Paper short abstract:

In the face of rapid growth, how is everyday city-making manifested? Here two far apart cities in Sub-Saharan Africa are examined - Maputo, Mozambique and Dakar, Senegal - focusing on design ideals, production of urban commons, leisure and security in the emerging built environment.

Paper long abstract:

In the face of rapid demographic growth, Sub-Saharan African cities are expanding fast - horizontally and vertically. The majority of this expansion has very little regulation or guidance from the state - i.e. local authority planning and/or building control. Nevertheless there are strong socio-cultural values that regulate and guide such development. This paper examines how these are manifested in two cities/countries as far apart as could be in the macro-region: Maputo in Mozambique and Dakar in Senegal.

There are remarkable similarities in processes of how peri-urban land and housing is developed in both countries despite significant social and cultural differences - underpinning key aspects of socio-cultural regulation of wider importance. The everyday practice of dwelling in these cities is arguably producing forms of 'popular' urban architecture - i.e. something between the 'erudite' architecture designed by architects and the 'vernacular' traditions that were developed previously in rural areas.

The paper focuses on how design ideals and desires are produced in these urban areas and which influences are prevalent? It discusses the issue of the production of urban commons, as state-led interventions often are minimal. Finally it looks at how leisure and security are manifested in the emerging built environment.

In conclusion the paper attempts to highlight how professionals engaged in urban development and housing may learn from these practices and how low-income and middle-class residents can be assisted to improve these themselves? The paper examines at how knowledge is embedded socially and culturally in these processes as the key to answering such queries. (this paper was developed together with Paul Jenkins)