Introduction to the problems of urbanization in Tropical Africa

ft *

i

WORKSHOP ON URBANIZATION IN AFRICA

Organized "by the Economic Commission for Africa in co-operation with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the International Labour Organization, the United Nations Educational, Soientifio and Cultural Organization and the World

Health Organization.

Addis Ababa. 25 April - 5 May 1962

Distr.

RESTRICTED

SEM/URB/AF/1 /Add.l 22 March 1962

ENGLISH

Original: FRENCH

INTRODUCTION TO THE PROBLEMS OF URBANIZATION IN TROPICAL AFRICA

Second part: atlas

prepared by

the Ssoretariat of the Economic Commission for Africa

62-748

SEM/UEB/AF/1/Adl.1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

page

A. ITotes on general maps

1, African urbanization in world urbanization 1

2D Period 1000 - 1800 2

3. Period 1800 - i860 3

4o Period i860 - 1885 4

5, Period 1885 - 1914 5

6. Period 1914-1939 6

7.. Urban growth since the Second World War 7

80 Tables 11

90 Main references ?0

^- Ifatos on -jown plans

1. Addis Ababa 21

2n Brazzaville 22

3. Ual^-ar » 23

4* Slisabethville 24

5. Ibad^-n 25

60 Kano 2g

To Khcirto-j-m 27

3. Lagoa 28

90 Lecpoldvillo 2°

10, Luanda 3°

11 • NaJ.i-oai ^

120 Main referenoes J

■ SBB0JHB/AF/1/Ada;

page 1

• World urbanization* 1800. 1900, 1950 ;:- . '.... "r.t.

,■-■- It, is not. possible to make-. an exact calculation of .the population of

all.towns in the world, particularly in the past,-but it-appears reasonable-;

to accept certain estimates.,as a basis, of discussion* Thus, \t-Qt- the-po*fc*4v

1940-52, the,:average growth rate of capitals of more than 100,000 inhabitants

has bsen,estimate,d,as follpwot .. Oceania,...2.4 PQr :0ent;.-. North iAmeiica, .2,1

^ex,:oent}:. Western .Europe, 1.1, Lper cent; -South America, .3.7 P**: cent? Asia,..

3.8^ percent? Africa 3.9 per centj,,Soviet j tfnion,.' <:A&\.per cent. These

figur-es,,oonfirm the..indications sbo$mon;tfae attaoiiea.maps* v The

of .^fri^als, not an isolated phenomenon,-but merely the last act of 'j,

whioh,began:in^oth.e ^irst ia-lf.-of-,-the l£th - century,■■.-.when the ■ towns ^of

33urope vi^t?ually exploded under vthe, impact ofrthe. Industrial: revolution* '■" ■

• ' ' ' ...

^b ^re'diot the fatureV therefore, we must do more than confine ourselves

to d#ta "for Africa.' ^General World' urbWzatioh is 'made possible - even, it seems/ Necessitated' - by1 devefbpraent in the' great industrial 'boun'tries. The nature"1,- if not the Wgre'e of expansion, of tKe earliest''^rea^ waves of urba nization were universal: induotrial revolution, the almost slnniltanebua appearanqe of the electric tramway andLthe motor.aar, great, world oonfliots

sweeping- away colonial, restrictions-.on development,;;:e*o.;"All' these events^ .' ■::

helped in making town# ,-gr-qw .fll.l; ,;over ;the world. ;. ■ .■'.'-

Ltee; teouiikrities0 Jf'^ke''A£A&an" economy iiavie sloWed down the urhani-

• zation of th^' ~WUneh¥, and^inay ^oif"evet" determine its limits} but we must L exiieof; to see "the outside Vbrld'gi'ving A^'rlba the eieinehts of its urbanization,

if!"ni3t of'its: inaitstriaiiJzationT to a! aegreo wiiion'will not necessarily take 1 aocbunV of oer:bain; African realities, :ConDeq.uentiy, there is the probability

of econ'bmi'o "and" sobial' problem's whibh Afirioa will havo to taokle.

;:. y.'"(1.l5"'1".i ■-■ ^:*-' • ^-"i-;

The period 1000-0.800

Without emphasizing Antiquity,, it must be pointed out in connexion with thio period, that for perhaps $,000 years Egypt, hao held a.special position Of.^e^ae urbanization oombined with long periods, of eoonomio depression, the largest city in Africa seeming always to ha~e been situated in that country. _ Oliis situation: doubtless refleots, on the .one hand,.Egypt• s links with.the Middle Bast, which offers.other examples of early urbanization, and, on the,other, the human concentration oharaoteristio of desert regions, to whioh we shall have.oocasion to refer again. Mention. should also be made of the altogether remarkable urbanization of the Roman,Empire, particularly in North Africa, ^where 25-3Q percent o£. the population, i.e. as high a per- oentage as nowadays, lived in towns - probably owing, tp the extensive cultivation of the olive tree and the export of olive oil. It proves the possibility of ensuring prosperity for large urban masses with relatively simple techniques and lit'tle capital, especially if it is considered that slavery - which is repugnant io the modern world - does not seem to have: or"

played an important part in it. ■..>,■-■■■

.,.,. It wap only with the. Arab travellers of about the year 1000 that

information on.Tropical Africa began to become available, the expansion, of the Moslem world having driven its representatives to cr»ps. the Sahara and the Indian Ocean for the purpooe of trade and cultural exchanges. Certain towns then prosperous have disappeared leaving few traces (Kouihti0, "ant"

perhaps Zimbabwe' aloo), but many (Cairo, Tunis, Fez, Mali/ ^o/Mogadishu):^:'"

reached a general peak of prosperity about the end of the 13th century,'

medieval civilization reached its apogee in Europe also. ~ The Mongol

are a partial explanation of the decline in this inter-obntinental urban

culture, which flourished again towards 155b, with the maritime"ex&i&irfc

of European peoples and the growth of towns suoh as Benin, San Salvador du

Congo and Mombasa, in a zone generally farther south than pZOTiously. In

//. 1

page 3

North Africa, - ports like Algiers benefittod from the ventures of their oorsairs, and Cairo turned in on itself, while probably remaining densely populated, like Rome at the time of its decline. The caravan stages in the

Sahara often lived spectacularlyP "but precariously particularly after the Morocoan occupation of Timbuktu in 1591*

The period 1800-60

The Napoleonic era affected Afrioa? and particularly Egypt, in many ways and coincided with local events of great significance, especially the

expansion of the Fulani in West Africa* Alexandria and Tunis revived after

oenturies cf oblivion (the population of the former had fallen to 7*000),

nupplanting. the harbours of the corsairs, who had finally been brought to ..

heel, and Cairo rapidly became cnce more one of the big oapitalo of the world - indeed? too rapidlyj for in 1832 a third of its ?50,000 inhabitants were wiped out by oholera. 4t thac time? colonial expansion aroused little interest,, being limited to coastal areas with tiny administrative centres. Efforts to populate ^ere made in South Africa, Algeria, Liberia etc., but "exploi tation" or "plantation11 colonies did not appear suitable for Africa.

In theco circumstances, the continent remained open to non—European ventures, particulcxly to the abcvo—mentioned expansion of the Fulani, who

answered the call of Ueraan dan Fodio in 1801 and founded States visited by Barth betwesn the years 1851 and 1855. The great explorer there observed remarkable urban lifo5 with $0 towna of more than 4?000 inhabitants in th©

Emirate of Katsena and 28 wallod towns in that of Kane, whooe oapital had 30,000 permanent inhabitante and as many again in the trading season* . At . tho other extremity of Nigeria propezp? the rc-eporonssiona of the J^ulani expansion caused the break-up of the Yoruba ompire, but the inhabitants regrouped themselves in cities which wero soon flourishing. In 1853, Bowen found three towno (iloriuy .Tbadan and Abeokuta) of more than 60;000 inhabitants.

page 4 -

and six.of more than 20f000 in.the area. In eaoh case, local.handicrafts . were an important sourco of trade, that of the Hausa subjects .-of the Fulani

being directed towards the Mediterranean? and that of the Yorubas towards the Gulf of Benin. Burton, on the other hand, raported .the decline of Abomey, Ouidah and, at the other extremity of the continent, Harar. ,

The same era vitnessed a consolidation of tha power of the Hovas at Tananarive, the 0mg.;s on Zanzibar and the Egyptians at Khartoum, all

destined fox a brilliant but difficult..future,. . . ■ ....

-Thia- was a'Jtr?ansitioSal poriod, The economic revolution, whioh;was'r already ovt^, dxerr* the new industrial powers to seek'-raw materials and lets''In Africa? ?jut tho tiinee wore rips for Oiploraticn rather than for ";;i colonial expansion. Tho toras already in'existence grew fast, except for' '■■''•

ohclera opidemr^os and other hindrances due to laok of teohriiques.

In the_Egypt of Ismail Pasha? Cairo tripled its surfaoe area and

surrounded itself Tvi';h "satellites", while Egyptian oubjeots brought prosperity

to a oo-ied cf cutljlng stationsi Khartoum, Suakim, Harar and, more parti-

oularlyy ai Obsid, Viio%© population grev. to 100,000. Farther south, Zanzibar

att£lnb4-'the sr^ig 'figura end sent cut its'merchants to establisi a further

of ou.^pcstB'rBaohing as 'far ae the Oongc river.' In Nigeria proper,:

■benefitted :iost frcn the boom in the cotton trade, and its population

also- azocedM 100,000, Farther ncrth? Koufcawa seems to have become the

biggest mipiroi; in vostorn Sudan* In the extreme north of the continent, the iTaaoe- of-Napoleon IIX aa*':the Ihird Eepublio set about developing Algeria,

where Oran. x: almos-l completely now town, and a restored Algiers had more

tL-sn 45,000 inhabitants/ ' ■ ■>';"i ■ ■ ■' ■•■ '-■■-■ ,* " .'■ .

page, 5 \ ;.:

Pew new phenomena appeared, however, and any that did ooour were incomprehensible to the'people of the. period, especially to the town- dwellerc, who were unsuspectigLy living through their last happy dayst.

El Obeid had not yet heard of the Mahdij explorers and missionaries were ■ , swarming, in Zanzibar but giving no sign of being the forerunners of the

conquerors of the next period} many other towno were swollen by the insti*-

tution of slavery, later to be oondemned; the English were landing at-Lagos without Abeokutu, realizing that that spelt its endj and from Saint-Louis.

in Senegal Governor Faidherbe was ordering the expeditions that would at the same time produce French West Africa £Jid its capital, Dakaxt;. to replace

The period 1885-1914 ,v. , , ... .

■.Tho year 1885 saw the; division of Africa at the Congress of Berlin. y

may be regarded, as a landmark in analysing a colonial expansion movement,.

w&Loh was to stunt'the growth-c-f oartain towns (Abeokuta ? Zanzibar en

"salelliteg") and turn otherc (Cairo, Alexandria; Tunia) in another direotion, while pertala oolonial opntrG.c (Cape Town, Luanda, Freetown), whioh had for

long-, sometimes for centuries, been mere "stations" were transformed into towns of more than .20,000 inhabitants. New oentrea aroae at strategic) points in the new colonies, and in 1885 one of them, Johannesburg, started a giddy and turbulent career which was to tako its population up to 150,000 by 19&4*.

Despite this somewhat, impreasive picture, the period under consideration was marked by-but very slight,urbanization. Even with populations of 20,000,

already renowned capitals were after all no more than townships where the governoro lived in cramped conditions surrounded by a few offioials, soldiers and European traders, and Africans in the latter's service. Territories with sizeable.towns were those where urbanization had started earlier, either spontaneously (the Mediterranean, Nigeria) or under incentives dating from the 18th oentury in southern Africa and the Masoarene islands.

page 6

The faot';that the oolonials showed no oonoern for urbanization in the 19th century cannot be Wup-emphasisea. Within the trading eoonony, admi nistrative, religious ana commercial centres received only a few Afrioan

soiaiera, servants and labourero, while mina-^orkers were grouped in camps.

Theia? stay"in "'the centred tfaa regardae. as tempor&ry and their wives and , children had to remain in the village, although, paradoxically, political ..

considerations forced the opening of military camps to soldiers' families.

■. f

The period 1914-39

The interval between the two World Wars will always stand out in African history as the colonial period par excellence. The first of these great conflicts forced Europe to exploit fully all the resources of the continent, both human (bj mobilizati<n) an, economic, bo an extent which no one had foreseen. The end c^ the war found-t^e oortinen". provided with a labour force accustomed to the large-scale exploitation of natural resources, and

oolonial exports increase! considerably.

Prom the urban point of view, these developments raised the population of many centres to more than 45,000, EbiB figure appears ridiculously low today? but it must not be forgotten that iii Tropical Afrioa at least no one had expected to see towns spring up and no preparations had been made for'

administering real urban oommunitiea. Moreover, movementa towards the tctfns were beginning to take en a spontaneoua, and ther3fore suspect, character.

So some observers beoame concerned about' the problems arisxng.

>o ■, -■■■-.■-,. ■ ■ ■ ..■ ■ ■

In regions that had been exploited for some time past, it was indeed passible to speak of metropolises, since there were teree towns of more

than 100r000 inhabitants in Egypt, seven in Korth Africa*; and three in South Africa. Tropical Africa had only fours Ibadan and Lagos in Nigeria, Khar oum

and.Tananarive5 but ths ports prospered to such an extent that tt e p ^

of eight of them exceeded 45?OOO, no doubt for the first time in theX

page

history iand'l^^ *** Mombasa were, already

of lo^'aitetia±i^)vi'tofcwft^B'of»2^0(» inhabitants were dotted all ov©r':the Equatorial 'feone', where-it was not -unreasonable to doub*-theix^rV visibility; W the: climate'fo^o&v the Europeans themselves to revise tfcei*^

ooS&eptlon of urban life.-Trt w>wn allr the world .orisistbf 1929-3P; past doubts' on the ifhol* eooncmio policy which had been .jraraaed, until

leading to tha repatriation of many colonials and a reduction In the jlai>ion: oif" oertairi"csirirfed? ^hetef Laopolchrille,- for; example, .fell:,£?om

n;;:.;29 tc ^2,200 :::.-: ::933'"( ■African^ c-^,y>;^-- .- . ■ ■■ r,' ;iv ■ ■■■

vjl

With the Second World War, tho traditional barriers to urbanisation in

^^ .Africa Kers droppod, It was no longer a matter"of following the

'a -tradine'eccnoiay, which fosterdd the growth" of seaportd an^;/ "

B,1 but of bringing'Africa inio'the total JwarV^

the wap^was ovG^?JT.orGfaiid mora people flooked'into the towns," attracted by the/pOGpeots of iiidaatrialisaticn. This urban* ezpansfori, tio'; last

colonial creation;' was also'ono las^ demonstration of l

:made pbasl^e "btrasDiv-o invea^mGuts vhoae profitability's now fca, doubt.

"" Despite the often rudimentary character of ^Afrloan censuses, it is' possible''to^ascertain "oortain fundamental facts, the first of" whioh ±B *he rapid rate of growth, "'liat rate has even been accurately estimated;¥or qentres of 1007000 inhabitants end mores 3.9 per'cent, it is'said,for^

the period\940,520 This finding;.' though bold., 'is ■worth oonsidering"aef an indication, because the fi^e '^»p^^oth' with Sose M ;tfie various

Afrioanj States and with those for ' Vae' rest^bi''-fcne' world, "fclie'kB^ote being _l, la i. • j •*-« ' "o?-:a>£ __' r!-io '/V ft'-nftr* oen%1 axiK '^3;d%h'iAme^l'ba

the rapid urbaniaatic^, ,9*,A-friC::;'j Acia \j»o pex cent*/ <*«"• wwww«.

(3.7 por cont) - i.e."'Sof-countries cominonly

Our own calculations inaio&te an aanual rate of growth of 5 I** cent in the

28 oitiea of Tropical Africa ave-r -the period 1948-60- v

page 8

"'■l' At the1: same time,;,it should; be noted that, despite, the present scope 4£s this growth, the so-*oalled "under-developed" oountries are fax from beings urbanized in proportions oomparable to other.countries. In Afrioa, the population of the cities was 9 per cent of the total in 1940, in. Asia

lt)*5 per cent, in Latin America 17-7 P©x cent, as oompared with 33*7 $?£.

cent-for Europe^ iJ'US-per cent for North America and 53.3 per oenij for Oceania. .■.'.■-...■ ■ ■■-.-■.■ ■-■-.-■■ ■ . ■ .,-...,-.-

Many authors oonolude from these data that the ^question of urbanisation does not arise in Afrioa, and that in a continent where at least eight,

perhaps nine, persons out of ten live in the bush it is a waste of time to study urban problems. But it is probable that this situation will change, that urbanization will continue in Afrioa, and that it will even be speeded

up to a j>Qin;b where it will reach a level oomparable to that of other ooktiwezrtis-*

There is, besides, one significant fact - the rate of urban growth in Nigeria, for, example, is the same as that of England on the eve of the industrial

revolution. In other words, one of the changes presaging that revoluticn has already taken place ? further "induced" changes are to be expected in

;£he. future,, among them the possibility of a new industrial revolution*

j1"1"" ■ Frain the point; of view of development, it must be remembered that the population may be considered as an investment and that, like all investments, ..Jlt^has its negative aspect* While a larger population ultimately spells

increased production capacity, the additional hands must be able to work, and allowance, must be made for the lapse of time between birth and age of ..entry into .employment- In other words (and we will see that the situation

is similar in many other respeots), the growth of the urban population entails an inevitable increase - on pain of death - in production in the secondary seotor, particularly the industrial sector, or in the tertiary

or commercial; sector*

page 9

One of the most baffling aspects of urbanization in.Africa is th,at it seems to be independent of phenomena asspciatedL,with,^urbanizatioj^n in the most widely.held, theories, espepiaUy that of Adam Efcaith, who saw in,ii?,,a. ;

sign Q^gener^.^^op^e;^^ ,-,.,,

e,r people o? fttb

less ea^rnes^.. ^9 ew^ate fjc,om,t^e^ountry tp...thef Jpra^;; ^t ^ the m^e^y'a^^ouliOTal wefure of, -their but in Africa aCTicul^ura^ .wealtji.io jgi^uaXly. »sSQ^iat€fd

exports. But there is no.^^aiiojn^ip to. T^i^f^^p

and export figures per head of population. It should be notod at this point that, while seaports fora a considerable proportion of the oities of Africa

(18 out of 30 townn of more than 100?000 inhabitants in 195&, 4 out of 15 in

Tropical Africa, excluding Horth Africa, Egypt and South Africa), that pro

portion in not so high as was thought by certain observers. Nc? is there any relationship to be found between general population density and urbani zation, at least if centres of more than 5,000 inhabitanto are considered as urban areas. There are of course no large cities in the middle of the Sahara} on the other hand, the population of regions which are more than half

desert, like southern Algeria (even before the discovery of oil), Pezzan and

Beohuanaland, clearly tend to extremes! either nomadic life or urban-type centres. This is attribuable to the need for water, security problems etc., and also to the necessity of accommodating during certain months of the year an influx of nomads coming to trade in the towns, the area of whioh is thus temporarily increased by sometimes more than 100 per cent.

page 10

There is, however, a dear relationship between urbanization, on the

one hand, and the proportion of foreigners in the total population and

electricity consumption,on the other. But these factors only emphasize the fact that urbanization in Afrioa is for the moment, at least to some extent, artificial and preoarious. The situation as a whole shows that the economy of (tropical Africa is even more "disjointed" than "under-developed".

It seems essential to increase the productivity of the town-dweXfcera "by all available means so that they can contribute to tiie national product and exports in a manner commensurate with their numbers and with the facilities

at their disposal (e.g. eleotrioal power) and reduoe the importance of

trade and public administration in their way of life.

"s:o

'X •■<!}■ '■) ■ . -r ;■•■'■:< ~: r-f

page 11

- TABLES

1. TABLE I

shows in succession, for 195^,

- the ratio of urban population (usually constituted by the centres of over 5*000 inhabitants) in the total population,

- the ratio of population legally regarded as non-Afrioan, - the consumption of electricity, in kilowatts per capita,

""■■-. the gross domestic product, at market prices, given in U.S.&

per capitaf

- "the ratio of children in primary schools, within the child popu lation from five to nineteen years old, after adjustment compiled by UHESCO according to the duration of studies.

2/"' TABLE II

shows the estimated population for six given years of all towns in Tropical Africa having reached the 100;000 population figure.

SE30JHB/AF/1 /Add, 1

page 12

TABLE I

COUNTRIES

[population;population; sledtric;gross domestic; priiury

[ per cent [ per cent [ITT KITH [PRODUCT US $ j SCHOOL

urban 'non-Afric.'p^capita;' p. capita 'ATTENDANCE

.1 23 . 10.6 , 95^ ; i87 |

AFRICM RSBUBLIC

CONGO (Brazzaville) •

- - Laopoldville

- COUNTRIES

ETHIOPIA

- - without Eritrea Eritrea

TABLE I (continued)

] POPULATION ] POPULATION

■ (rj per cent: [ peri: cent.:

i

t

i

.'

Former FRENCHB$J. AFRICA|

WEST AFRICA'

gj^on ■■;

GAMBIA ■ ■ "■ ■ '■■

GHANA

GtTftiiA (Republio)

- - Portuguese - - Spanish

IVOR? COASft ' "

KENYA

LIBERIA ' ■-"

LIBYA

1IAIJAGA3CAR '\

MALI " ' '

MAURITANIA

MAURITIUS' •■■■■"

MOROCCO

- ~ former Frenoh - - - Spanish

t

i

. i

i

i

i

A I

T

I.

t

t 1

•

1

1 I

1 t 1

; urban

' 3.

'19

-

9.

..._

['" 18

-"6

>"' 10

4

■ 18 10

'" 5

'"' 2 33

18 23

8

2-;-

9.

>2' .7

.8 .4 .3

.5 .1

'non-Afric, 1

1

.

_'- i _t

i

i .. i,

_t-

'»"

i

-i

i

t . i

i

i

i

i

i

i

i i t

' 6.

o.

;■■ i.

0.

o.

"0

"o

•■" 4

'l

■ o

0

7

.. .

5 5

1

3 4 4

5

.5

.2 ' '"

.3

ELECTRIC ity icm- per capita

2.

e -'18.

....

: "'

' 17

;■; 49

6

' 10

i

r 40

: : 38

i 59

i

. 11

i 2

0

t

' 109

t j

5"

1."

8 '."' 5 2,

.T."

.8" "

_,.

.4

.5 ' S '

.5 .6

.4

t i i

i i

t

t

i X

\ t t 1 t 1 1 1

t t 1 I t 1 1

1 I

t J I 1

■

J

SEM/URB/AF/1/Add, 1 page 13

GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT US$

per capita

30

126"

97 211 56-84

. 230

■ 123

194 "

"'■ ' "88

129 119 118 127 251

224

,..

.. PRIIURI SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

3.a ,

■

„,—.———

55.7 ."■'.."

! 66,7

1 .19.7

i.. . —

, ....

. 3^.T

> 52.1 "

22.4

' ' 79.2:

1 46.7- .

• '" 7.7

: T-

1 10b

T ■ " '■*" " "- ' '

1

1

1 1

SEM/UEB/AF/1/Add.1

page 14

TABLE I (continued)

COUNTRIES

\ POPULATION {POPULATION [ELECTRIC- [GROSS DOJffiSTIC; PRIM^T'

; per cent [ per cant \:.:if. KM " [PRODUCI Ub * j SCHOOL .' urban, 'non-Afrio.'per capita'per capita 'ATTKHDAHCE

t •■ ■-- i ■'■■■ i i- ■ - -■ ■ ,

MOZAMBIQUE

NIGER 2.3

NIGERIA

East 14

0,1

12.8

63.3

1.2 112 3.3

0,03 7.5 ⁷⁴

3-5

North

West & Lagos

5.7 ^44.8

0.1

RECJKION "88

RHODESIA-HYASALATTD 'Uyasaland

No. ISiodesia

16.3 ⁸¹

42.9 76*3.

7.4

100

23.6 ₁₀₀

3-8 163

0.6 3.5

16 3.3

So', Rhodesia ' 22 7.3

588.5

50.5 53.9

'472.8

83.5.

RWAEDA-HJRU^DI SAM HELENA

SAO TOME 1-7

.SENEGAL 22O2

SIER1U LEONE

2.2

SOMALIA'

- -' former Italian 15.2

British 7.2

French

5*9

3.4

38.7

73.5

290

100 ■

45.5

!3.6 6.

.. ...-. ....

5.

3.

7- ,

t -. -.

4 , l' "I"."

56 _{. 21,}

i

! 10,2 .

2.6 21.7,

page

TABLE I (continued)

COUNTRIES

POPULATION;POPULATION; ELECTRIC [GROSS DQIffiSTlC

urban ~rnon-Afrio.'per oapita'per capita

PRIIUET SOHOOL

SUDAN 0.2 4.8 ^12.

SUDAN - Region A ,16-10-51 114 -

B 140

4-7 92,4 .

t 2 - 2 - It 44.8

SWAZILAND 2.5 2.5 55.9

TANGANYIKA 3.2 1.3 14.4 ^24.1.

TOGO 12 0,1 2.8 41.8

TUNISIA 33 6.7 ^{66.6 162} 45.1

UGANDA 1.3 15.7 ^52.2

UNION OP SOUTH AFRICA 24 ,1,347.5 ⁴³⁰

— without S.W.Afrioa ' 45-6 '

— S. W, Africa 16.1

ARAB REPUBLIC 32.9 65.3 61.3

UPPER VOLTA >- 0.1 0.9 67 6-. ft

ZANZIBAR 26,5 ^{20.5 ' 98 -X26} ■25

SEM/tJHB/AF/1/Add.i

page 16

TABLE II

DAKAR

X904. : -18.4 1914-2 - 26..a

0.931... : .54..

1948 * I85..4 19-55 .*■ 230.9 I960 1 383

192-1 t 14.4 1931- ! 19.4

.1936J*~. -21.

tL945 * 35*5-

19.52.. '%....-.. 9-7.9

i960 1 120

of main towils.KilFopulation in thousands)

ACCRA 1901 1911 1921 1931 1948 I960

: 17.9 i 18.5- : 41.1 s 6O.7 x 135.9 s 325-9

ABIDJAN 1910 : ■ 0,4.

-192-t : 5.4

■1?31 : - 10,2

.-X94&- *- -4&:--

195-5 -t 121.6■

I960 :" 180 ■■

1913 -i- 1933- t

..

1952 : 1955 ■--«

7 26.1

.-42. ....

37.5-

149^'

SEK03TOI TAKORADI

"1901 j

. . _ _'._. ..

1921 1 14.9 1931 1 17.7 1948 t 44.5 I960 : 101.532

CONAKRY

-19IO ■-* 6—

-1936"-* 14

- 1952-■*-— 36*8 I960 : 113 A

1900 ■»- 5 - t ii- - 1931 t 16 -

194^--r 44*5 1-955-»■' "-99*i

■"^ 1 120;:

KUMASI

I9OI : "■

1921 « 23.7

1931 1 35.8 1948 1 77.7 i960 : 190.362

. 1 page 17

TABLE ;II

LAGOS 1901

19ftl

1921 1931 1950- i960

c 1 1 1 t t

41.8 73.7 99.7 126.1 230.2 380

OGBOMOSHO 1890

1911

192t :

1931*

1952 196O

1S90

1911 1921 1931 1952'

j

* 1 f 1

mro

t 1 t t

'"-t 60 BO

■84.8 B6

1:39.5

• ;-

-■);:.

i60V:

:60»'

;53;6

;54i5 100°

i960

1890 1911- 1921 1931*

1952 I960

IBXDW

« t s 1 s 1

200

175 238 387 459

OSHOfflBO ' I89O

1911 1921 1931 1952 I960

j

« t t 1 t

40 59.8 51.4 50 ' 122.7

LEOPOLDVILLB 1908

1922 193t ■ 1945 1950 1958

"•t '

j

!

8 J

• 4.7

•21.2 :30.2

105?

221.7

389.5

KANO 1903 ■ I 30

1931 •■«■ 89

1947 * 98

1952' t 130.1.

I960 - 1 175.6

1 3^.2 1921 ■ 1 22.2

1931 V ?4.r

1952 ■«"■- 110.8

I960

LUANDA '■■ ia.6 1923- v 22.7 1930- j 50.5

61 189.6 1940

1955

I960 230

SEM/URB/AP/iyAdd.1

page 18

NAIROBI

1906 1 11.5 , 1928 s 29.8 1936 :j 49.6

1944 : 108.9:

1955 . t 195.8

I960 . j 250.8

ELISAB3HHVILLE 1910 : foundation 1923.. t 16.2

1935,. « 28.3 1945\:*: 67.4

1950 .. :*.;.; 103.4

1956 * 175

SALISBURY • I890 . .i, foundation 1927 .: 2P.1

1936. t 3t1.5- 1946 > 5^.9;-.

195i- »., 170

1958 *:. 19,2.8 :

TABLE II

(continued )

MOMBASA 1906

1926 ; 1931 1948 1956 I960

: : s 1 s t

30 39.

57.

84.

120.

189.

MOGADISHU

1920 1928 1938 1953, 1961

s I

1 t t

t

•

25

50 61.

120

BJLAWAYO

18?3.

1927.

193.6 1946

1953

1958

t I

: : t 1

8 3

? . 6 6

,1

foundation J.8,

;27- ,43 130

183

•6 ::

.4 ..

DAR ES 1906

1927

1948 I95I 1959

SALAAM

•

1

t t

•■

25 24.

99.

125.

TANANARIVE

1897

1925 1931.

1945 1952 , I960

t

t

: 1 t

• 48

7°.

101.

141.

3,64.

£47.

LOURENCO-MARQUES

1907 1927

1930 1940 1950.;, I960

1 t 1 1

■:«

S

;93.

170;

7

1 6

6 5 9 9

,8 0

.2

J SEM/UHB/AF/i/Add. 1

page 19

ADDIS ABABA

1908 1 35

1928 : 70 1938 t 105

1950 t 400 1961 j 449

TABLE II

(continued)

ASIIABA

t

■

1938 1 98

■ I1

1950 : 117

KHAHTOUM-OMDOBMAN

■ 1905 : 1928 1 1938 : 1948 t 1956 :

77 123 176

210

235

SEW/UEB/AP/i/'Add.1

page 20

MAIN REFERENCES A, Historical

CHARLES-PICAED, G-,, La civilisation de l'Afrique romaine, Paris, 1959,.:

C6MHAIBE, Jo Coup d'oeil str? l'histoire des peuples africains et afro^,

americains, Za3h?3j 1953.

- ,- _ Notes on Africans in Muslim history, Muslim Review;; 195'6. ;-": \f and GASMAN, W, How Cities grew. The Historical Sociology of

; cities. Madison, New Jerseyj 1959.

COUpLACTO, R. East Africa and its invaders., London, 1938O ■ - ■; ..

GIBBS & SCHKORSy Metropolitan growth, American Journal of Sociology,I960.

"Almanaoh de Gotha"? for 19th century figures, " ""'

"Statesman's Tear"book"s for 20th century figures.

Also 33Cplor^rs? osp3oial3.y,

BARTHS BURTON, IBS BATJTA, 3LATBT, STANLEY, VON. DER DECKER.

B. Tanpleg_

Bo I. Ta? Armuaire des statistiques du travails

NATIONS UNIESj Arruaire statistigue, Annuaire demographique et Evolution economise de 1'Afrique depuis 1950.

UTIESCO - La Situation actuelle de 1:Education en Afrique, 1961, ANGOLA - Anuar?.o Bstatisticn.

A,O.F», AcO.To 1957» S°, Coraptes economiques7 D° Bulletin mensuel de

CONGO - Situation eoonomique pour l'annee; D° Bulletin de la Banque ETHIOPIA, Economic Bulletin.

PHANC£? Ocstra-lfer 195^; '-0° . Bulletin mensuel de statistiques d'Outre-Mer.

3AST AFRICA, Hontaly Statistical Bulletin.

NIGERIA, Census 1952-1953* 3)°, Digest of Statistics; D°, Electricity Corporation reports.

SUDAN, Consumption in thr Si:dan, by P.P,MU McLoughlin (stenoil).

TOGOp Comptes eoonomique^.

UNI-TSD ARAB REPUBLIC, Statistical pocket yearbook.

page 21

Addio Ababa i/.^-:;-^- a

Addis Aiiaba stands at "a higher altitude than any otiier Afrioan capital.

It is also an extreme example of wide dispersal of building. The kings of Shea, after -fchey beoame emperors of Ethiopia, were forever changing the site of their oapital,''until Menelik TI set up his fifth neat of government, at Addis Ababa in 1889, This ravine-cleft cite wao well known for its Filwoha "

hot springa, on the hill overlooking which'the sovereign buili the imperial enclave1 or GHiebi.- He allotted eotatea fo his'Saseo, who built isolated clusters of houses around their own palaces, in 'addition to the business district which sprang up near the'main market and the cathedral* The "Ghebi"

ani the "market consequently camQ,.jA represent poles of growth, the east tending to become the administrative area, and the west the "business area* the two afeas were "linked in the early 20th oentury by the first paved street, which

's'tietohedouf in'a broad aro to'br«os the river Gfiniile, while to the north-

"east great estates were allotted to "'the foreign le'gatlonn# Sucalyptuo trees

were planted everywhere, constituting a timter reserve very typioal of the

oity.

r ' Around'192(3, the railway beoame a new centre of attrabtion, whioH'^&G

■'later'on linkodup' with'thQ markotV In 1936, tkb Italians built anew

market west of the firsthand the new artery beoame a shopping area and"

school zone overlooked by the "Piazza" • They albo evinced a preference -

which'still persists - for the southern extremity of the city, whioh io lower and receives less rain than the northern end. The population of Addis Ababa "

has probably quadrupled over the laot 15 yearn; Trot "there is still mudh vacant

land.,' even in the centre of the' town. $he most striking innovation haa been the creation of' an aro of boulevards linking the airport, to the south-west, with the New Palaoe (now the university),rto tie north-east. Most of the new

muiti-storey buildings line these boulevards; where the"palaces and other government edifioeo are evidenoe of the'importance of the'State in the economy

of Addis Ababa*

SEB0JEB/AF/1 /Add,-)

page 22

Brazzaville

is no other example in. the worlcl, of two capitals like Brazzaville and Leopoldville situated on the opposite banks of, the same river. It is,more over, impossible to understand the history, and economy of the one without referenoe. to the. other, and the mutual, aid they have, exchanged in the past in likely to continue ,&n the future. . , , ..

In ,1881,. itv.was. a great diaappointmen.t. for Stanley to find the Senegalene sergeant Malamine oooupying, the Brazzaville site, which seemed more pheasant than Loopoldville, . Bu'i the Erenoh .station developed very slowly as the capital of the

"Cinderella of tie polonies". Tjntil 1931, it even depended on the Leopoldrille railway ...at MaJ.adi for. its oommunioationa with overseas oountries* A3 at Leopold ville., .t?je tra^rp settled .8 kilometers from the Governor's palaoe, the busineos

centre being qalled "La Plaino" and the administrative district "Le Plateau".

Between^ tfee -tyip tkeru atretohad .a vaot. apace 'brcaohed "by the "Chad" military area.

That c&aoo. 44-d noi;.^beoome va built-up area until ,195s- Saoh of theoe three districts had ita Afripan .district .attaohbds Poto-Poto9 Baoongo and the infantry oamp. Gene- rally speaking, the lay-out recalled that of Leopoldville, with a similar area less densely,populated,. the total population being very thinly spread. Segregation was, however, ne-yer compulsory there, and the few exceptions sufficed to create-an atmosphere of inter-racial harmony, as was rightly observed by Mrs. Paul Robesoru It may be acl^ed that in 1940 Braszavi^le became the capital of Free French Africa and wao,,at the,,same time given a Qoyernor-GonQral of Afrioan extraction, the late Fel^r 53boue\,, f. ^rom 194-6. Qn? Brazzaville experienced the same, development.fever- as other African capitals, perfeaps more intensely than most, on aocount of its previously note^backwardneGO. Sinpe that time many new edifices have arisen, including the.^Churoii of Saint.Anne, whioh is the most famous since it oc happily ot>mbi.n(e3,, ^urppean and Afrioan ideas. Some industries have been established at the eastern eni of the oitys "but the local policy is still to preserve a maialy administrative centra and to direot industrial ooncerns to the Pointe—Noire area.

■■'= -■•■ ■■■ . ■ .; •■■■■. ■■"■ <■■■■■• ■ .) < ■- ■. ■ r <-,;:„■■■■ ,;. -' ■-. ■ r^', ■ > f. - ---j. ■•-,■■

SEM/uEB/AP/1 /Add. 1

page 23

Dakar : ■■..■-/'!. _.. ■....fr

Dakar oo-oupies an unduly eccentric poSition:'i» relation ta.the Afrioan

continent* or ^.e^ren: -fe>,iSenegal alonej "but that position gives it an importance that is not merely mattsnal or even continental but: warl(k-?wide. For.it is the strategic : ons-roads where-theniines of communication "between, Europe and South America meet

those linking Horth America with, Afrioa. It took^the Erenoh .settled on the Inland - of^Ooree two. centuries- (unti-1 1857) to found a permanent QstaT?lishmen-fc at Dakar,

. opposite that-island. ■ The poet :was at first slow to_'g33owf:; owing, to. difficulties, which were overcome towards■■ ike "-end.of the 19th. century.as -a 2>esuit ff progreos in st&am navigation.and railways and, :half.-.a oentuaey 2,-ater,i^ air transpo2?t.

.. As j a...peninsula situated at theiextremity ;of: another-peninBula,-Dakar first

■■ of .all consisted ->f a residential ,asesvrand a business oentrerth9,: "Plateau" over- i looking :the harbour,: and an-Afrioan^clistriot, the ^Me.dina^* At-the and of. 1945 j

the "Plateau" had 15,000 inhabitanto, mainly Europeane:and Lebane«ey and the 0"Medina" 160^000jiwithin an-area about ^ual^to that of, the "Plateau"•. Over a -■ period-.of- 15^grearstprogress had been soira/ptd (a rat© of growth of-7i per cent in 1931-1948)1 that, the administration grewrfully: conscious Of T3?ablems to come and a master plan was laid. dt>wn.rdn3l946./.;'35ieeetablishmea1t ^;Msaieliitey 61tea was rebooted owing +0 the piroblemD^i-t-would^hasre^oreatfld, ;.9iEoey!b as,^3?eg*rds heavy

^industry;-- henoe the "Plateaa^ developed ve^t-icaliyj whii^Lth^^Jte.djLna^1 was drained t;.fand expanded within the atJOforsned 'by^KKiotorway.oonneoting::Dakarc;an4-\its new air

port. Closing the^loop -that &tar+e-6. with the mptorway, spe^uftlised distriots are

strung^.but .along-rt;he, coast (medioal'^oentres,, 'TiniTersityM^uildingfif! et..)j; but; a

ai larger-are* ,-tH':;&tlU- oooupied.byithe^jniXi^ary.*; ( ., ■ -. .■ +■ r-. e. ;:,.-.-, . i - -—" As a result of then^ works, 4.1ie'tAlP3.ate?Bu."rih*fcs -taken orwa ^e41,ter;ranean.or

■ :; Snwthf-Amerioan lock,, with--street, e^irelyr line& witty niulifif-storayibui whereao the "Medina" prog-reasedr'Une'veniy* wit:h- ^ .mixture of .s^lf-built and cites of very varying types.

SEM/URB/AF/1/Aaa.1

page 24

Elisabethville ,.-;, ;

>_?, fElisabethyill©;is the otxly, mining centre in Tropical; Afiioa that has grown -,■:- Into & city of over; 100,000, inhabitants. ;HThe _ oaoo of that oity furthermore

-.+. ■ prores *hat_in the, general .conditions prevailing .in that rejicn factory other -.: .. than ^he-jmijain^yindue-try quirfrintervene, before a toxm' can grow to euoh;an. extent.

r■;;-:■A$,Elisabetlivill©7,;the first of these factors- weo.political in nature, The, ,- jGovernop-;of Katanga had(t&-ohoooe,between■ *sro mining centres near whioh to site

; :, his. oapital, and hiG--ohoi.ee substituted Elisabethvillo for Jadotville in 1910.

■It. may;>et;-abided that, .as a mining centre,.: Slisabethyille had a chequered career, . an4.T^a/i?- the Etojle da Congo mine,. out, off.whioh: it grew, .has even: been olosed t ,r.L dpw^..,:ilhef niad^a papperi-prooeos-ing planto be^jig still on thjeij;original sites.

..t:iT oaie.sHpr_ld-slump,^ 1929rn3A started a panic,.;.the effeoto of-w^ic^i oan-still be ,;';.; seen in^.t^e-age pyramid-of the JJuropean poipujla^don, though r-the--latter is on;; the

whple; remarkablyL3-table.;;f),^-x; .r-_ ;-.- ; -..■-. ■■ . , ■ -t ; "'.,;-■ -j:"11 --i..-:'

■r,-- The-^tpwn;consisted- to ^eg^n-with of two camps, therr^nipn" ,i&flier%-an1'd the

^ , railway-camps^; wi.th a-Uuropean administrative and resident4.al--pentrQ- iBr between.

But-, the number of inhabitanto. working for these two ooiapanieD; ihepe^sed muoh .--■ more slowly than those, of o.tiier population groups, by 1^i©.-aa.ditieiV:f;irs.t pf.

their women and ^children whO;,-^ame:^o swell -fcho population O/f^he^.^

,-.;..-later of the Congolese not employed by the oompanies*: Theoe l^tter^Gong^lese, then some 9,000 in number^-w^^©^ in 1952 organised 4n-te*v,;a pf>litioa3, group ,.;palled ,,u, .:.the. "extra-customary cfn^ref^. %§; population ,pf ^aiBhT-ose;; from-^0,000 J.n 1945

,to:41,0p0 in 1950, and t^.3.O0,,OOp,74.n 1956. With its .-ppnt-war-ezpanGi^■.- : Elisabethville loot its "oompanyi-town"' oharao.ter?^■■ ;..^Wb pppula^ion pt- the -mining

■ , camp accounted for- 23-- per iCent &£<*&12: African, i-nhabi.-fc.ants in 19.23> .but for only

&»-7l pier; cent in-195Pi:/: Almpot all.;; ofj.,*hese Afrioaco \oome,.fa?om rremote ar^ao, aa - -before IJIQVvvgt Katanga was almost.a-, desert region*:. n.-■_ :■ ." ■ 'ir

page 25 ^.,,,,.

Poadan .,..,:-;

Ibadan is an urban phenomenon which has net so far been .investigated* Haying bdsn founded without any ctireot foreign r'.nfiuenoe, this oity hac kept its very origirlaX character ? while at the same time participating in the new .economic flows...

created'by cGlonirlizatiur^ to the extent of attaining the highest population :of all the citico in Tropical Afrioa*. About 1825-30;,. the collapse, of the old, Yqrujba eupirs produoed population shifts that often tock on an urban character^ but the ., , Ibadan area enly lost by these to begin with, as its people left- to. found ne.w . ce^t^eu; such as Absoicatae Aboat the year 1835? Ibadan was organized as .a sort of fortified zone? in whioli the Yoiuba commander—in-chief took up^ip.permanent

qiiarteito t6'guard the approaches to the capital, Oyo, Twenty years later, the ..,..,,,.

damp had beY'O'ie a city of 70?000 inhabitantoj but ita situation was precarious, , -.-- a:acL-A"i)eokutaj t'h'ioh cut it off from the sea, was tiooz. to outstrip it*. Wars broke -., 6u't: be-^woen Ibada:i and almost all other Yoruba towns, finishing only in 188,6.,.. . . .

tJbtii 'tnaf tima?"-'Vio" inhabitants of Ibadan were renowned solely, for, their +;, ,

military oualitieB^ Wi'^h peace restored^ they were able tc exploit the. land around,;

so that, despite its sir;ej the oity has a semi-rural character,- In 191Q* -i* ^a^'

a pop^;l?,tion 0* 175rOCO (as against 5T;0°0 for Abeokuta) r and that figure, almost. . . ^ dbu"b?.oC"in twenty years-. Ovsr the next twenty-year period^ growth slowei ipwn, ,,.

the fig-Jro reoordGiL ii I952 being 459>000- "During that period, ther old, o;Lty? wich was iiiliabited eolely' by monbeTCJ of the Ibadan tribal grcup;, grew in density rather th:ji"'in ar^£,? viiilo ©lamenlra not "belonging +c that group,, "both Afripan and ncn— • ■ jtfrioany stretched their ribbon dovslo^ment out to the periphery or., the qity.y . -..■■■■

especially to the vr*-,&^^ where thj railway is. The political crganiaation of . . Ibads,r. ia liE-?d to -xialyriGj consisting as it dose of a combination of family? . . leli^iouo, mili'teiv and professional assooiationc? s:.:nilar tc those found in other .

l-o^O; though s-fcili *.:■£'- oeniralized tha;-. elsewhere. Tho qolonial. autho- - , , . . earlienl; endeavour was tc mako Ibadan agaj>. subject to the, Toruba sovereign .,

of Ojn7 and ttifereifter tc clarify its organi2a-'iirn: especially bj? the instituiiien ;.

in 1934 of a single chief, whereas sovtraigr.ty had traditionally been exercised on a collegia! "basis.

-.1

•page 26 ■ ■."■■■I;X- ' ■

Kano

Eano in a very ancient city,, going back probably for nearly. 1000 year*, arid it"

preserven memoriea from itq long past, ths most striking of vhioh is the val* with

it- 14 gateo behind which nost of the inhabitant. still live, In l851,flarth found ' it a flourish!*- handicraft and trading centre with , percent population, of 30,000

(5 par cent of tha Enirato created ^y the m«i in 1824), to, sheltering at leant

tvice that ^ober during the trading peacon. One. hundred year, later, Kano had 125,000 inhabitants (ft Eer cent of the Emirate) and had overflowed Wsll beyond,itn wallitht to any great extent, losing itD oharaoter,, ,. , ■ . ,. ,

^ay - though its population has, almoot quadrupled.- still pre- oerv9G itB spider-0-.eb plan, with the roado running in from the g,tea to the Market.

To a losoer degree, it is even still thinly inhabited, sinoe under the original plan the gardens retiree to .feed the people were laid out within the city precincts. This peculiarity wm disbar *1% the erection of three £ites provided for under the :

"Greater Kapr," plan,^ Apart fron the central market, the; old city ia ^o di^ingui- shed ty a oivio cantra consinting of the.Emir-n pa^aoe Wiih. its onno^ and.adnd^i- otratlvo tuildings^to vhioh.a ae^ps^e has boen added ,,h03e vhiteneoo ctands. out ■, against the oc^e^ool^ of .a^t all toil^ngo ia. the walled city, Hxe ol.d ar.d the new feao are extreme .examples' of -tare oppooito type0 of town-planning, the first ..

a - ^ing 110,000 withiu an.area of 1,800 acren, the oecond arranging 65;OOO in.a variety of ethnic grcuro scattered over an .area of lr660^Orec.: ffaje,- the tc^nship

of ,hc t»Da nwoomcrs, hao virtually exploded over the laot fifteen yearo, expanding beyond Sabt* Oari, the cheoq-board-pattern "new towa" of. the Southsrn Mgeria^s,

3T:u.aar«,a. seat of the provincial, administration, trading oentro cf ill-defined de- oignaticn, vlth itn Syro-Lebancne district near the ctati^, etc. However, the air- pcxt road ia tending to bee,™ the cental bpu^vard of %„ Kano, whose future dependo c^indMtrialization, x'or uhich a vast area has ,beeE sst aside to the east. ■ Barth hlmaelf early observed, that the :proSporit7 of ^c was more dependont on

handicrsfto than on grading. Prospect, also seem gped for,mod9In industry.

'page2^

Khartoum :l^v>-

n : Khartoum tfedtfgieV o&e of- irhQimdot:reKarkatle,:sii;efi.:iBvA^riQaj .at :tl;e oonfluonoe of the7 White n?irid Ecfrie taes^-but heat^ huuidity and wind made li^rlrig-.OGaiditionr.;.;■:;

: *h"c^■tofors1 fhs:'s;?t>3n ost+oa.o^ modern--■tedhhiquea. - Bespit© the; presenoe

storib- skelefeid as old.as 5jOOO' yearc^.■■Khatftotta was rio> fomda^.unt&l &b^t

l8S0j: ad;-'an S^fptica outpoStj'whoaei'.pojhilation grew to 60,.000 ^1846^ -.tbGugJL oholera ami"l6iher" airesa,3fes raduded'tha-fc figure to 2OjO0O oveaf the following-25 yearp, and the b;'Mafiai; redtiood it to nil "by-tail ding Ctedux-ia^n on the wecjt "bisaak of the> White Jttle».. With

: ihe!British'o6dapatir.n:bf 1893, !tho town irai divided into thr©e'"partst (3t).: Khartoum

as: adMnisi^atlvQ aiid "businssB oantro; (2) Oadupmaa, a Sudafc©3e town with-.vast ."eu^s",

■ and '(3)-~&jfth Khartbtmij'-Europo'fia' 'and. industrial* 'These developed «aererOy?. the 1 popu

lation of Kaartoum itself ohatfg-lv-g 'tvnn- 15,000 in 1903 ±0 14,000 -±h 19Z.6 and 83,000

1h- 1956y:while tKe'correspon'din'g fi^iraG irero 58?OOO? 70,000 and 113ryOr?.:for Omdturman,

;7aii(i; 4,'0O0;," 14,000 £aa 3970^^rfi^-lfoi'tV-2h.-i2ttnti2fl0 .-■■ ■ /; "■. ■■ . ■■-, ■" ■ ■; ■ -■■■/■.n.

■ ■ ■■■'■■'■■■In-'-eaehibf-ftliesg tovrah^ br oi-t'ie's:5 ■ ^lis' .people first made foor.th© "banks ,of .jbha. Kile.

[" ^3 tlies© wero rapidly tfchan u'p "by r.ffioifeX'bp.ildlngs and "busihesa premises, %h$-:.^j-st- ribte already inhalaitau wex-e5 o^br^^ooule/ood l-efo^enew land was -utilizodj- and ;

:''-form e'f bettermisii; :r,chle-yed''iit;i:/-':€till" blooni only in Khas?*cuo properf ir:Afrom:l sti'-mV in-19 03 -t^ 7 ca^ric. la- 1956O' : It nay "bs ■■added, -feat thia

;'xrni~".gol-T3G^k'-W"TfebSt"^^li9r:tjiGu- 1945?;;th&. i^^t Woi*ld War hisving indWC^ th-e. r.tyiio of urban7 ea^ploriiori'oviab'nt everywhere it? Afri'b&c Old Khartoum (i.e. ihe^Karto-um ^of

18^8), wEioh is hoiiaffocL in ■bet'ffoon the railway and the "barradzsy has a^lUiXury centre

containing the aain edifiobs tuidtho only multi-storey ;building3 -in- the ■.■.town, .a

' roxindod by teiddle-ol&SB: di^triots' (already1 ^houihg sign's of deterioration)

harbbuv af high proportion of foreigners. It was on t&e. otlior "side of tha-

H'hat there :c,ros3 after the Second World War the ohess-board pattern/of. the1 shacks '•of immigrants from all'prbvinoes of Suda^ ahd the iridiuatrijal "district .which-gives some Of thdm employment,' 'Cndurman has praservod muoh of its original, oharaotor, • with its vast'■ trtfu;qsl!y its laoeguois andy above allj its monument to th« M.ahdi.; - '

SM/UEB/AP/1/Add. 1 " ' .

page 28 '■. '■ 'Y\ ...■■

Lagos

The history and lay-out of Lagos are conditioned by its insular origins. Island site'O Vero rma:dS sought-after in the past,, but.in the present they have rendered modern * development-. £ds$±blo only, at tire oopt.of expensive works, which never remove bottlo- necks* (The classic example,-of this is Manhattan)* Lagos was a mere village fronting 'the lagoon and tnov-continent untile the early 19th oentury, when it began to grow

'':tfcrougk the trading aotivitieo mainly of Afrioana many of whom had returned from thai; the district to. the east of tho original villago is. still called the Quarter" ,and:is noted, for itp many Portuguese-style palaoes. Later, the Europeans,preferred the bank facing thech->?mel and the Gulf of Benin, en whioh they

"built trading.houses to the north-west, while, after the British annexation of 1861,

admint-strative buildingp and missions covered the south-eastern half«^ ,,r r. r

- At the. turn of. the century, the railway gave rise to the first suburb^ Ebute Metta, on the mainland, which waa built on a chess-board pattern contrasting with the sinuous but attractive alleya of the old village. Built for residential purpooesy but.

near the railway, this suburb hao remained very "mixed" from the functional point, of a view- ■ To-.the eaat of the oXd iftlend district, another suburb is growing up around

the barraoks. More than fifty years of oolonialization had thus elapsed when it was -deoideA to apply racial segregation - limited, in faot, to the Agio-Saxons, who.were provided with spacious 'dwellings still farther east, in the garder-clty of Ikoyi. At

;the opposite end of the tewn the Lend Board offered the Afrioan publio the Taba

estate, wiiioh was an extension of the Ebute Metta lands and still bordering^the rail-

4ay. So Lagos .became a: twisting ribbon ten miles long and averaging 1-| milec^in width.

As elsevhere, the Second World War broke down the largely imaginary barriers to.the ffiKpansioii - of the cityj but the sandy wet soil o£ Lagoo cannot be built on withdut expensive drainage.- New suburbs, less monotonouo in lay-put than the earlier ones,

appeared north of, Yaba., around Ikoyi and on the new Apapa.site beyond the phannelj but

the urban area aty.1 contains wast empty spaces, while ribbon development goes ort; ..

along the road tp^the airport, fifteen miles.north-vest of the island.

SM/URB/AF/1/Aaa. 1

pago. ,2? . ■ :,

Leopoldville

Leopoldville is the daughter of a river - whioh is common enough in other parts of the w^ld, bu* expeptional in,c*pppioal Africa. The.deoisive date in its history was oerAainiy 30 December 1881, the.day on .which.the »3n~Avant", the first steamer, to ply-on,the: river Congo, was launched. Until 1929 the seat of government wa^.^act Boma, .so that, life at Leopoldville was completely dominated by shipping and the trade

to whioh it.gave rise. But the station founded by Stanley kept an administrative character, as first of all the army.and later the tradero.preferred to.it the Kinshasa

site (8 kilometres up riTer, i.e. farther away from the rapida, whioh prevented river boato from reaching the sea. The completion of the Lower Congo railway in 1898 marked another important step forwar,dj but by, that time 44 steamers had been transported in

seotiopo to:Leopoldville, The. Kinshasa centre developed mainly with the First World War,- and in 1922 it. was administratively- combined with the- administrative poot. to form the "urban district of Leopoldvi;Lle% each having its African "satellited, whether "cites" or "Belgian", :. The A?rioan population changed, from.an initirl 21r20C to 43>6O0 in 1939,, but the apaoe between the two towno remained almoot uninhabited .

i. .With,that War, the population doubled and the main obstacles to urban develop ment collapsed, namely, (l) control, of African migration and (2) reluctance tp.iit-....

dustrialize. Apart from the port and railway inotallationo, a textile factory, a brewery,.and a shipbuilding and, industrial yard already existed) but they derived an unexpected stimulus from the,War (and the isolation it created), especially the latter, whioh becamer a veritable; industrial^oe^tre.. After 1945, capital flowed i*^ to produce

a remarkable industrial upsurge, while, the steep rise .In the population resulted in the setting-up of a Bpar4 to, construct, five new citSs, which in I960 had 135,00,0;

Congolese inhabitants out of a total -of 380,000. These projects changed the face of Leopoldville, breaching at many pointa the strict racial oegregation system $** had

typified the oity. But right up to the end the colonial authorities strove to channel the growth cf the European districts away from the oiteo and to keep the military

camp in a central position solely for strategic reasons.

page 30

Luanda ie the;oiasst of all the oapitals in .flropioal Africa, its origins

going back to 1575* Its past and its lay-out recall the.medieval towns of both

Europe.and the.ApabvworlcU Its roadstead, well sheltered by an island, attracted ships there at a- time when they could not be protected by.artificial means* and a fortress mirroring the Arab, "kasbah" and;the -Germanic "Burg" still towers above the urban scene. As in areas, dealt with above? the first residents settled, on -the ridge, near the fortress, while.^along, the coast passed, the-endless, convoys of

sl'&y$&} outwartcL. bound mainly for Brazil. - - . . , . . .-...,.

■ ■ ;: However,.; like most parts in Tropical Africa, Luanda, grew into a.city,only, ,,,

qukte recently. In i860:it: had barely ll,§ao inhabitants and in-1923 only. 22,700.

Its riae wasvdue to thf."-systematic development of northern Angola,.-where diamonds

and ip- particular- coffee, were produced,, and to investments ..that:.were, pretty, sub^

stantial for a country a^,fpoor- as,Portugal.., Port: wprks altered, tire shore-line.,, ...

and, permitted the- construction of,;a magnificent, "Ayenida Marginal"; while a vast ■ industrial spne vas asjtablished: to the east of the city., The population increased rapidly, (from 61,000 in. 1940 to some 200,^00 at present)., creating, an acute hou- .

sing problem that; assum3s an odd aspect owing- to Portuguese polioy.., One third

qC, a3r^. residents are regarded as "civiliaedny including all-,whites; and mulattoes

■md one .tenth of the _AfrioanEs whose conditipns ar;e; dloser, to those of the

Europeans than to those of the mass of African, workers.. Dwellings have been

erecte.d .£p-r some of the latter, liut most of the© live An self-built shaoks ... ,

("muoequ.es") far from the..city ,qent3?e and generally to the east, where they. are.

jammed'between the raa^ay and the industrial -^one, and to the-south-east, where..

cites -are being oonstruotea.>. .,-»..■. ..-■■--

page 31

Nairobi

Nairobi, owes its origin ..to two much—discussed achievements of British. o6lpnial policy* the Uganda railway .and the settlement area of the White'Highlands. The former resulted in the creation, in 1899, of a centre whioh the latter caused to be raised to the status of capital. The site was convenient from the point of view of communications, but so damp and so devoid of natural attractions that-it has been described in very critical terms by several visitors, the most distinguished of whom was none, other than Winston Churchill, Until about 1940,,.4ts population was less than that of Mombasa, the great port on : the Indian Ocean which served, as an outlet for the capital. Efom'the ouifcset it had a substantial Asian oommunity, European oolonializa- tion being concentrated pn the aurrounding ..plantations and African immigration being

discouraged.

■The' SecondWorld War turned Nairobi into an important strategic centre, whereat was for the. first timel.regretted that the railway workshops were,the only industrial establishment of any importance.. As in the case of Leopoldville, the barriers were

breached by the;-w-<a?lil conflict, and these two oapitals £6urid themselves in 1946 with

populations of almost the same size (some 120,000). In accordance with a master plan prepared at that, time by a teohnioal-cum-sooiologioal mission,, the ^lay^-out of the city

nevertheless remained very different from that.of the Congolese capital. Respite the

progress made in the construction of oites, a high proportion of the African popula tion ..continued to live pji the outbuildings q£ properties o.ocupied by. Europeans and Aaiahsy the former often-..unduly large. The oites! themselves grew in relation to the industrial11 expansion, with a minimum of the family life that is essential t^ the de velopment of ..a^jirue urban civilization. In 1951^ the Mau-«Mau emergency even resulted

in the expulsion of many inhabitants who> belpn^^Clto,:-:the, A-^CLlaiyu -fcribe,*;;: Wien :"fchat

emergenoy was over, the capital of Kenya began *gri9wing again remarkably fast, its

population reao^ng in 1*960 the figure of 250,000 which had rtot.been expected by the

mission until 1970* Exceptionally high revenue made it possible to: erect a business centre, both, the, private and public buildings, in.which make, an impressive,;s,ight.:,;' ,.