There is no doubt that most African cities trace their origin and development to colonial times. The legacy of colonial urban planning laws has locked African cities into bad urban planning regimes. Presently, most legislated urban planning and design practices contradict the cultural norms of conservative African countries. Additionally, many African urbanities cannot afford to follow these strict, foreign regulations when building houses or participating in the formal housing market, resulting in the growth of informal settlements – Africa’s biggest urbanization challenge to date.
Against this backdrop, we observe the enduring challenges within African cities that undermine sustainable urbanization. Most African cities were not designed and built to be climate resilient, but nonetheless, they are bearing the brunt of the negative effects of climate change. Numerous natural disasters – such as floods, droughts, cyclones, and landslides – frequently hit African cities, ravaging precious lives and infrastructure. Most African cities are resource- and infrastructure-constrained and thus, unable to meet the needs of the growing urban population in climate-vulnerable locations.
In addition, Africa’s political economy – which is characterized by bureaucracy and entrenched interests – does not make it easy for new policies to be adopted and implemented. As a result, cities and states alike continue to operate on outdated policies with little or no concern for sustainability and green development. Time and again, financially constrained African governments have failed to prioritize expenditure on climate change adaptation, a problem exacerbated by the high financial investment costs of such measures¹.
There is an urgent need for new cities that reflect our African identity and cater to the present and future needs of the African continent. Given the numerous challenges, we need to explore and seek solutions, drawing on contextualized lessons from solutions that have previously worked for other countries. This blog explores the potential role of charter cities in combating climate change and environmental degradation.
The Charter Cities Institute defines charter cities as special economic zones (SEZs) with devolved authority to implement regulatory and governance reforms, including environmental policies. Charter cities are built on the foundation of good governance, that is, an autonomous or semi-autonomous governing body that flexibly administers the city. In contrast, most African national governments exercise full control over African cities, failing to cede powers to the cities’ leadership.
Municipal leaders could do more to adapt to climate change only if they are equipped with the authority and autonomy necessary to implement policy changes. Municipal leaders may be less likely to trivialize the ecological and social needs of cities. Additionally, their level of proximity to the citizens provides them with the potential to imagine and implement new solutions, including green solutions. More devolved political authority and greater decentralization of functions to municipal governments can and will bolster the much-needed timely flexible disaster responsiveness, and overall disaster preparedness at numerous localities forging an evenly sustainable and resilient Africa.
Africa At The Moment
Building and planning policies utilized in African countries are outdated with colonial influences. Laws formulated and implemented to govern a colonized Africa are still used to serve a modern, rapidly urbanizing Africa with new challenges. Therefore, given the outdated regulations, African cities’ built environments are poorly planned and unregulated. Additionally, there is little to no consideration of green solutions and environmental sustainability practices. For instance, low-cost, but high-carbon construction materials, such as cement, continue to be utilized in infrastructure and building developments.
Vast informal settlements are characteristic of the majority of African cities. In Dar es Salaam, for example, thousands of informal dwellings are situated along riverbanks and flood plains of the Msambezi River system, with densities increasing downstream towards the city center. This is the trend across many cities in Africa, where unregulated development and planning issues are evident.
For instance, informal settlements built on dangerous slopes without sewage connections continue to expand, leading to increased pollution challenges, acute water poverty, and encroachment on natural reserves and riparian land. This threatens cities’ biodiversity and exacerbates the risk of climate change calamities. Households living in these developments are often more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change because of higher exposure to extreme events, low-quality construction, tenure insecurity, poor access to public services, and environmental degradation.
Retrofitting cities in their current state and form, given the extensive informality, is a tall order. Arguably, new cities or newly urbanizing areas with better governance could be better and more sustainably planned right from the start, to effectively respond to climate change challenges.
Data from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs reveals that by 2050, 68 percent of the world population will be urban, with 64 percent of the population settling in the developing world, mostly in Africa. With this estimated growth lies an opportunity for new, better planned urban areas that are more sustainable. It is now possible to estimate exactly where urban growth will occur and how cities are expected to expand spatially. The key priority, therefore, should be to build these cities in advance of settlement, setting them off on a greener development path from the get-go.
Shenzhen, a Glimpse Into its Environmental Policies
Shenzhen, China – a city designated as an SEZ and empowered to make reforms – is one blueprint for the charter city model. It is well-known for its innovative market reforms, including environmental policy reforms. Under its devolved autonomous leadership and flexible administration, Shenzhen is continuously implementing innovative solutions to climate change challenges. For instance, Shenzhen was the first city in China to pilot carbon trading; the issuance of carbon bonds has led to a generation of high returns.
Furthermore, with the acceleration of urbanization in recent years, Shenzhen has become increasingly sensitive to flooding disasters and climate risks. Given these challenges, Shenzhen has embraced and developed resilient strategies that are more adaptable to various uncertainties. Shenzhen’s resilience strategies include structural and non-structural measures. Structural reforms include improved river net flow management, flood adaptation, and hanging water and construction measures; non-structural strategies are reflected in flood policies and management.
One of the city’s most innovative flood solutions is its adoption of the ‘sponge cities’ strategy: a new approach to urban rainwater management that combines complementary layers of green and grey infrastructure to help cities absorb and dispose of water. Shenzhen became one of the second national sponge city pilot cities in 2016. In January 2019, the Shenzhen Planning and National Resources Committee released the Shenzhen Sponge City Construction Special Planning and Implementation Plan. The plan specifies the overall goal to minimize the impact of urban development and construction on the ecological environment through the comprehensive adoption of measures such as seepage control, retention, storage, purification, use, and discharge.
Urban flood insurance, one of the main measures of urban flood risk management, has also been utilized to curtail flood-related risks in Shenzhen. The Shenzhen government has implemented a combined government-market mechanism to insure public and quasi-public infrastructure against flood-related risks.
The Shenzhen government has also substantively invested in meteorological and climate change studies. Through partnerships with higher education institutions to incentivize environmental research and finance climate-related publications – such as assessments of losses occasioned by environmental catastrophes and reports on future threats to lives and property – the Shenzhen government has enabled awareness and knowledge of climate change scenarios and actively effected much needed preparedness when catastrophes strike.
Most importantly, because of its devolved political autonomy, the Shenzhen government can continuously implement reforms and solutions to its challenges, climate change included. The formidable progressive green policies and the technologically advanced measures implemented by the Shenzhen government are predicated on the local government’s flexibility to rapidly respond to climate-related shocks. The Shenzhen experience offers a compelling case for how new, better-planned cities with devolved authority can more effectively respond to existing and emerging issues.
This has important implications for Africa. Africa’s economic and political challenges present a unique opportunity for partnerships and external investments with reform driven organizations such as the Charter Cities Institute. Africa’s next steps should therefore be geared towards embracing these opportunities all whilst staying clear on the sustainable urbanization vision.
Steps Towards the Charter City Vision: Africa’s SEZs
Africa is the focus of numerous new city developments, some of which embody or aim to embody the charter city framework to varying degrees in countries such as Nigeria, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, and Kenya. Tatu City, Kenya is an example of a successfully implemented mixed-use special economic city in Africa. Located in the northeast outskirts of Nairobi, Tatu City has proven successful in its operationalization and development.
Notably, Tatu City has extensively catered to environmental sustainability in policy and in practice, with the policy and regulatory framework providing extensively for waste management through the Tatu City Waste Management Policy 2023. Additionally, Tatu City has developed environmentally friendly infrastructure and adopted green investments in renewable energy. In fact, the city recently witnessed the installation of a mega solar power harnessing plant which will sustain a substantial part of the city’s energy requirements. In recognition of the great strides that the city has made in promoting environmental sustainability and climate resilience, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development has identified Tatu City as one of nine African ESG model SEZs. Tatu City’s recognition is evidence of the environmental considerations new cities with independent administrations can undertake.
Africa is in need of green cities that integrate environmental sustainability considerations in all aspects of development and infrastructure designs. Empowered new cities, particularly with private sector backing, may encourage the quick adoption of green solutions, especially if they have access to the financial resources needed to respond to climate change more efficiently than traditional cities, which often face huge financing constraints.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Africa’s rapid urbanization demands new cities that are empowered to address climate challenges. Over the past few years, Africa, just like the rest of the world, has experienced the harsh effects of climate change and environmental degradation. In fact, African cities, which have faced the biggest blows, are yet to recover from the negative impacts meted on infrastructure and livelihoods. But learning from cities such as Shenzhen, cities with devolved authority can quickly implement measures to address the impacts of climate change and finance its recovery. To foster sustainable urban development, charter cities in Africa should be given more devolved authority to address these development issues. By empowering new cites to meet current and future climate challenges, we can build a more resilient way forward for humanity.
¹ However, more African governments are beginning to pay attention to these pertinent issues by partnering with financial institutions to actualize these measures. Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, is a notable example where a lot on this front is happening under the mayor’s administration.
