Amid challenges, new forms of urban planning emerge in Africa

A flooded section near Imara Daima estate along Mombasa Road following a downpour in April 2021. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Rapid urban growth and an increasing number of climate change-related disasters, such as the recent floods in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, have put the importance of sound urban planning in Africa in the spotlight.

Urban plans are seen as the key to achieving inclusive, safe and sustainable cities. But urban scholars have argued for decades that for plans to be effective, we need to move away from the traditional way of doing things.