Citizens also have a responsibility in making African cities liveable

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. 

Over the next three decades, Africa will experience the fastest increase in the working age population of all regions, with a projected net increase of 740 million people by 2050, according to a recent World Bank in Africa Report (2024). It’s already estimated by the World Bank that by 2025, the population on the African continent will increase to become one fifth of the world and that more than 60% of the population will live in cities by 2050. 

Rapid population growth has a huge effect on cities. It forces cities to become resource intensive, resulting in them consuming about 60% to 80% of energy worldwide and thereby producing vast quantities of greenhouse emissions. Yet, on the plus side, cities around the world also generate more than 80% of GDP in countries where they are located, and are often major hubs for socio-economic and technological development.  

But cities should be more than just economic hubs. They should also be spaces that nurture temporal living.  

Imagine a city whose layout incorporates parks, green belts, and public gardens to improve mental and physical health, reduce urban heat, and support biodiversity. Or, imagine a city whose layout enriches urban life, fosters cultural engagement and makes the city itself feel vibrant through promoting art.  There could be art walkways that guide pedestrians through art installations and murals across the city. These can preserve heritage, attract visitors, develop aesthetic appreciation and encourage local exploration.

However, rapid city growth comes at a cost. They experience “boom-bust” phenomena; “boom” when they benefit from available skills and enterprise development, and “bust” when population density overwhelms and places pressure on infrastructure and resources such as water, housing and energy. In such situations the challenges to city planners and local government officials are how to leverage the benefits from the “booms” and how to plan and mitigate the “busts”.  

Whether in  “boom”, or “bust” phases, cities are integral to a country’s geo-political fabric. And, rapidly growing cities are organic; they form around its citizens and likewise the citizens shape the city. But the key questions remain, Are they liveable and how should African cities transform so that they become liveable? These are complex questions that will evoke multiple and possibly very diverse responses. 

A viable starting point is that a livable city should be one that is “rehumanised”. It should be a space where people feel cared for, where there’s a sense of belonging, and where aspirations are nurtured. This must therefore include balanced integration between social, economic and environmental factors to create a place where people enjoy living, feel safe and thrive. 

At a practical level, a rehumanised or citizen-centred city should be one where city government and management serve the best interests of its inhabitants. There should be a culture of excellence where basic services and citizen-friendly amenities are prioritised. These can include safe recreational or green spaces that promote social interaction, infrastructure that facilitates economic opportunities, as well as access to health care facilities. In support of these, national and local governments need to prioritise “Batho Pele” (people first) principles and actively address problems such as corruption, incompetence and crime. These exacerbate dysfunction and in some cases promote “crisis shocks”, such as unrest, vandalism and substance abuse. 

A liveable city is not a bridge too far. It depends on political will, competent local government and the drive to harness innovative technologies. There are accessible solutions to make cities more liveable. Rapid advancements in digital technology and artificial intelligence can provide effective ways to manage cities and can be harnessed to manage boom-bust phenomena.  Enabling technology can include the following: 

• The Internet of Things, a digitally connected, or “smart” city where sensors assist with multiple resource management functions, camera technology to better ensure safety on the streets; 
• An aerotropolis (airport city) that leverages value from aviation, tourism and multimodal mobility solutions, and
• Green initiatives that will support sustainability. 

An example of a green initiative that can promote food security is the 33 metres below London, in an abandoned air raid shelter is the world’s first underground farm. This is a collaboration between private investors and the University of Cambridge (Growing Underground) to revolutionise urban farming. 

In the United States the Omega project (Offshore Membrane Enclosures for Growing Algae) is a “sustainable futures” response to increased waste water associated with urban growth. This complex process uses waste water to grow algae which, in turn, can be harvested for biofuel. These are two projects which could be implemented in cities in South Africa. 

The creation of a liveable city, a city with soul, is important to the health of a nation. But achieving this is a shared responsibility — the government and the citizens who make up a city. Citizens are not absolved of their roles and should be active participants in making cities liveable. Like Kigali’s clean city image, or Gaborone’s safety record, at a micro level,  people need to actively participate in addressing crime, grime and community-based problems. 

If all city inhabitants fully embrace their responsibilities, liveability will not be an imaginary concept,  but a lived reality. 

Rudi Kimmie is the interim director at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Aerotropolis Institute Africa. Justin Pringle is a senior lecturer in the School of Civil Engineering and head of Purpose-driven Engineering at UKZN. They write in their personal capacities.