A new urban paradigm pathways to sustainable development

Photo: UN Photo/Christopher Herwig. Urbanisation in Monrovia, Liberia, 2008 .
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Intervention in urban
spaces needs to contend
with the backlogs
reflected in inadequate
service infrastructure and
housing shortages, as
well as rapid urbanisation
within a context of
climate change and
global disparities in
economic distribution.
that interfaces with planning. Planners
wield limited power in circumstances
where those living in informal settlements
find their own ways to access economic
opportunities and social amenities.
On the other end of the spectrum,
national governments are often
embroiled in romancing investment
through selective high-end, stand-alone
developments that have little to do
with the rest of the city (Eco-Atlantic in
Lagos, Nigeria, for example) or its plans.
A patchwork of opportunities emerges
which often has little to do with a
city’s spatial plans but is reflective
of a disjointed range of vested interests.
Ongoing negotiation and resolution of
a myriad of interventions and interests
within the realm of an overall spatial
vision for the city, therefore, becomes
a critical planning function.
Many cities in Africa have come to rely
on large-scale infrastructure investment
for engendering economic growth and
investment. In the African context, in
particular where donor funding and
bilateral aid funds—as well as the private
sector in some instances—are engaged
in large infrastructural investment, spatial
planning often occurs in isolation from
infrastructure planning and delivery.
The latter is often determined by funding
arrangements between governments
and donor agencies, or by line-function
departments which are not integrated with
spatial planning. Traditional approaches
to spatial planning have thus far assumed
that infrastructure would follow spatial
(master) plans, yet rarely does. Traditional
planning approaches that evolve from
Anglo-American systems assume
predictable urbanisation trends, stable
economies and a strong state. Urbanisation
trends in the South seldom display these
characteristics, as informal housing and
trade typify household responses to
inadequate infrastructure
and employment opportunities.
The third consideration then is to reflect
on the spatial implications of these largescale
investments and how well they relate
to broader processes of spatial change.
Infrastructure investment often happens
outside the realm of city planners, and
with scant consideration of the interface
with land use. Yet a central concern for
cities in the future is the need for effective
mobility systems, best accommodated and
optimised through careful consideration
of the relationship between land use
and the transportation infrastructure,
for example. As a corollary, we must also
carefully consider the socio-economic
limits of infrastructure-led development
and the need for a more holistic approach
that considers social processes and the
many factors that impact on the interface
between people and place.
The proliferation of slums on unstable
and unsuitable land is largely due to limited
access to land for shelter. Land tenure is a
complex issue across Africa and requires
careful consideration. Different systems of
tenure and uneven legislative parameters
for the release of land for development
The International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth | Policy in Focus 19