Africa Urban Lab

We were honored to participate in the African Conference on Resilient and Sustainable Cities, hosted by our wonderful partners at Ardhi University (ARU). 🏙️ 🌱 Kurtis Lockhart, AUL's Founder & Director, discussed the role of urban labs in pinpointing impactful, cost-effective urban interventions. Scaling up promising policies and sharing strategies can help foster thriving African cities. A strong community of practice helps facilitate this essential knowledge exchange. Heba Elhanafy, AUL's Chief of Staff, presented on how to implement urban expansion planning and explained the benefits of the approach. AUL is working to scale urban expansion planning to primary and secondary cities across the continent. Thank you to our hosts for organizing a fantastic event. We look forward to continuing to build together! 🌟

Yesterday, we had the privilege to take part in a career panel with Princeton in Africa, where Kurtis Lockhart discussed his role as Founder & Director of the Africa Urban Lab. Princeton in Africa does incredible work supporting young leaders across the continent. It was a pleasure to engage with the next generation of change makers! 🏙️ 💫

Glad to see so many great orgs leaning into urban expansion planning. The Africa Urban Lab is stoked to be announcing some big plans around our urban expansion work very soon!! Stay tuned 🌆🌆

Important paper by Jun Rentschler et al. shows that human settlements are expanding rapidly into flood-prone zones. As cities across Africa expand, it is crucial to protect environmentally sensitive spaces. Urban expansion planning (UXP) can help guide growth and reduce risks. 🌊 🏙️ UXP offers a simple, scalable, and cost-effective technique for rapidly-growing cities with limited resources. It focuses on three key elements: 🏗️ Expanding city boundaries 🚗 Securing land for a grid of arterial roads 🌱 Protecting vulnerable environmental areas By prioritizing these basic steps, cities can not only ensure access to public services and improve mobility, but they can also increase sustainability and reduce environmental risk. This is essential for the long-run growth of African cities. Read the full paper on urban growth in flood zones here. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eDR8NEy3 You can also learn more about UXP by attending Patrick Lamson-Hall's talk tomorrow (check out our page for details) or reading his blog post here. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eDUeTw3y

🚨 Don't forget to register for Thursday's event with Dr. Patrick Lamson-Hall! 🌟 Come learn more about Urban Expansion Planning with us!

🌟 Student Spotlight! Meet John Mustapha, Executive Director & Co-Founder of the Organization for liberty and entrepreneurship, a think tank working to build a free, peaceful, and prosperous South Sudan. At AUL, he's exploring how urban planning can help drive growth in Juba. 🏙️ 🇸🇸

Next Thursday, Dr. Patrick Lamson-Hall will be leading a discussion on Urban Expansion Planning at the Community of Practice meeting hosted by UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme). This approach helps cities prepare for future growth by projecting urban expansion, establishing a grid of arterial roads, and preserving environmentally sensitive areas. This promotes more organized urban growth, increasing mobility, sustainability, and economic vibrancy. 🏙️ Whether you're an urban planner, policymaker, researcher, or just passionate about cities, this is a great opportunity to learn more about the benefits and techniques of Urban Expansion Planning! Event details: 📅 Thursday, February 20, 2025 ⏰ 2:30-4 PM EAT 📍 UN-Habitat Headquarters (in-person) & Online If you are interested in attending in person, please send us an email at info@aul.city with your details. We hope to see you there!

Obviously I’m biased here, but more research centers should be partnering with policymakers to translate impactful research into needed policy action. Urbanization is too important to have important cities research collect dust on a shelf. Really proud of the Africa Urban Lab’s continued progress on these policy partnerships, and really excited for this work with AFLEX. 🌆🌆

📣 We are excited to announce our partnership with the African Leadership Excellence Academy (AFLEX) የአፍሪካ አመራር ልህቀት አካዳሚ to advance urban leadership development, research, and policy innovation across Africa! Together, we will: 🎓 Develop leadership programs tailored for city officials ✍ Conduct joint research on governance and public policy 🏆 Recognize outstanding contributions to urban leadership 🔄 Promote student and faculty exchanges to strengthen knowledge-sharing We look forward to working together to shape the future of Africa’s cities! Check out the full press release here. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eKAv2pHT

Pre-colonial African cities were complex centers of trade, learning, and culture, shaped by sophisticated urban planning, impressive architecture, and diverse governance systems. Understanding their past can inspire new ways of thinking about the future of African cities. Some insights from Heba Elhanafy's new article for AIN (AFRICA INNOVATION NETWORK). 👇 ⛵ On the Swahili East Coast, trade-based city-states like Kilwa and Mombasa were built with narrow, winding streets that helped to mitigate coastal heat. Large public spaces and markets facilitated social interaction and trade. The cities used local coral stones in their construction, forming durable and beautiful architectural designs. 🐪 Cities like Timbuktu and Gao in the Mali Empire flourished as key hubs along Saharan trade routes. The cities built and maintained public routes to facilitate the movement of traders and goods. Timbuktu's urban design reflected its role as a commercial and cultural center, with distinct quarters dedicated to trade, education, and residential life. 👑 The Yoruba city-states of Ife and Oyo, in present-day Nigeria, were ruled by their own Oba (king), who governed with the support of councils of chiefs and other titled officials. These councils managed key functions like tax collection, trade regulation, and security. Many Nigerian cities still retain their monarchical traditions alongside democratically elected leaders. 💪 The Hausa city-states, such as Kano and Katsina, featured fortified walls and gates, which provided security and controlled access to the city. They also established specialized zones for craft production, trade, and residential quarters. Some of those divisions can still be seen today. European colonization was a shock to African systems, especially to governance, social life, and economic vibrancy in urban centers. History shows that a high degree of municipal authority in administrative and economic affairs allowed pre-colonial city-states to thrive. Reclaiming that lesson can help us reimagine the future of African cities. 🏙️ 🌟 Check out the full article by Heba Elhanafy here. https://lnkd.in/eyywPucx