urban africa

In September 2015 floods in Freetown killed seven people and rendered several thousand homeless. Jamie Hitchen explores the systematic failings of city management that exacerbate the problems caused by heavy rainfall.

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.

Maïlys Chauvin’s account of election preparations in Zanzibar highlights a number of worrying developments that challenges “received wisdom” about good governance in Tanzania and electoral credibility.

Land is a “key fault line” in Kenya. Throughout East Africa land law reform has been pursued at the expense of substantive land reform. New laws have not been redistributive or transformative in a positive way.

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

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.

Edgar Pieterse argues that recasting participation as a genuine force of social transformation requires a frank assessment of power relations in cities across Africa and the world.

Hannah Gibson reviews “Africa’s Urban Revolution” and finds it to be a welcome and vital addition to a burgeoning field, presented in a highly readable and engaging manner.