In December 2012, the AAPS convened a small workshop on the relationship between informality, infrastructure and spatial planning, in Lagos, Nigeria. Participants visited the area of Makoko on a field trip.
The settlement is in dire need of attention, particularly incremental interventions where essential services are provided in partnership with community structures. Makoko is symbolic of the extreme conditions facing the urban poor, and the innovation they employ to survive in the city. It is the task of planners and governments to facilitate this innovation.
Following the field trip, participants agreed to draft a short document setting out the AAPS stance on planning and managing Africa’s urban transition. We encourage the circulation of this document to all governments, development agencies and media entities on the continent. We believe that planning is a political process that should be about enabling the urban poor in Africa to pursue decent livelihoods in cities. It is time that we rediscover the advocacy element of urban planning.
Please click here to view the AAPS communiqué.
