Casa África brings to Madrid the debate on the rapid growth of cities in Africa

Africa is the least urbanised region of the planet, with an urban population of 38%, but with the fastest pace of urban growth (4.5%), to the point that a number of studies suggest that in 20 years the resident population in African cities will have doubled. All this rapid growth occurs in a large number of cases, in countries which lack town planning policies, which means that African countries, cities and citizens are now in a situation of creating new urban areas and development programmes tailored to their needs.

To reflect on how they can and should build these cities, Casa África organised at the headquarters of the Cervantes Institute in Madrid, on Monday 12th May, a conference under the title African cities: an urban and social challenge, which aims to bring to the table what is the reality of the African urban growth on the one hand, and on the other, which existing urban models and which processes already undertaken in other countries could be a good example for the continent, which would allow sustainable and equitable growth to be achieved.

In addition to the keynote address by the Executive Director of UN-Habitat, the conference will include the presentation of A way of understanding the African city, the winning text of Casa África's Essay Prize 2013, in which architects and teachers from the Canary Islands Manuel Martín Hernández, Vicente Diaz Garcia and Eugenio Rodríguez reflect on the need for "mental decolonization" in addressing urban planning in Africa, which is currently attached to an architectural and urban North Eurocentric model.

Following the presentation of this paper and a speech by Clos, the Professor of the School of Architecture at the University of Alcalá, Paz Nunez, will moderate a panel discussion in which, together with Joan Clos and Manuel Martin, Firdaous Oussidhoum, the Director of International Relations of the Union of African Architects will participate.