2013/12/06 by Vanessa Watson · 579 citations
Engineering · Social Sciences · #Economic growth #Economics #Elite #Fantasy #Frontier #Geography #Lagging #Law #League #Political science #Poverty #Rhetoric #Smart Cities and Technologies #Sociology #Urban Transport and Accessibility #Urban and Rural Development Challenges
paper · doi:10.1177/0956247813513705
published in Environment and Urbanization 26(1), 215-231 (SAGE Publications)
crossref issued 2013/12/06 · crossref published 2013/12/06 · crossref published-online 2013/12/06 · openalex publication_date 2013/12/06 · crossref created 2013/12/06 · crossref published-print 2014/04/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref deposited 2026/04/28 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30 · crossref indexed 2026/08/07
Labelled as the “last frontier” for international property development, sub-Saharan Africa’s larger cities are currently being revisioned in the image of cities such as Dubai, Shanghai and Singapore, which claim top positions in the world-class city leagues. Draped in the rhetoric of “smart cities” and “eco-cities”, these plans promise to modernize African cities and turn them into gateways for international investors and showpieces for ambitious politicians. Yet the reality in all of these cities stands in stark contrast to the glass-box towers, manicured lawns and water features on developers’ and architects’ websites. With the majority of urban populations living in deep poverty and with minimal urban services, the most likely outcome of these fantasy plans is a steady worsening of the marginalization and inequalities that already beset these cities.