Citiscope

Antiquated colonial-era rules and rampant corruption combine to fuel “urban dysfunction” in African cities, the London-based Africa Research Institute warns.   Specific ills it identifies: unrestrained development, environmental hazards, lack of basic services, vulnerability to climate change and disease.

A major reason these and other problems are not being solved, the institute asserts, is continued prevalence of policies that simply serve business or political elites. Chief prescription it offers: inclusive, sustainable planning, guided by sound data.