Africapolis

🌍 Urban Expansion Planning is Having a Moment After decades in the wilderness, proactive urban planning is back in the spotlight, and it's urgently needed. In his new blog, Dr. @plamsonhall reflects on recent pieces by Samuel Hughes and Saarthak Gupta in Works in Progress, plus new reports from OECD/SWAC and the World Bank, all of which point to the same conclusion: cities in low- and lower-middle-income countries need simple, implementable plans NOW to maximize their urbanization dividend. The challenge? Without planning, cities default to a low public space equilibrium, resulting in longer commutes, fragmented labor markets, weaker growth, and less human flourishing. At the Africa Urban Lab, our Urban Expansion and the Periphery Program takes a pragmatic approach. We focus on arterial road grids and large public spaces (touching just 6% of land) rather than full lot-level plans (requiring 40% of land). In the past year alone, we've begun working with cities in Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, Ethiopia, and Somaliland to organize land for the next 30 years of urban growth. When cities are changing fast, we can't let perfect be the enemy of good. 📖 Read more about why urban expansion planning is critical: aul.city/blog/urban-expansio… 🏙️ Learn more about our Urban Expansion and the Periphery Program: aul.city/uxp