Cities in Publications

Kilamba New City reportedly cost US$3.5 billion to build. Dr Chloé Buire interrogates the myth it is a “ghost town” and illustrates how the settlement has attracted young, upwardly mobile Angolans.

Chronicling experiences from Panguila, Dr Chloé Buire examines the rapid expansion of suburban Luanda, arguing that it provides insights into the Angolan regime’s vision for modernity.

Speakers: Tom Goodfellow and Paula Meth (Sheffield Institute for International Development), Zainab Usman (Oxford University)

In this insightful and detailed interview, Jules Dumas Nguebou discusses how participatory budgeting has developed in Cameroon to ensure that local resources are effectively mobilised to meet community needs.

Eight things you should know about participatory budgeting. Including the types of projects that can be funded, the origins of the approach and some limitations.

In Cameroon’s municipalities participatory budgeting offers an opportunity to increase the impact of very limited financial resources by aligning policymaking with pressing local needs.

Professor Ngau describes how the University of Nairobi and other institutions have sought to revitalise – and make more progressive – the education and training that Kenyan planners receive.

As competition for land intensifies in Africa’s rapidly growing towns and cities, planning laws assume a fundamental importance. The promotion of external “one-size-fits-all” models has not served Africa well.

Africa’s cities are growing and changing rapidly. Without appropriate planning, they will become increasingly chaotic, inefficient and unsustainable. In many countries, planning legislation dates back to the colonial era.

African governments, policymakers and international donors need to acknowledge fundamental changes in urbanisation trends and respond to the messages imparted about employment, incomes and economic development.