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Emerging 'New cities' in Africa and socio-spatial inequality: A case study of the Eko Atlantic City project in Lagos, Nigeria BY Adebayo Akesanju Kester THESIS Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Amsterdam, 2014 Amsterdam, Netherlands Acknowledgment I dedicate this work to Adeyanju, whose life has brought resolve into mine. My sincere gratitude also goes to my thesis supervisor, Anita Blessing, for her patience and consistent support throughout this process. I am particularly thankful for her words of encouragement and vote of confidence. I thank my lovely wife, Elizabeth, for her overwhelming support, love and sacrifice. Many thanks to Gloria and Seun, for taking the time to proof-read and edit this work. I also thank the Amsterdam Merit Scholarship committee at the University of Amsterdam for offering me the scholarship that has made this study possible. Table of Contents Chapter 1 Overview .................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1 Aim and Relevance ................................................................................................................ 3 Theoretical Framework and Hypothesis..................................................................................... 5 Problem Statement ................................................................................................................... 7 Research Design and Methods .................................................................................................. 2 Structure of thesis ..................................................................................................................... 4 Chapter 2 Review of the Literature ............................................................................................. 1 Urban Transformations ............................................................................................................. 1 Planning In Nigeria .................................................................................................................. 3 New Urban Policy and Reviving the City................................................................................... 5 The Neo-Liberal City ................................................................................................................ 6 Urban Development Projects................................................................................................... 10 New Urban Policy in Global South? ........................................................................................ 12 EAC and the Influence of Modernist Planning ......................................................................... 15 Chapter 3 City and Project Profile ............................................................................................. 18 City profile ............................................................................................................................. 18 Eko Atlantic City (EAC) ......................................................................................................... 23 New Cities in Africa ............................................................................................................... 27 Accumulation by dispossession? .............................................................................................. 31 Chapter 4 Social Inequality ....................................................................................................... 34 Early theories on social-spatial inequality................................................................................. 34 The Urban Divide ................................................................................................................... 36 Socio-spatial inequality in Africa ............................................................................................. 40 The socio-spatial reality in Lagos ............................................................................................. 40 Chapter 5 Findings .................................................................................................................... 53 Transportation ........................................................................................................................ 53 Housing ................................................................................................................................. 57 Interview Responses ............................................................................................................... 58 Chapter 6 Discussion and Conclusion ....................................................................................... 64 NUP, just city and African Cities ............................................................................................ 64 Theoretical justification for NUP ............................................................................................. 65 Urban Development Projects and the New Urban Policy .......................................................... 65 Summary ............................................................................................................................... 69 iii Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 72 Recommendations and further research ................................................................................... 73 Bibliography.............................................................................................................................. 75 iv Acronyms ABD – Accumulation by Dispossession BRT – Bus Rapid Transit CBD – Central Business District EAC – Eko Atlantic City EAC – Eko Atlantic City EIA – Environmental Impact Assessment IMF – International Monetary Fund LAMATA – Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority LASEEDS – Lagos State Economic Empowerment Development Strategy LASG – Lagos State Government LRT – Light Rail Transit NEP – New Economic Policy NUP – New Urban Policy SAP – Structural Adjustment Program UDP – Urban Development Project v Chapter 1 Overview Introduction As equity and socio-economic/spatial polarization becomes more pertinent to the urban experience, it becomes more crucial for planners to; at worst discuss issues concerning this problem and at best help mitigate increasing its growth. This research topic is centered on new urban spaces being created or re-designated in major urban centers and their implications on socio-spatial inequality. The research focuses on the Eko Atlantic City project (EAC) in Lagos, Nigeria. A city currently characterized by intense urbanization and unparalleled infrastructural growth. EAC is a three-fold urban transformation project, purported to (1) address some of the physical and planning challenges being faced by Lagos city, (2) improve the global competitiveness of the city by boosting its local economy through attraction of foreign investment and (3) respond to the global climate crisis which is assumed to be the cause of the surging Atlantic ocean shoreline. The project is a collaboration between the state government and several private institutions; developers, investors and banks. EAC presents an illustration of a combination of processes (urban development, economic growth and governance) that influences the ways in which the built environment is shaped. Urban development is a process that involves the social and physical improvement of an urban area. Economic growth can be referred to as the capacity of an economy to increase the production of goods and services over a period of time. Governance is the decision-making process that involves the division of power and responsibilities across various actors. The Eko Atlantic city proposes socio-economic development but the processes within it may generate externalities such as socio-spatial polarization – a social dilemma that can never be over- emphasized. The level of socio-spatial disparity is often reflected in the physical configuration of a city, which is also a representation of the city’s urban development policies. In spite of efforts to upgrade most major African cities, sub-standard living conditions remains one of the biggest challenges, with continued rise of shanty towns amidst pockets of middle to high income neighborhoods. The UNHABITAT (2010) describe this challenge as “complex processes of 1 socio-spatial segregation that causes substantial intra-metropolitan differences and inequality in service provision”. About 60% of urban populations in sub-Saharan Africa live in slum conditions (UNHABITAT, 2009). As such most African cities, particularly the larger ones are characterized by highly fragmented and spatially uneven physical environment. This condition is attributable to the concentration of development and investment in selected areas of the city and neglect of other parts. As a consequence, the quality life for those inhabiting in disadvantaged areas are so poor, producing effects such as high risk diseases, uncontrolled waste pollution due to unsanitary conditions and increased crime rate due to poverty. Despite these challenges, urban governments in Africa are lately pursuing monumental urban development projects that are purported to address

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