Cities are complex social systems and, like magnets, they attract and repel. For some citizens the notion of a city conjures up images of bright lights, sophistication, excitement and opportunities. For others, a city is a dystopian, heartless and dangerous place where social ills prevail and threats to life and limb are pervasive. No matter the prevailing views towards cities, for millions of Africans, cities are what we call home. The challenge is, how to make cities more liveable; where they shelter us, nurture us, support us, and even become spaces where dreams are made.
African cities are expanding at a rapid rate. Cairo, Addis Ababa, Kigali and Cape Town are but a few of the cities on the continent that have shown exponential growth spatially, economically and demographically. These are primarily due to rural to urban population shifts, intercity-migration and high birth rates.
