moved its capital from Calcutta to Delhi and created the city of New Delhi. Turkish nationalists moved their capital from Istanbul to Ankara in the 1920s and the Brazilians moved their capital city from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia in 1960.

Indonesia plans to move its capital city away from congested and sinking Jakarta, to Nusantara, a $32-billion city under construction in the jungles of East Kalimantan on Borneo.

Throughout its history beginning from 2700 BCE, Iran has had 54 capital cities, each with a distinct chapter from Persepolis during the “golden age” of Achaemenid empire to the architectural marvel of Isfahan during the Safavid era.

Tehran was first chosen as the capital of Iran by Agha Mohammad Khan of the Qajar dynasty in 1786 and has remained the country's political, social, economic and cultural center ever since.

But its days appear to be numbered, with consecutive governments making a case for a new principal city.

Tucked into the slopes of the Elburz Mountain, Tehran is prone to earthquake as it sits on a number of major fault lines. The city is also ringed by mountains, which trap pollutants blown across the region by winds blowing predominantly from the west and south.

As the most populous city and political and administrative nerve-center capital of Iran, Tehran’s possible brush with a powerful earthquake would entail in widespread political and social crises. Therefore, the argument to move the capital is not without merit and cannot be brushed aside off-handedly.

One can add social, environmental, security and service provisions problems, as well as preposterous property prices to this list.

The challenges posed by rapid population growth and increased demand for housing inexplicably pegged to the dollar in Tehran have turned lives upside down for many families.

Some of the staunch opponents of moving the capital are said to be interest groups in this convoluted property market since it could reduce speculation and tamp down price rises.

Other opponents of the plan cite its massive costs, including those needed for building new government infrastructure and convincing residents and businesses to relocate as a time of sanctions and fiscal constraints.

A third group thinks a median solution taking into account the existing conditions and looking at the experiences of other countries is the best option, where some functions such as administrative tasks are moved out of Tehran.

Under this plan, the official and political capital can be retained but the administrative capital moved to another city without imposing a huge cost on state coffers.

Decentralization and de-congestion is what is needed which would automatically solve many problems with wider implications and reduce harmful effects of a wholesale relocation.

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