Why urban planning is critical in the future of cities like Dar es Salaam

In an exclusive interview with The Citizen, on the sidewalks of a recent public talk on ‘Africa’s Urban Future’ hosted by the ‘Africa Urban Lab’ in Zanzibar, urbanist Alain Bertaud, author of ‘Order Without Design’, shared valuable insights on the essential role of urban planning in managing cities like Dar es Salaam as they grow.

Bertaud’s keynote presentation provided a roadmap for fast-growing African cities, highlighting the importance of infrastructure development, land management, and adapting to the challenges of increasing population density.

Bertaud noted that cities like Dar es Salaam—whose population is likely to reach 30 million in three decades—must prioritize the right infrastructure before they are overwhelmed by growth.

“The speed and scale of African and Asian urbanization over the next several decades is unprecedented,” Bertaud remarked.

His advice for African cities facing rapid urban expansion is clear: “Urban planners should concentrate on providing primary infrastructure, particularly drainage, especially now with climate change, so that cities are not flooded. They should also open up more land for development and not be afraid to oversupply land for development.”

Read: Pertinent questions about management of Dar es Salaam

The flooding in various parts of Dar es Salaam during the rainy season underscores the consequences of neglecting infrastructure.

Poor drainage, combined with unplanned settlements, has led to widespread flooding, displacing families and damaging property. For cities like Dar es Salaam, where urban populations are expanding at a rapid pace, investing in drainage systems, roads, and other core infrastructure is critical to preventing environmental and social disasters.

Bertaud warned against focusing too heavily on housing projects at the expense of infrastructure. “Too many cities have spent too much money on very few houses, which did not solve the problem, leaving them with little for the infrastructure that is key for the population’s mobility,” he said. This imbalance, he noted, leads to overcrowded neighborhoods with inadequate access to essential services, exacerbating urban poverty.

He also stressed the importance of land availability for development. Urban planners, he advised, should not hesitate to oversupply land. “If you undersupply land, land prices increase, creating a bottleneck for housing and services,” Bertaud explained.

A notable example he shared was the city of Gujarat in India, which managed its rapid growth by securing land for infrastructure development through private land agreements, without resorting to expropriation.

“It took a long time, but they finally developed the right of way for their infrastructure by convincing private landowners to give up some land for roads,” Bertaud said. “It is one of the few cities I know that has managed to match land development with the number of people moving into the city.”

Dar es Salaam could benefit from adopting a similar approach, ensuring there is enough land to accommodate both the growing population and the infrastructure needed to support it. With the population growing quickly, it’s vital that land policies promote development while preventing haphazard expansion, which could worsen congestion and strain city services.

Read: Dar City to sink in next five decades

When it comes to managing population density, Bertaud was candid: planners cannot control where people choose to live. “You cannot control the number of people in a city,” he said. “You can control building codes, but not the number of people.”

Instead, planners should focus on managing density through better transportation and mobility. "When cities have high densities, planners should develop ways to serve this population,” he explained. “People won’t leave urban areas because of laws—they will instead move to slums.” Ensuring efficient public transportation and developing systems that allow for easy movement across the city can help mitigate the negative effects of high population density.

Bertaud also highlighted the need for decongesting cities, advocating for the creation of new urban centers outside of overcrowded central business districts (CBDs). For Dar es Salaam, this could mean developing a new CBD in less congested areas, alleviating pressure on the current urban core while creating new opportunities for residents.

Bertaud also emphasized the need to balance urban preservation with development. He cited Stone Town in Zanzibar as an example of a UNESCO heritage site that faces similar challenges. “Stone Town is a tradition that should be kept; it should not be transformed into a museum,” Bertaud said.

“I love the idea that people work there. Outside Stone Town, however, you should have a place where a modern CBD can develop. That’s the only way to protect this historical monument.”

This approach would allow for the preservation of Stone Town’s unique cultural identity while accommodating the growing population, which is expected to double in the next 17 years.

Tanzania’s young and growing population presents an opportunity, not a challenge, as Bertaud pointed out. “It is cheaper to maintain a young population than an ageing one,” he noted. With a high birth rate and a growing labor force, Tanzania stands to benefit from this demographic shift, provided that urban planning efforts focus on accommodating the expanding population with effective infrastructure and land management.

As Dar es Salaam and other African cities look to the future, the lessons from Bertaud’s talk are clear: urban planning is key to managing the growth of cities in a way that ensures long-term sustainability.