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Africa's new cities: The contested future of urbanisation
Femke van Noorloos1, Marjan Kloosterboer2
1Utrecht University, the Netherlands.
Urban Studies (Edinburgh, Scotland)
|November 17, 2018
Summary
New private property developments in Africa are creating self-contained enclaves. These private-led new cities may exacerbate urban problems, leading to segregation and exclusion of the poor.
Area of Science:
- Urban Planning and Development
- African Studies
- Real Estate Investment
Background:
- Africa is experiencing a surge in private property investments, often manifesting as entirely new, self-contained cities.
- Existing research on these new city-building trajectories is growing, necessitating enhanced conceptual clarity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically examine the diversity of new cities being developed across Africa.
- To analyze the financial trajectories of these private property developments.
- To establish an agenda for critically assessing the implications of these new cities, drawing on global lessons.
Main Methods:
- Systematic examination of new city diversity in Africa.
- Analysis of financial models and trajectories.
- Transnational comparative learning from gated communities, peri-urban land governance, and historical new city projects.
Main Results:
- New cities in Africa exhibit diverse forms and are integrated into varied political economies.
- Many projects are consumptive and supply-driven, resembling gated communities for affluent populations.
- These developments often occur in 'rurban' areas with complex land governance and tend towards private-sector-led governance.
Conclusions:
- Private-led new cities in Africa are unlikely to solve the continent's urban challenges.
- These developments risk increasing the exclusion and marginalization of the poor.
- Potential negative outcomes include public funding inequities, socio-spatial segregation, and fragmentation.
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