Africa’s Urban Turn: Design and Development Paradox

With Africa being the fastest urbanising continent, and the rapid growth of megacities and smaller secondary cities, coupled with such phenomena as urban youth bulge, urbanisation of poverty and the dominant influence of global forces, there is a need to interrogate the trends and patterns of Africa’s urban growth and what that means for the future of education and practice of Architecture and Planning in Africa.
This stream welcomes panels that address the following critical questions about the nature and pattern of African urbanisation, especially from a spatial design and urban planning context
i. What does Africa’s spatial transition look like? What are the dominant factors influencing this transition and what are the (unintended) consequences?
ii. Who are the agents of Urban Change? and what does it mean for architecture and planning education and practice?
iii. How can we envision a preferred African urban future? What needs to be done to bring it to fruition?
The stream offers an opportunity to discuss the underlying influences of spatial development and practice in Africa and more importantly, highlight what is required to ensure architecture and planning education and practice are prepared to successfully midwife the African urban turn sustainably.
Panel and paper abstracts of not more than 300 words should be emailed to the stream convener Prof Taibat Lawanson, University of Lagos (tlawanson@unilag.edu.ng) on or before 31 January 2024.