The Heinrich Böll Foundation invites African researchers and urbanists to contribute briefs that shed light on some of the key challenges and blind spots in African urban development. The contributions will be collated into a reader exploring alternative visions for African city-making that often go unnoticed or are neglected in the prevailing discourse, and thus challenge dominant city planning narratives. With this, the foundation intends to kick-start debates between relevant African and European stakeholders to reflect on effective strategies towards building inclusive and sustainable cities.
In the next 30 years, African cities will be home to an additional 950 million people, making it the continent with the highest urban growth rate in the world. Besides Africa’s population growth, climate change and conflict induced migration are among the main drivers of this development. Unlike on other continents, urbanisation in Africa is not linked to industrialisation, fuelling the prevalence of urban slums and poverty in most African cities.
Although policy makers and media in Europe often highlight the magnitude of the African urbanisation challenge, many questions as to how best to help African cities to become more liveable and sustainable places in the context of diverse social, economic and cultural realities remain unanswered.
Against this backdrop, the Africa offices of the Heinrich Böll Foundation invite African researchers and urbanists to contribute briefs that shed light on some of the key challenges and blind spots in African urban development. The contributions will be collated into a reader exploring alternative visions for African city-making that often go unnoticed or are neglected in the prevailing discourse, and thus challenge dominant city planning narratives. With this, the foundation intends to kick-start debates between relevant African and European stakeholders to reflect on effective strategies towards building inclusive and sustainable cities.
We also strongly encourage the submission of poetic contributions, creative writings and utopias of Africa’s urban future.
Submissions should be sent to Lamese Abrahams at lamese.abrahams@za.boell.org by 26 May 2023, indicating the following subject matter: “Abstract for reader on urbanisation in Africa”.
Please click the PDF below to view the necessary details of the submission.