African Urbanism: Contesting Formality and Informality inMaputo, Mozambique

\Presentation at NHH/CMI Seminar ‘Cooperation on Urban Development’ Bergen 8 February 2013

Inge Tvedten, CMI

African Urbanism

• African cities must be understood on their own terms

• Capital of Mozambique with 1.1 (1.8) million inhabitants

• 70% ‘slum-like characteristics’ and inadequate services

• Poverty rate 50%, with increasing inequality

• Official: Formal and informal city spaces

• Population: Layers of trichoto-mies and dichotomies

• No urban development plans for informal settlements/slums – only ‘strategies’

Contested Urban Space

• Rapidly changing urban-scape with liberalisation of land and housing market

• ‘Slummification’ of sub-urban space, and formalisation of the peri-urban

• ‘Inverse governmentality’ and incremental housing have made people feel secure

• Now contested by municipal authorities and private capital

Formalising the Informal

• The processes of ‘inverse governmentality’ in poor bairros should be protected and sup-ported

• Urban services (roads, water, electricity, waste collection) through strategic planning/ community processes

• Policy implementation by selecting ‘test-bairros’ for implementation

• Enforcing a formalisation of PTOs and housing standards will lead to more urban uprisings