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Digital Visualisation as a New Driver of Urban Change in Africa

Author

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  • Vanessa Watson

    (School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics, University of Cape Town, South Africa)

Abstract

Cities in Sub-Saharan Africa are growing faster than in any other part of the world, driven by expanding informal settlement (usually on the urban periphery) and the real-estate sector aiming for up-market property development. The continent currently has the highest real-estate value growth potential in the world. Much up-market property development is currently taking the form of new ‘cities’—sometimes a redevelopment of an entire city (e.g., Kigali), sometimes a new city on an urban edge (e.g., Eko-Atlantic, Lagos) and sometimes a new satellite city (e.g., Tatu City, Nairobi). These projects are driven by international property development companies often in collaboration with governments and sometimes with local planning and property partners. All manifest as plans in a new way: as graphics on the websites of international consultants. Most involve no public participation and attempt to by-pass planning laws and processes. Producing these new plans (as computer generated images) are a new set of professionals: architects, planners, visualisers, advertising executives and project managers, working together in offices in global capitals of the world. Their aim is commercial. Planning in these projects is no longer shaped by the materiality of the city and attempts to achieve socio-spatial justice and sustainability. Rather planning is shaped by the circulation of graphics through a network of software programmes and marketing professionals. This article will situate Africa’s new cities in theorisation of urban development and the role of urban planning through digital visualization.

Suggested Citation

  • Vanessa Watson, 2020. "Digital Visualisation as a New Driver of Urban Change in Africa," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 5(2), pages 35-43.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v:5:y:2020:i:2:p:35-43
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. R. Keeton & S. Nijhuis, 2019. "Spatial challenges in contemporary African New Towns and potentials for alternative planning strategies," International Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(3-4), pages 218-234, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mennatullah Hendawy & Jörg Stollmann, 2020. "The Entanglement of Class, Marriage and Real Estate: The Visual Culture of Egypt’s Urbanisation," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 5(2), pages 44-58.
    2. Sebastian Weise & Alexander Wilson & Geoff Vigar, 2020. "Reflections on Deploying Community-Driven Visualisations for Public Engagement in Urban Planning," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 5(2), pages 59-70.
    3. Gabriela Christmann & Ajit Singh & Jörg Stollmann & Christoph Bernhardt, 2020. "Visual Communication in Urban Design and Planning: The Impact of Mediatisation(s) on the Construction of Urban Futures," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 5(2), pages 1-9.
    4. Paula Meth & Tom Goodfellow & Alison Todes & Sarah Charlton, 2021. "Conceptualizing African Urban Peripheries," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(6), pages 985-1007, November.

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