agence pourl’aménagement de lavallée de bouregreg fcte ocome to cities of Ur ba nA fr ica h shape The pca survey special rhtc aaHdd stesymbol the is Hadid, Zaha architect fteMrca capital’ Moroccan the of The rn har eRabat,by de Théatre Grand sr enewal Under the high patronage of his Majesty,King MohaMMed Vi

Come and celebrate the centennial of the municipal movement

Taking the theme «Imagine Society, Build Democracy», Rabatwill host the 4th United Cities and Local GovernmentCongress (UCLG), the 2nd World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders,and Rabat Expo from 1st to 4th October 2013. Supportedbythe continent’scities,the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco waschosen to organise,onbehalf of Africa, the world’s largest gathering of local and regional leaders and to celebrate the centennial of the municipal movement. 4,000 participants from over100 countries RabatExpo: 50,000 visitors expected •Heads of State •Ministers An outstanding opportunitytopresentyour •Mayors products and services to policy-makers from the •Electedofficials big cities of Africa and the other continents. •Representatives of institutions •Open to professionals from 1st to 4th October and to and international organisations the public on 5th October. •Lenders •10,000m2 spaceofexhibition forlocal governments, •Public and privatecompanies companies,serviceproviders and institutions •Experts involved in urban development. •Media •Showcase of innovation and best practices,ofthe know-how, equipmentand technology aiming to master the urban futureand designthe cityof tomorrow. •Exhibition of all the activitysectors involved in managing cities and citizens’daily lives,including water,sanitation, wastetreatment, energy,public lighting,transport, construction, civil engineering, real estate developmentand promotion, urban planning,telecommunications,new technology, finance, insurance, risk and disaster management, governance, cooperation, culture, training,education, auditing and consulting.

registration on the website www.rabat2013.com URBANAFRICA 111 foreword

By FathallahOualalOu, MayorofraBat Rabatwelcomesthe world’slocal andregionalauthorities all rights reserved

R abat, the capital of the kingdom of Morocco, is gearing itself up for amajor global gathering: the fourth congress of United Cities and Local Governments on 1-4 October 2013, which coincides with the centenaryofthe international municipal movement. Cities and regional governments will have the opportunity to share ideas and engage head-on with the issues of the 21st century. They will help to imagine the future of society and to build democracy.Rabat is hosting this world summit after being chosen as an eco-city in 2010 and being listed as aUnited The Rabat congress will be the starting Nations (UN) Educational, Social and Cultural Organisation World Heritage Site in 2012. point for athree-way dialogue between the UN and financial institutions, central Morocco is organising this conference on authorities and local and regional powers behalf of Africa, and the continent is looking forward to welcoming the world in Rabat. As well as beingatownonthe Atlantic Oceanthatisopentoglobalisation, Rabat is also the capital of acountrywith several identities: African, Arab and Euro-Mediterranean. These three are more relevant than ever.Africa’srate of growth has increased in recent years while the issues of fragility and vulnerability persist; after the Arab Spring, the Arab world is facing huge challenges, includingthe pursuit of peace in the Middle East and various instabilities; and the Euro-Mediterranean SPECIAL SURVEY area is affected by thecrisissweepingthrough Europe.

UrbanAfricaThe shape The 21st centurywill come to be seen as the century thatlaunched the of cities to come era of urbanisation, already taking off in Africa at an exceptional rate. Cities are becoming centres of globalisation and competitiveness, but they are also home to many forms of distress and vulnerability.This means that at the Rabat congress, cities will have to put their weight behind decentralisation and regionalisation to influence the debates underway that will eventually set in motion the Post-2015 Development Agenda, Rio+20 and Habitat III processes. The Rabat congress will be the starting point for anecessarythree-way dialogue between the

the Grand Théatre de Rabat,by world –the UN, financial institutions, etc. –central authorities and architect Zaha hadid, is the symbol of the Moroccan capital’srenewal local and regional authorities. ●

CONTENTS 111 Foreword Fathallah Oualalou, 119 Interview Anas Sefriou, chief 124 UCLG Acentenary of cities MayorofRabat executive,GroupeAddoha 127 Cityscape Nairobi 112 Overview Towards better 120 Rabat Asmoothtransition Speculationcity urban planning 122 Lagos Keepingupwiththe 128 Guide Visiting Rabatfor the 116 Social housing changes UCLGcongress Wanted: homes forall 123 Johannesburg Break with thepast

the africa report • n° 53 • aUGUSt-SepteMBer2013 112 Urbanafrica urba Urbanafrica 113 Towardsbetter anplanning

In the place of slums there will be cities that arehealthy, inclusive, coherent. But for this to happen international funding and local action must come together

By Hugues Demeude y2030,more than 60% andthe ability of urbanplanners of theworld’s popu- to findwaysaroundthis dysto- lation will live in an pian futurewill shapethe African urbansettlement. citiesoftomorrow. B In Africaalone, the Thechallengespresented by growth in population will equal urbanisation ledthe WorldBank theentirecurrent population of to recommendacity develop- theUnitedStates. ment strategyasearly as 1999, This trendwill affect medium- in particular to trytocontain the sized citiesaswell as metro- informalsettlementthatcharac- polises. Withoutaplan for this terises many towns in theglobal increasinglyurban future, the south.UnitedCitiesand Local consequences will be citiesthat Governments (UCLG) estimates resemble Lagos in the1980s that an annual investmentof rather than Singaporetoday. $200bn is needed for citiesinde- Urban decay, crime, rottinginfra- velopingcountries over thenext structure andpolitical upheaval 25 yearstoprovide basic services dogthis population imperative, to themostimpoverished. ●●● sheng li/reuters 114 Urbanafrica

Growth rate of African cities Abuja for the periods 1995-2010 and 2010-2025

% Ouagadougou 300

250 Tripoli Alexandria Niamey Casablanca Algiers Kano Kampala Fes Khartoum 200 Mbuji-Mayi Nairobi Addis Ababa Cairo 150

Dakar Bamako Conakry Harare Lomé 100 Abidjan Douala Lagos Kinshasa Yaoundé Brazzaville Accra Dar es Salaam 1995-2010 Kumasi Luanda Lubumbashi Ibadan 50 Johannesburg 2010-2025 Benin City Ogbomosho Maputo Cape Town Kaduna Durban 0 Port Elizabeth Ekurhuleni Pretoria SOURCE: UNDESA, THE WORLD URBANISATION PROSPECTS, 2010

●●● At the 2010 World Summit of services;promotion of strategicurban to analyse obstacles encountered and Localand RegionalLeadershosted by planning;and improvingcitizens’par- solutions found”, as the executiveboard UCLG in Mexico,participants outlined ticipation in localdecision-making. of UCLG putitinJune 2005. Thefirst anew urban agenda for the ideal city Since it wasset up in 2004, UCLG UCLG GOLD report on decentralisa- of 2030 –abetter plannedand more hascreated the Global Observatory tion and localgovernance,published inclusiveurban environment. on LocalDemocracyand Decentral- in 2008, threw up asurprisingfact:the This new urban agenda will be at the world is undergoingaquiet heartofdiscussions at UCLG’s world About 70% of the actions to democratic revolution. summit to be held in RabatinOcto- realise the Millennium goals An early versionofthe ber(see page 124). UCLG members thirdGOLDreportwill arefocusingonfourmain points:new must be done at alocal level be amain focus in Rabat, partnerships between central and local lookingatgovernance of governments to manage and regulate isation (GOLD) “to periodically ana- essential localservices and, morepre- theurbanisation process; supportfor lyse the stateoflocal governance and cisely, the role that localgovernments innovation and economic development decentralisation acrossthe world,to will playinthe provision of theseser- of cities to improvethe quality of public anticipate itspossible evolution, and vices.The report will be publishedin

the africa report • n° 53 • aUGUSt-SepteMBer2013 URbANAFRICA 115

TheManifesto for the City of 2030 cooperation agreements;and appeals adoptedinMexico highlights the fact forloans.But localgovernments often How African cities that it will be small and medium-sized have alot of trouble financingtheir pro- aregrowing townswho areresponsible for receiv- jects, and accesstoloans from national ingand lookingafter this new influx of and international financial institutions urban dwellers,particularlyinAfrica is not made easyfor them. and Asia. Localand regional leadersbe- lievethat the interdependence between INTERNATIONAL FUNDING town and countryside is becomingeven FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS tighter and should be accompaniedby As the mayorofParis Bertrand Delanoë aunited vision of howthe twointeract, stated in 2007 when he wasnominated as much on anational level as on an presidentofUCLG: “Local governments’ international scale.The focus will shift accesstointernational financingmust to newinteractionsbetween urban and be made easier,particularlyfor coun- ruralzones,and the promotion of a tries of the south.Iamgoingtoplead territorial dimension to development. this case at the World Bank.” Sixyears Decentralisation brings political re- afterhis request,the same problem re- sponsibilities,such as or- ganisinglocal elections,as It is small and medium-sized well as an administrative towns who will receive the Khartoum side, which aims to make new influx of urban dwellers Nairobi each localgovernmenta legalidentity in its own Addis Ababa right, to give them morecredibility and mains and wasthe subject of aspecial Mogadishu solidify their relationship with the na- meetingfor Africanmayors duringthe tion state. Significantprogresshas been African DevelopmentBank conferences made on thesetwo fronts,but when in MarrakechinMay.Itwill be brought it comes to the financial autonomyof up again duringUCLG’sevent in Rabat. localgovernment, progresshas been Oneofthe major successesofthe slow–despite thefactthat without it Africities 5Summit in 2009, held in the rest of the urbanisation agenda Marrakech, wasanagreementbetween becomes well nigh impossible. 50 African localgovernmentpartners. Mombasa Some countries in Africaare setting It wasanecho of thepan-African spirit Dar es Salaam an example,however.Morocco,South of old, avision which holds that the Africa, Ghanaand Cape Verdehave 15,000 mayors and500,000 municipal Antananarivo forged fruitful dialogue between the councillors from some 50 African coun- finance ministries and localgovern- tries formthe baseofAfrican unity. ments to generatetax resources that Decentralised cooperation is an im- canbemobilised by localauthorities portanttool for the UCLG.Ithelps for localinvestments.Lagos hasalso facilitate localgovernments’involve- seenrecentadvances in tax collection. mentintheir attemptstobring people Theauthorities there, ledbyLagos State closeratthe international level. Butit Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, were alsobringslocal governments together wise enough to startimprovingthe city around concrete developmentprojects. firsttodemonstratethat the social con- In the spring of 2013, the Moroccan and tract of taxes in exchange for services,to Cameroonian Eco-cities associations 2014, on the eveofthe date fixed by alarge extentbrokendowninswathes setupacooperation platformtoex- the international community to eval- of the country, wasbeingmended. change good practice,with the aim,in uate the UnitedNations’Millennium Thereare four ways to generatelocal their words, to “build up Africafrom DevelopmentGoals. resources:raisingtaxes;state transfers; its territories”. ● TheGOLDIII report is an important tool forUCLG, which is committedto the Millennium DevelopmentGoals. ManIfesto for the CIty of 2030 About70% of the actions needed to realisethesegoalshavetobecarried WhatWill the city look like in the near future? how will it benefit outatalocal level, Kofi Annan, former its citizens? the participants of the World Summit of local and Regional secretarygeneral of the UN,has said. leaders held in Mexico in 2010 responded to this question by To tackle povertyeffectively, to make publishing a‘Manifesto for the city of 2030’. the document highlights progressonhealth and sanitation is- an inclusive, well-planned, co-developed city with adiverse population. sues or to push for universal primary it is acity where public policy integrates inhabitants’ daily concerns education, it is cities themselves that and guarantees territorial cohesion. it is amobile city that favours need to be in the drivingseat. employment and is proud of the quality of its public services. ●

the africa report • n° 53 • aUGUSt-SepteMBer2013 116

social housing African uprisings have focused minds at the highestlevels.Though by no means the only factor,itispertinent Wanted:homesfor all that the Moroccan government, which survived protests by angrycitizens,has With ahousing shortage across Africa, governments the mostactivesocial housingpolicy in the Maghreb. and developers arecreating new models that enable Increasingly, companies areseeing people on modest incomes to buy their own homes rapid rates of urbanisation as an op­ portunity. Alliances,aMoroccancon­ hantytowns, slums,squatter set­ both beyond the city limits and tucked struction groupalsoinvolved in luxury tlements –everyone hasaword within establishedurbanarchitecture: real estate and golfingresorts,saysthat S forit, butsolutions arelesseasy underbridges,nexttohighwaysand in the social housingsegmentiswhat to come by.BoomingAfrican cities and marketplaces. helped getitthrough the recenteco­ townsare drawinginrural migrants African leadershavenot alwaysbeen nomic downturn. Groupe Addoha, a eagerfor jobs.Urban dwellers aresett­ receptivetothe plightofthe poorly competitor,has turnedits sights on the lingdownand startingfamilies.Often housed –the view from the windows continent’sdemand for slum upgrades. based on colonial­eraplans and infra­ of StateHouse is often of manicured “The potentialofthe Africanmarket structure, African cities arestruggling gardens rather than plastic­strewn, is immense,”saysAnasSefrioui, chief to cope. Informalsettlements flourish open­gutter tenements.But the North executiveofGroupeAddoha.

the africa report • n° 53 • aUGUSt-SepteMBer2013 urbanafrica 117

In afast-urbanising Africa, BHGlends to both businesses andin- social housing can be a dividuals, helpingfund social housing watchwordfor social peace projects and the purchase of inputs for construction projects. Fund (PAHF), aprivate equity vehicle Finance is absolutelycritical. that targetsinvestments in thelow- Ondounda says “People don’t save,” costhousingsector in Kenya,Uganda, which in turn lowers lendinginstitu- Rwanda,Tanzania,Mozambique and tions’confidence in providingloans, Zambia.The PAHF raised $41.5m in its particularly to individuals. In Morocco, firstclosingatthe end of lastyear and the governmenthas decidedtostand as plans to raise$100m by its final closing guarantor.The borrowers mightnot get at the end of 2013. In December2012, aparticularlylow rate –often around the UnitedKingdom-based CDC, a 6%, compared to 3-4% forhigh-income development-finance institution, put borrowers who alreadyhavecollateral – up $20m for social housinginvestments butthe banks, with the governmentun- in Eastern and Southern Africa. It says derwritingthe risk,are happytolend. that the investments will create 7,500 homes and In Gabon the interest on home morethan20,000 jobs. loans is around 18%, and In Nigeria, power-sector reformisperhapsthe sig- accessing credit is not easy naturefeature of medium- termdevelopmentstrategy. However, This is not yetthe case in Libreville. the need to fill unmethousingdemand Thereare developmentand housing –currently 12-16m units, accordingtoa banks that aremeanttoprovide credit World Bank estimation –isalsogener- for housingbut on averagethe interest atingsignificantenergy amongpolicy- rate is around 18%. Ayoung Gabonese makers andthe privatesector alike. professional couple triedonanum- Both arefired up by the implications berofoccasions to getamortgagebut of Nigeria’spopulation of 162 million said theyfinally resorted to settingup growingat2.5% perannum,with urb- acompany to applyfor aloanbecause anisation morerapid still and real estate theythink they“stand abetter chance”. underrepresentedasaproportion of Another Gaboneseprofessional says grossdomestic product (GDP). It is less that “people tend to stayathomeuntil than 4% of GDP,compared to almost later in life or build their houses them- 5% in Kenya and 8% in South Africa. selves bit by bit because accessingcredit In Europe,social housingcan of- is not easy.” ten bringtomindlesssuccessful ven- At aNigeria Developmentand Fin- turesintocity planning. Sefrioui argues ance ForuminJune,Pison Housing that ownership is key. “French real- Companypresident RolandIgbinoba

nabil zorkot estate promotershavecome to study described the challengestogrowth: ourmodel,”hesays. “InFrance,social regulatory measures,infrastructure, Thedemand stretchesacrossthe housingmeans ghetto.Why?Because supply chains,skilledlabourand fin- continent. “Everyone needshousing,” the inhabitants of thesetower blocksare ance.Governments aremaking the as AbrahamOtabil, public relations not in their ownhome.Whereas with us, mostprogressinterms of finance.For officeratGhana’s housingministry, as home-owners,theymaintain their example,the Federal Mortgage Bank of putit. Butwith Ghana’shousingde- buildingimpeccably. They arehappy Nigeria(FMBN) and its National Hous- ficit estimated to reach 2m units by to have boughtand leave something ingFund areprovidingaccesstoloans 2020 accordingtoUN-HABITAT,not all to hand down to theirkids, something through cooperatives.The FMBNsays needsare beingmet.InGhana,where that hasacquired twotothree times its that Nigeria’shomeownership rate is apopulation of 22.8 million people in initial value,” Sefrioui explains. just 25%, while it is 56% in South Africa. 2008 hasreached24.7 million today, Thebank raised N22bn ($145m) in man- population growth is faster than the apenchant for bubbles datorycontributions from workers in governmentcan keep up with. Theterm‘affordable housing’ is arel- 2012, up from N17bn in 2011. Housingishighonthe development ativeconcept.Inacountry likeGabon, In March, the central bank published agenda.InlateJune,the European In- known for beingone of the world’s regulationsfor theMortgageRefinance vestmentBank provided€15m ($19m) leadingchampagne importers,itis Company, which would promote sec- in funds to Kenya-based mortgage easy to lose sightofwhat is afford- ondarymortgagemarketactivity and the financier Shelter Afrique to enable it able.“Gabonese people spend more availability of long-termfinance.Credit to expandits activities.The African than theyearn,”saystothe director- ratings agencies such as CRCCredit DevelopmentBank is alsobacking general of the Banque de l’Habitatdu Bureau arehelpingtoextend coverage Shelter Afrique’s Pan-African Housing Gabon (BHG), Bruno Otah Ondounda. for thoseinthe formalsector by ●●●

the africa report • n° 53 • aUGUSt-SepteMBer2013 118 Urbanafrica TUReS aBIB/SIGna LahcËne

●●● enablingbankstobetter under- affordpropertyabove the $20,000 mark. estate developer to cut [its] profit to stand risks in themarket. This is significantly lowerthanwhat a do yourwork?” Asamoah points to in- Thesecretofthe Moroccan model is property developer canaffordtobuild stances wherethe governmentexpects the governmentintervention to solve for,onaverage around $30,000 perunit. the privatedeveloper to build in areas the market failure. Thereare enough Thekey is to find away around con- wherethereisnoelectricity or water, people in Lagos, for instance,who are flicts between property developers and whichhesaysisnot realistic.The up- payingrentequivalenttothe monthly government: the governmentwants shot is that “the government[ends up costofrepayinga20-year mortgage. the developer to focusoncheap hous- blaming] the real-estate developer for However, thereare few financial institu- the housingdeficit.” tions that canlendmoney for20years. In Morocco the government Here again, Morocco has Onesolution would be the creation underwrites the risk, so used governmentinterven- of asecondary market for homeloans. tion. Property developers Emmanuel Asamoah,executive secret- the banks are happy to lend receivelarge tax breaksand aryofthe GhanaReal Estate Developers accesstoland –but only if Association and partneratFBM Group ing, and the developer seeks to make theydeliver two-bedroom apartment –aGhanaianfinancial and investment money. “Byprovidingsocial housing, units at $25,000 –closer to the figure that company–believes this would help. the real-estate developer must have an averageGhanaian family mightbe “Mortgages thriveonlong-termsources some sort of incentive,”saysAsam- able to affordwith alongermortgage. of funding,”hesays. If Ghanahad asec- oah.“Whywould you want the real- Replicatingthe model would require ondarymarket, he continued, it would strong politicalleadership. Asourceat make mortgageloans much cheaper. The need for low-cost housing theGabon’surbanisation ministrysaid Forinstance,Fidelity [Bank] charges the governmentistargeting“thosewho 27% for a15-year loan, butifFidelity Gabon Ghana Nigeria arethe mostdisenfranchised”bycon- hadanother source of fundingthen the structing35,000 homes by 2017. For interestwould be lower. Housing Ondounda,therewas “noconsulta- deficit 200,000 1.5m 14m tion” over who should be coveredby incentives for developers (units) this policy. Therehad been “a certain Thestate could playabridgingrole here leveloflaxity” in the implementation too, an adviser with GhanaHome Loans of this drivetostartwith,accordingto says:“Ghanaians aretired of renting, Urban the ministry official. Asizeable hous- it’s tooexpensive.”But the reality is that population 2.4% 3.7% 3.9% ingdemand hasseemingly spurred 80% of the population earns less than growth the governmentintoaction,with an $600 amonth and on averagetheyspend estimated deficit of 200,000housing one-thirdoftheir income on housing. units nationwide. GDP/ 11,430 1,605 1,555 This means that someone within this capita ($) Notonly that, Ondounda considers income bracketisunlikely to be able to that the governmenthas “imposed

the africa report • n° 53 • aUGUSt-SepteMBer2013 Urbanafrica 119

interview

Anas Sefrioui Chief executive, GroupeAddoha

Addoha’sbuildingblocks ALExAnDRE DuPEYROn

TAR: Youhave just announced your sites that have facilities like schools and first housing ventures south of the health centres so that we can free up the Sahara. What areyour ambitions? occupied land. ANAS SefRioui: Our concept of ‘keys-in-hand’ apartments interested What is the division of labour most of the ministerial delegations that between the state and the developer? we met. They asked us to help them The state must work on the fiscal to do the same thing in their countries. terms and access to land. The developer We have launched studies in several has to improve the land and make it sub-Saharan African countries. We viable, finance the construction with its discovered that these countries areonly own funds and take charge of sales and building 1,000-1,500 houses per year, other services for clients. which is highly insufficient considering demographic growth and rural-urban Can you count on finding clients

SIPHIWE SIBEKO/REuTERS migration. The potential of the African with the money to buy houses south market is immense. They aretalking of the Sahara? High-rise blocks don’thave about two billion inhabitants in 2050 Yes. We areworking with our banking to evoke crime and economic versus alittle morethan one billion now. partners on these operations. The person depression, as long as must have ajob with afixed salary,in inhabitants own their home Whereare you thinking of building either the public or private sector,sothat social housing projects? the mortgage can be paid back by bank an urban styleonpeople”, which We have signed adeal with the Ivorian transfer.Inthe first phase, we areonly aGabonesetaxidriversaid does authorities to start building 2,600 housing looking at solvent clients. We aregoing not reflect the traditional Gabonese units in 2013. We have signed other to communicate family. “WeGaboneseliketosit out- agreements with the sidesotherehas to be aterrace.But government of Cameroon We offer shantytown families with these houses,there’s no out- –for 1,500 units in Douala resettlement on sites with side space.Who would want to live and Yaoundé –and with here?” he asked. the government of Guinea, schools and health centres In the Angondjéneighbourhood in for 4,000 units in Conakry. Libreville,Turkish firmRenaissance From next year,wewill launch pilot so the public understands that it is easy Constructionisbuilding564 houses. projects of 2,000 apartments in Gabon to acquireanapartment, get financing Countrymanager for the Middle East and Burkina Faso. and fix administrative problems. and AfricaNuriEgilmezsaysthe companyhas developed nine types one of the major obstacles is How much will it cost for an Addoha of houses,asspecifiedbygovern- securing land. What is your strategy? apartment in West Africa? ment, although he considersthat for In order to build these houses, you We arestill working with banks on the traditional Gabonesefamilies these have to be able to get access to land. financial terms and with the governments houses “are not ideal”. We have proposed our five partner on the fiscal terms. We do not yet have Accordingtothe Agence Nationale countries work with us and think about all of the information. des Grands Travaux,the costofso- the question. It is essential to have land cial housingunits for public ser- titles because banks will not agree to Youare also investing in cement vantsrangesfrom13m CFAfrancs aloan without something to base the factories in sub-Saharan Africa. ($26,000)to25m CFAfrancs, while mortgage on. We arelooking to get land In sub-Saharan Africa, thereisareal forlow-income residents,ithovers that is not too far from the centreof supply problem. Local factories produce between 5m CFAfrancs and 10m CFA town, from transport links, infrastructure, at about 20-30% of capacity and francs.“If the statewants to create work areas, and to acquireland from imported products vary in quality.Weare affordable housing, it must subsidise the state or from private owners. There now building three cement plants in Côte it,” Ondounda concluded.● is aproblem with shantytowns, where d’Ivoire, Guinea and Cameroon. The first Kissy Agyeman-Togobo in families have set themselves up in a was completed in June, the second is Accra, Nana Adu Ampofo in Lagos disorderly fashion. We areoffering them due in August and the thirdin2014. ● and Nicholas Norbrook resettlement in buildings on integrated Interviewed by Pascal Airault

the africa report • n° 53 • aUGUSt-SepteMBer2013 120 urbanafrica

rabat years,aportthat canwelcome tourist cruiseliners will open on the Atlantic side, as well as ayachtportopposite Asmoothtransition the Oudayas. Afuturistic new theatre is to be built,aswell as the Oudayas Hospital. On top of that, amultitude of Fresh infrastructure, residential projects and smaller-scale projects in the housing, re- atechnopark have increased Rabat’seconomic tail, tourism and commercial-property sectors areunderway, particularlyinthe appeal without compromising its rich history esplanade nexttothe river. At the other end of town,inHay Riad abat is undergoingametamorph- the stateand the level of compensation (South), the upgrade work continues. osis.Abridgehas been built over paid have left frustration in their wake. Theresidential and business districtwas Ran estuaryofthe BouregregRiver,a But, on the whole,the differentprojects originallycreated at the end of the 1970s, new marina hasbeen linedwith docks, a have given anew lustre to acitythat was and covers 570ha.Itdecongestedthe city tram nowsnakesthrough the walls of an- threatenedbyfast-growinginformal centrebyhousingseveral ministries and cientmedinas in Rabatand Salé (Rabat’s settlements,fly-tippingand pollution. governmentoffices,large retail outlets sister agglomeration on the rightbank of Thetransformation hasslowed down and the headquartersofbig Moroccan the river), and the Oudayascasbah has in recentmonths because of the global and international companies such as been given afacelift.All thesechanges financial crisis,but it hasnot ground to a MarocTelecom,Label’Vie and Holcim. have been made without the city losing halt.The newbridgeoverthe Bouregreg In the south-east, the Technopolis its soul or Arabo-Andalusian style. and the new 120hacity of Babal-Bahr are industrial park, developed by MedZ,a Theturnaround came at the begin- goingahead, and work on the motorway subsidiaryofthe Caisse de Depotetde ningofthe 2000s,after the imperial city from Salé’s airportintothe city centre Gestion,continues to fill up.The new sawfivedifferentplans over the past will commence in September. In coming International University of Rabathas half century each endinfailure. Rabat found itself turnedawayfromthe At- lanticand from Salé. To giveimpetus to the project,King the arrival of the tram in 2011 MohammedVIcreated adedicated has changed commuters’ lives, agencywith amission to entirely re- as it did in Casablanca model the BouregregValleyover 6,000ha, from the estuaryright up to the Sidi Mohammedben Abdallah dam. Aworkinggroup of archeologists,his- torians, architects,urban planners, en- gineers and bankers wasset up.Their remit wastopreservethe cities’cultural heritage and the environment, improve services for inhabitants,and boost the business environmenttocreatejobs.

tram, bridge, tunnel First earth wasbrokenin2006. Seven years later,the results areevident: a dredged river, swathes of rehabilitated marshlandand banks,restoredram- parts,new roads and transport links between urban centres.Since 2011 the inhabitants have hadatramway that carries morethan100,000 passengers a dayfromone end of thecitytothe other. Thenew bridge acrossthe estuaryhelps connect RabattoSalé,while atunnel underneath the Oudayashelps traffic around the coastal road. Thereare of coursethosewho are unhappy with the plans.The residen- tial projects,still incomplete,onthe Salé side of the river’smouth have not metuniversal approval. Themannerin which title deedswereforcibly boughtby trick FOrGEt/SaGaPHOtO.cOM Pa Urbanafrica 121

capacity for 1,000 students,while sev- hence the need to focus on previously earthedthe Chellah site, aRoman city eral foreign companies have already untouched parts of thecitiesand help abandoneduntil the Marinid dynasty movedin, such as Logica, Sofrecom, create new businesses.Rabat is farfrom chose the spot for their burial grounds Cegedim,Devoteam andAxa.The Ac- the finishedarticle and the metamorph- in the 14th century.International ap- cor grouphas recently boughtland to osis continues. peals have been setuptofund anew build hotels aimedatbusinesspeople. Thepush towardsthe futureiscom- setofexcavations. Taxincentives have been putinplace to plementedbyaturningtowards the As well as beingthe political and ad- attract investors while the Free Zone is past.Well beforethe Phoenicians ar- ministrativecapital of the Kingdom of established. In time,the 300hacluster rivedinthe 5th century BC,the local Morocco,Rabat is in astrategic loca- will be devotedtothe developmentof Amazightribeswerewell established tion. At just one hour’s flightfromthe hi-tech products and industries,with on the south bank of the river. Afleet European continent, the city is agate- of archeologists have been waytoEuropefromAfrica. This has rabat’spopulation should hit tracingthe zone’s history, enhancedits economic pull, which 4.4m by 2030, hence the need discovering Amazigh, Ro- hasalreadydrawn avariety of sectors man, Almoravid and Almo- including tourism, services,new tech- to help create new businesses hadremains.“Since the nology, and scientific research. dawn of humanity, men Since the UnitedCities and LocalGov- the aim of facilitatingthe transfer of have settledthis estuaryrich in flora ernments of Africaset up its headquar- technologyfromresearch to business. and fauna, with its temperateclimate,” ters,Rabat hasbecome the capital for This industrial policyisall the more says Mohamedes-Semmar,archeolo- African localofficials to come together importantgiven the levels of unemploy- gist and historian. “Theirpresenceis and exchange thoughts on issues as ment, and alsothe speed with which thoughttogoback160,000 years,ac- diverse as financinggovernments,de- the greater Rabat/Salé agglomeration cordingtotests done on remains found centralisation or trainingpersonnel. ● is growing. It hasnow reached2min- in the DarSultan and Harhoura caves.” Pascal Airault in Rabat habitants,and should hit 4.4m by 2030, Thefirstdigsinthe 1950s and ’60s un- Originally published in Jeune Afrique

An Eco-city with vAnguArd town plAnning In July2012 at Its meetIng in saint Petersburg, the World Heritage Committee listed Rabat as aunesCO World Heritage site –ararity for acapital. after ameticulous study,the experts and representatives of various unesCO delegations decided to single out the Kingdom of morocco’svoluminous file with the title ‘Rabat, modernCapital and Historic City: ashared Heritage’. By adding Rabat to the list of World Heritage sites, unesco has recognised the quality of this cultural gem, be it the “new town” built between 1912 and the 1930s, “one of the largest and most ambitious modernurban projects built in africa in the 20th century”, or the surviving relics of aprevious urban project, the capital city of the almohad caliphate in the 17th century. unesCO wanted to highlight Rabat’svanguard town planning, which respects its arab-Islamic heritage by conserving historic monuments and the traditional habitat and re-appropriating the past to look to the future. the moderntown planning of the early 20th centuryis characterised by large areas devoted to green space. today Rabat is proud of its status as an eco-city.Being added to the list of World Heritage sites is amark of recognition and encourages local governments and inhabitants to continue to preserve the heritage handed down to them. ● 122 Urbanafrica nn arthus-Bertrand/altitude Ya

lagos Keepingupwiththe changes Lagos is getting the rehabilitation it needs after years of neglect, though some neighbourhoods arebeing left behind and public cynicism runs deep

hen Lagos: ACultural &His- things followed in Oshodi. Immediately, vice launchedin2008. Sidewalks and torical Companion waspub- we monitored crime,refusemanage- roadside parks arenolongerararity in W lishedinMarch,some were ment, we monitored diseaselevels and the city. Thereisanew traffic lawthat surprised by the choice of imagefor everything just went down.Within six bans eating and smokingwhilstdriving. the book’scover. weeks after we did it,the [Divisional Thegovernmentisbankingona Written by KayeWhiteman, long- Police Officer] in Oshodi said his cells series of partnerships between itself time editor of the now-defunct West were virtually empty. Therefuseton- and privateinvestors to deliver the most Africa magazine,the bookfeatures nage that wasbeinggathered dropped ambitious of its plannedinfrastructure on itscover an iconic shot of Lagos, by about60%.” schemes.The poster-child forthese with rows of black-linedyellowbuses Thedemolition crews have been kept partnerships is the49kmLekki-Epe around which ajumble of humanity busy acrossthe city, seekingtobring Expressway,which is beingupgraded masses:streetvendors with their trays order to the chaos that is andcolourful umbrellas,shoppers,bus Lagos, one of the fastest Demolition crews have roamed drivers and assistants and area boys. growingcities in the world. across the city,seeking Butthereweredoubts abouthow Motorcycle taxis, famous representativethe imagewas of the city for their truckhorns and to bring order to chaos –particularlybecause Oshodi, the bus fatal accidents,werefirst parkpictured, no longerexistsascap- compelledtowear helmets, and have into asix-lane tolledhighway at acost turedinthe image. In 2009, days into nowbeen bannedfromall major high- of $300m.(Adjoiningitisanew 1.35km the NewYear,ademolition squad des- ways. Molues –the overcrowdedrickety suspension bridge that connects it to cendedonthe buspark. What emerged busesthat criss-crossed the city –have IkoyiIsland, costingalmost$200m.) stunnedall who knew the old Oshodi. all butvanished. Soon to eclipsethe Lekki-Epe Ex- Therailwaytracksthat ranthrough it, pressway in scale arethe Lekki Free once buried beneath all the bustle,are no smoke and drive Trade Zone,which will include anew nowvisible again from the bridge that Roads arebeingrebuilt,asare new airport;EkoAtlantic City, abrand new runs past. Thereisnow agarden there. bridges. (The only road construction developmentrising on 9km2of land In an interview ayear later, Baba- worthy of note throughout the 1990s reclaimedfromthe Atlantic; the10- tunde Fashola,the lawyer who became wasthe ThirdMainland Bridge,the lane highwayconnectingthe city to Lagosgovernor in 2007 and embarked longest in Africa). Traffic lights and the border town of Badagry; andanew on vigorous citywide reforms,outlined zebracrossings arenow familiar sights, rail network. (Its previous incarnation, the impact of the regeneration. “Many as arenew lanes dedicated to abus ser- plannedbythe civilian governmentthat

the africa report • n° 53 • aUGUSt-SepteMBer2013 URbaNaFRICa 123

t The high-rises of the modern jOhannesburg city areadistant dream for the inhabitants of Makoko slum Breakwiththe past ranthe city between 1979 and 1983, washaltedafter amilitarytakeover.) Faced with urban decay and lack of housing, And then there’swhat the private sector is doingbyitself:upscale malls, Johannesburg plans to stitch communities closer gated estates and luxuryhotels.Radis- together through mixed-use developments son, Southern Sun, Intercontinental and asecond Sheraton have all opened hereisatrainthatcomes from whosemigration is accompaniedby in the lastfew years;aMarriottisun- Angola andMozambique,from rapid urbanisation. Problems such T Lesotho,fromBotswana,from der construction. Lagosnow boasts a as alackofhousing, inner city decay, Porsche dealership and, afew blocks Swaziland, from allthe hinterlandof unemploymentand crime bedevil this away,anErmenegildo Zegnastore. Southern andCentral Africa… world-class Africancity. Butall the years of neglect hadleft This traincarries youngand old, things so bad that only thosewho knew African men, who areconscripted to CORRIDORS OF FREEDOM the pre-21stcentury city canappreciate comeand work on contract in the golden Speaking to The Africa Report,Johan- howmuch haschanged. Thescale of mineral mines of Johannesburg… nesburg mayorParks Tausaid R7.3bn work required is almostinconceivable. Deep, deep, deep down in the belly ($730m) would be spentoninfrastruc- And, despite all the progress, there of theearth whentheyare digging ture in the 2013-2014 financial year areentiresections of the city that have and drillingthatshiny mighty evas- alone.“R450m will be channelled into been leftbehind. Ajegunle,famous ivestone… the inner city to addressissuessuch for its musiciansand home to at least Thosedescribed by Hugh Masekela as crime and grime,poorurbanisa- three major national newspapers,re- in his song Stimela –seekingthat tion, overcrowdingand safety”,hesaid. mains as blightedasever, advertising “mighty evasivestone”since the dis- Areas such as Hillbrow and the central at everyturn the absence of govern- covery of gold in Johannesburg more business district, once epicentres of in- ment. Apapa, home to Nigeria’stwo than ahundred years ago–continue to tegration in the 1980s,now battle with biggestports,isall giantpotholes and migratetoacity strugglingtoprovide urban decay. “Therewill be aclean stationarycontainer trucks. themdecenthousing,education,health break with apartheid spatial distribu- and infrastructure. Jo’burgisSouth tion […] people livingonthe periphery UPROOTING THE POOR Africa’seconomic powerhouse and will be able to move closertoeconomic And public cynicism runs deep: the the country’slargest and wealthiest opportunities,” said Tau. demolitions and construction hit the city. It hasapopulation of 3.8 million, Thecity’sanswerisaproject called city’spoorest hardest, and thereare accordingtocity statistics,projectedto CorridorsofFreedom:mixed-usede- no safety nets.The feelingthat the increaseto4.1 million by 2015. velopments and plans to bringareas new Lagosisnot for the pooriswide- Thecity accounts for 16% of the together,such as the township of Alex- spread. Onespeaker at the Whiteman country’sGDP,and is headquarters andra and the rich suburb of Sandton, booklaunch spokeofa“deliberate to ahostofblue-chip corporations. or Soweto andthe Johannesburg cent- policybythe governmenttouse house Butinbeingthe richest city it is also a ralbusiness district. ● rentstouprootpeople who refuseto magnet for adiverserange of people Crystal Orderson in Johannesburg be uprooted” –this is in spite of new rent laws designed to protect tenants  The gautrain connects johannesburg’sairport to the downtown area from theavarice of landlords. “Every criticism we getbringsusto arealisation that thereisanurgencyto do alot more, and we don’t expectthat theseproblems canbefixed overnight,” Fashola hassaid. “The decadence,the deficit of infrastructureofabout three decades can’t be turnedaround in just twoyearsoreight years.” Where once therewas asingle face of Lagos, thereare nowtwo:the fragile old, which will no doubt linger, and the aggressivenew,araft of roads,bridges, malls,bus routes,railway lines,water works, powerplants,schoolsand hos- pitals racingtocatch up with apop- ulation that won’t be slowing down anytime soon.● Tolu Ogunlesi in Lagos ALEXANDER JOE/Afp the africa report • n° 53 • aUGUSt-SepteMBer2013 124 Urbanafrica

uclg Themunicipal movementhas its ori- gins in the firstcongressofthe Interna- tional Union of LocalAuthorities (IULA) Acentenary of cities in 1913. This anglophoneassociation of localgovernments soughttopromote Ahundred years after the municipal movement began, democracyand localautonomy. In development will be at the heart of discussions at 2004, the UCLG became an umbrella organisation, unitingthe IULAnet- the UCLG congress to be held in Rabat in October work with the Fédération Mondiale des Cités Unies,aFrancophone asso- sthe Kenyangovernmentrolls TheKongo kingdom of the 15th cen- ciation createdin1957 in Aix-les-Bains outthe decentralisation pro- tury –wherethe Democratic Republic by Jean-Marie Bressand under the ori- A of Congo is nowsituated–startedas ginal name Fédération Mondialedes gramme enshrinedinits 2010 constitution, localgovernments and aloose federation of small and self- Villes Jumelées.In2004, the World As- municipalities acrossthe continent governingtowns.But at the beginning sociation of Major Metropolises joined arelookingfor new sources of funding of the 20th century urban settlements the UCLG,which hasits headquarters and ways to deliverservices to grow- startedtoreachout to eachother across in Barcelona. ingpopulations.Cities from Abidjan the globetocreateanetworkoflinks Thecentenaryofthe municipal to Harare areusingChinesefinance that have helped them to learn and to movementismorethanjustadate. to develop water andother projects lobbymoreeffectively. Theparticipants at the Rabatcongress to accommodateurban growth.The participants at the World Summit of Localand Regional Leaders -4th UCLG CongressinRabat from 1-4Octoberwill Born in 1945, Topbas is an architect and discusshow to improveAfrican cities politician. Mayor of istanbul since 2004 and and work with international partners president of the UCLG since 2010, he plays an to develop anew agenda for localde- important role in making the voice of local and velopmentinAfricaand beyond. regional governments heard on the international Throughout history, cities have as- stage and shaping the development agenda.

serted their rights to acertain level of UCLG in July 2012, United nations secretarygeneral localpolitical control. TheGreek city kadir topbas Ban Ki-moon appointed him to ahigh-level states of antiquity were governedas panel that will shape the new post-Millennium President,UCLG if theywerestates in their ownright. Development Goals agenda. ●

the africa report • n° 53 • aUGUSt-SepteMBer2013 URbANAFRicA 125

At its 3rdcongress, in Mexico City in 2010, the UCLG adopted a manifesto on ‘the city we imagine and want for 2030’ cglu The UCLG in dates June 1996 United Nations Conference Habitat II in Istanbul germinates the project to create the world organisation UCLG.

September 2000 UN Millennium Summit with the declaration stating the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDG).

May 2004 Creation of UCLG during its first will be celebratingthe dynamic nature with states.The Rio+20 summit (the congress in Paris. of the movement, which,accordingto UN Conference on Sustainable De- the UCLG,“defends the interests of velopment) in 2012 is agood example. May 2005 self-government, promotingits values, Despite the fact that this summit did Founding congress of UCLGA objectives and interests through co- not reach amultilateral agreement, in Tshwane,South Africa. the UCLG nevertheless October 2007 The UCLG is pushing for seesRio+20 as astepfor- 2nd UCLG congress on the island of Jeju, ward,with the final report ahuman-centred approach South Korea, bringing together 2,000 recognisingthe essential mayors and local and regional to the development agenda role playedbylocal gov- government representatives. ernments on the sustain- operation betweenlocal governments”. able developmentagenda.Local gov- 2008 Themunicipal movementhas sup- ernments arenolongerseenassimple Publication of the first Global Observatory ported the ideals of peace and solid- civil society playersbut as fullyfledged on Decentralisation and Local Democracy arity at crucial historic moments,beit partners with arecognised status in law. (GOLD) report. at the end of the SecondWorld Waror Theadvocacyoflocal and regional November 2010 thefallofthe BerlinWall. governments within the UnitedNations First World Summit of local and regional (UN)system hadalsoallowed the ex- leaders, 3rdUCLG Congress in Mexico. FULLYFLEDGED PARTNERS pansionofthe Rio+20 agenda.In2011 Publication of the second Global Report Today, localgovernmentrepresentat- international negotiations were con- GOLD 2. 5th World Urban Forum: launch ives arestill nurturingthe values the centrated on auniquely environmental of the World Urban Campaign. UCLG founders took from their prede- agenda for the summit,but the UCLG cessors in localgovernment. Repres- pushedfor other keyissuestobetaken June 2011 entingthree billion inhabitants,they into account: governance,regional UCLG Executive Bureau meeting in Rabat: have been able to advocatedemocracy, cohesion, inclusion and provision of the secretarygeneral of Metropolis, developmentand the interests of local services and culture. TheUCLGistry- Josep Roig,isnamed secretarygeneral of UCLG. governments on the world stage. ingtobring the interests of cities and Since the UN-HABITAT conference regions to the heartofinternational de- October 2013 in Istanbul in 1996, cities and regional bate.Aware of the challengesbrought Rabat 2013: 2nd World Summit of Local governments have playedanincreas- aboutbyrapid urbanisation, the organ- and Regional Leaders -4th UCLG ingly activerole in the international isation is pushingfor ahuman-centred Congress. Centenaryofthe Municipal community, in particular through the approachtothe global development Movement. Presentation of GOLD 3. UCLG,which nownegotiates directly agenda.With this objectivein ●●●

the africa report • n° 53 • aUGUSt-SepteMBer2013 126 Urbanafrica

In Dakar,diaspora money is transforming the city as Senegalese emigrants build upmarket homes

authorities.Cities,inparticular,have been able to maintain their role in leveragingsustainable development and their capacity to foster the king- dom’s potential. In 2011, the new Moroccan consti- tution went further with this decent- ralisation movement. In line with the wishes of King MohammedVI, it laid down the foundationsofanew model of regionalism.Fourkey principles inspired this model, which involved a new division of the country’sregions. Thenew fundamental lawestab- lishedprinciples such as thedirect election by universal suffragefor mem- bers of the Conseils Régionaux,which

IN CHERKAOUI fOR JA will oblige localgovernments to work VA

SYL moreclosely with their populations. Another innovation is the creation of ●●● mind, obtainingobserverstatus been committedtothe irreversible an inter-regional solidarity fund to with the UN is apriority for the UCLG. processofdecentralisation and devol- ensurethat the benefits of national Indeed,developmentquestions ution. Theway it is organised aims to growth aresharedout morefairly. ● –which the UCLG is puttingatthe reinforce the skills of cities and local Hugues Demeude heartofthe Rabatdiscussions–are go- ingtobethe subject of other important events on thehorizon: thedefinition of apost-2015 DevelopmentAgenda Keypeople in the Municipal Movement after the expiration of the Millennium Joan Clos Marta Suplicy Fathallah Oualalo DevelopmentGoalsin2015; the new climateconvention in 2015; and the Former founding president Founding president of UCLG, Mayor of Rabat, fomer HabitatIII conference in 2016. Forty of UCLG,executive director former mayor of São Paulo finance and privatisation of UN-Habitat, former mayor (Brazil). minister of Morocco, years after the firstHabitatconfer- of Barcelona (Spain). president of the local Kadir Topbas ence in Vancouver and 20 years after finance and development Istanbul, this will define the new urban Bertrand Delanoë Mayor of Istanbul (Turkey), commission of UCLG, agenda for buildingsustainable cities. Mayor of Paris (France). president of UCLG since member of UCLGA Beyond the international lobbying ef- Co-founder of UCLG in 2004 2010. fortsofthe UCLG,thereisalsorecog- and president until 2010. Khalifa Sall nition given to countries that lead the President of the African figures Mayor of Dakar (Senegal), wayinpromotingthe values of the or- international association president of UCLGA since Daby Diagne 2012. ganisation. Allowing morepolitical and of francophone mayors. administrativepower to devolvetothe Delegate,president of the Miguel Lifschitz Louga region (Senegal), Abdoulaye Sene regions is akey waytoget cities better Mayor of Rosario president of the FMCU-UTO Founding president of the organised.The people on the ground (Argentina), president of (1996–2001). think tank Global Local often understand the dimensions of the strategic urban planning Forum, former Secretary- localproblems and howtofind the commission of UCLG. Jean-Pierre Elong Mbassi General of the local appropriate solutions far better than Secretarygeneral of UCLGA. representatives of Senegal. bureaucratsinthe capital. WanQingliang First secretarygeneral of World Associations of Cities Ousmane Sy During the fifth summit of the United Co-president of UCLG,vice- Cities and LocalGovernments of Africa, and Local Authorities Former minister for regional president of the Chinese Coordination (WACLAC), and local government which washeldinMarrakech in 2009, mayors’ association. created in the wake administration in Mali. the kingdom of Morocco wonthe Afri- Founder of the Centre Josep Roig of the Habitat II conference cities decentralisation award. Theprize in Istanbul. for Political and Institutional wasawarded for the efforts made in Founding member Expertise in Africa (CEPIA). municipal managementand decent- of Metropolis in 1985, Muchadeyi Masunda secretarygeneral of UCLG. ralisation over the past50years. Since Co-president of UCLG,mayor the governmentcreated the firstmu- of Harare(Zimbabwe). nicipal division in 1959, Morocco has

the africa report • n° 53 • aUGUSt-SepteMBer2013 UrbANAfriCA 127

NAIROBI Western Nairobi has undergoneaproperty boomwhile much Speculationcity of the city consistsof slums age fotostock

Adecadeofmiddle-class growth hasled to the most settler elite would carveout their space in the hilly forests west of the railway line; dramaticinternalcitymigrationsince the lifting of the the Indians settledeastofit, alongthe ColourBar as Nairobibreaksboundariesand codes banks of theNairobi River;and Africans were consigned to thescrubbylowlands gainstthe grain of Kenya’s pop- and the colonial administration, they in the east. ulation growth spurt, the results were able to shift the administration’s Fordecades after it wasabolished, A of the 2009censusrevealedthat headquartersfromMachakos to Nairobi. apartheid’s conflatedcategories of race Nairobi is much smallerthanhad been Therestishistory.Between the consid- and classhavefollowed this west-east thought:at 3.1 million, the city’spopu- erableresourcesoftheUgandanRailways orientation. Town planning, perennially lation is considerably off the oft-quoted Corporationandtheclutchofprosperous appliedinthe breachrather than the 4million figure that wasbeingcasually Indian traders that hadcome with the observance,has skewed resources west- thrownabout even adecade ago. But railway,abustlingsettlementquickly wards, which explains that old Nairobi this is not acountryfamous for its ability emerged, attractingthe new colony’s contradiction of achronic housingshort- to count, or agreeonnumbers for that upper-classBritish settlers. ageamid areal-estate boom. Even after matter,asits chronic problems with vote the firstofthe independence elite had tallies duringelections attest. ALCOHOL AND SEX broken west of the railway line –the Nairobi’s citizens arepastmasters of Abrief period of fluid multiracial settle- colonial marker of privilege –the city’s the numbers game –the crookedscience mentwas haltedbythe introduction plannerscontinuedtocriminalisethe of massagingfigures, bendinglight. This, of an apartheid policy: the Colour Bar, povertyand squalor for which theywere after all, is acity foundedalmostliter- enforcedoneconomic lines,religiously ultimately responsible. ally on agamble.In1901, Mile 327 at adhered to by officialdom the foot of the Kikuyu Escarpmentwas butfrequently broken and Nairobi privilegenow lives an innocuous pit stoponthe Ugandan ignored when it appliedto cheekbyjowlwithrural railway,acollection of tin shacks by the the twothings that Nairobi’s Nairobi Rivernamedbythe Maasai for its male population hadin migrantslumsqualor cold waters – Enkare Erobi.Clever land common: alcohol and sex. speculators, gamblingthat the Ugandan Butthe Colour Barwould determine Today, to live west of UhuruHigh- RailwaysCorporation would transform the shapeofthe city longafter the co- way, post-independence coda for the the nascentsettlementintosomething lonial erahad ended. Oneofits early class divide with the near-death of the moresubstantial, hadsecured prop- justifications wassafeguardingpublic colonial railway,istoinhabit alife of erty rights on the steppewith the sole health –three epidemics of the plague red-roofedprivilege far removedfrom objectiveofsellingbackthe land to the in the Indian Bazaar in the early 1900s the mabati grind of the dusty Eastlands. railway at aprofit.Playing on the rivalry bolstered aspeciousargumenttosep- Except that it isn’t,inreality. Nairobi between the railway’s head honchos aratethe races.Consequently, the white privilege lives cheek by jowl with rural

the africa report • n° 53 • aUGUSt-SepteMBer2013 128 urbanafrica

migrantslum squalor.Kibera, Kawang- shortages, import substitution and an ated $3bn annually in the city and its ware, Kangemi and Mathareare all loc- unquenchedappetite for Americaas hinterland.Add to that adogged entre- ated within spittingdistance of the up- seenonTV. Economic liberalisation preneurial spirit and aservice economy scale neighbourhoodsofKarengata, in the 1990s and ties with Dubai –and that attracts the citizenryofthe region, Lavington, Loresho and Muthaiga.One later China,Indonesiaand the rest of the as well as adiaspora remittingmore non-governmental organisation afew FarEast–led to an explosion in trade moneythanthe country’stea exports years agocounted at least190 informal and access. Everybody who could do so (orforeign aid for that matter), andit settlements in the city. Theproximity made for the exit gates,usually under is easytoexplain whythe city hasbeen of slum to upscale suburb belies agulf falsepretences and usually for America. boomingfor over adecade. of Gini coefficients that haslongestab- Thereisvirtually no trackingdataon lishedKenya’s positionamong themost pidgin rules the waves adecade of middle-classgrowththat unequal countries on the planet. Theyouth bulgehas alsoplayedits part hasdrivenperhapsthe mostdramatic Butthosenumbers refer to an old and in influencingthe vernacular of aspira- internal city migration since the liftingof disappearingorder.Asthe white and tion and marketing. English hasceded the Colour Bar. Areal-estate bubble has Indian players at the roulette table have to urban pidgin as marketers targeta addednew fuel to the economic boom; made wayfor succeedinggenerations of youth population forwhomrestrictions the city hasbrokenits boundaries,not- the African elite,the logic of the gamble to alanguageofprivilege gave birth to ably towardsthe southern plains,mostly haschanged. Thecommand economy apidgin language–Sheng–that rules to meet thepropertyaspirations of a eraservedacolonial matrixofelite priv- the airwavesand capturesthe inform- burgeoningmiddle class. Land prices in ilege that allowed the winners to buylow ality of apopulation that hascarveda Kitengela,Ngong, Ong’ataRongaiand and sell exorbitantly on the assumption thrivingcontraband existence outside down the MombasaRoad areexploding. that the downtrodden natives did not the confines of the old classapartheid. It is the rationale of the casinoand deserve anything butthe barenecessit- Aside from the fact that this is the seat perhapsofany bigcity. Nairobi wases- ies.Inthis set-up,privilege wasinmany of government, other forces arealso tablishedbyspeculators–the lawofthe ways afunctionofmaterial deprivation. shapingthe city. Nairobi is,after all, shillingprecededthe rule of law. It was Except for the very well heeled, the rest regional headquartersofthe disaster thus,and thus shall it be. ● of us existedinamaterial universeof relief industry, whichspends an estim- Parselelo Kantai in Nairobi

Visiting Rabatfor theUCLGcongress

EMBASSIES HOTELS RESTAURANTS TRAVEL Mausoleum of Mohammed V SouthAfrican Luxury Rabat villestation Acommemorative Embassy SofitelRabat Jardin Avenue Mohammed V museum for King 34 Rue des Saadiens, desRoses >oncf.ma Mohammed V, who led Rabat ☎ +212 (0)537 67 56 56 Morocco to independence. ☎ +212 (0)537 70 67 60 >sofitel.com Rabat Agdalstation Boulevard Abi Regreg Avenue Abderrahmane Nigerian Embassy VillaMandarine Al Ghafiki Chellah (SalaColonia) 70 Avenue Omar Ibn 19 Rue Ouled Bousbaa >oncf.ma Old Roman settlement. el Khattab Agdal, Rabat Souissi, Rabat1777 Cité Khalifa ☎ +212 (0)537 67 18 57 >villamandarine.com ATTRACTIONS HassanTower Ambassade de France Riad Kalaa TheOudayas Kasbah Minaret, built in 1196.

1rue Ibn Hajar 3-5 Rue Zebdi, Rabat all righTS rESErvEd andAndalusian Boulevard Mohamed RabatAgdal +212 (0)537 20 20 28 Garden Lyazidi ☎ +212 (0)537 68 97 00 >riadkalaa.com La Menora An ancient district Moroccan cuisine. and castle walls, dating  Medina BritishEmbassy 5rue Er-Ryad |Quartier back to the 13th century. The bustling, original city, 28 Avenue S.A.R. Sidi Hassan, Rabat Rue des Consuls with traditional shops, Mohammed, Soussi, ☎ +212 (0)537 26 01 03 cafés and restaurants. Rabat >lamenora.com +212 (0)537 63 33 33 iN SONNET/hEmiS

☎ va YamalAsham American Embassy Syl Middle Eastern cuisine. 2Avenue Mohamed Mid-range 5Rue Al Maghrib Al Arab El Fassi, Rabat Rabat +212 (0)537 76 62 65 Riad Zyo +212 (0)537 72 02 76 ☎ 5Rue Moreno legza, ☎ Rabat Cosmopolitan >riad-zyo.com Restaurant French cuisine. Riad dar Soufa ibn toumert, Rabat 7derb Souaf, Rabat iN SONNET/hEmiS ☎ +212 (0)537 20 00 28 va +212 (0)673 19 45 37

☎ Syl

the africa report • n° 53 • aUGUSt-SepteMBer2013 UNDER THE HIGH PATRONAGE OF HIS MAJESTY KING MOHAMMED VI RABATEXPO FAIR 2013 Rabat, 1-5 October 2013

Do not miss Rabat Expo Fair 2013 to Exhibit your solutions to Imagine society and Build Democracy!

Be on time to secure your participation

Who will be there ?

• 3,500 delegates participating to the 4th UCLG Congress • 50,000 visitors, either professionals or the general public living in the urban conglomerations of Rabat-Salé, Casablanca, Kénitra and in the surroundings. • The general public of all countries, through the media and the internet (via the social media) • All Companies, organisations and main actors of the following sectors: Local Public services: drinking water, liquid and solid purification, household waste, energy,street, lighting, transportation, Telecommunications and information technology,Housing and urban planning, Environment and land development, Risk and disaster management, Audit, counseling

WISH TO PARTICIPATE? CONTACT US: Rabat Expo 2013 -MCI -11brue Ahmed Al Akrad, Oasis 92 637 Casablanca Marocco Tel.: +33(0)4 96 10 33 37 -Fax.: +33(0)4 96 10 33 11 -Email: [email protected] www.rabat2013.com -www.uclg.org Under the high pAtronAge of his MAjesty,King MohAMMed Vi

participate in the world’sbiggest event on the development of cities and regions

Organised forthe first time in Africa, with the Vuedufutur Grand ThéâtredeRabat expected participation of major cities from all over the world, the 4th UCLGCongress and the WorldSummit of Localand Regional Leaders will takeplaceinRabat, Morocco,from1-4 October2013.

4,000 international decision-makers –governments, mayors,local representatives,experts,investors, public and privateoperators... –will exchange their experiences and thoughts on local governance Avision forthe world of tomorrow, and decentralisation, on new methods of territorial fairer and moreunited development, on cooperation and investment •Fostering welbeing opportunities offered by towns and regions. •Strengthening solidarityamong territories •Supporting newlocal governance and dynamics of change •Promoting diversity •Shaping the urban future

registration on the website www.rabat2013.com