Theme 1 - The History of African Urban Planning
The Conference will discuss new evidence and innovative perspectives on the history of African urban planning before, during and after European colonization, including the legacies from the sub-Saharan African Kingdoms and the Ottoman Empire in North Africa.
Possible topics may include but are not limited to the following ones:
•Urban governance in sub-Saharan Kingdoms before European colonization and in North Africa during the Ottoman period; The dynamism of Islamic settlement-design principles; Establishment of African cities and towns in the early European colonial period; Preservation of pre-colonial built environment; Variegated perceptions of defining African urban heritage
•African urban planning in global comparative perspective and the transnational transfer and dissemination of planning ideas in Africa during the colonial period: the Garden City Movement and the CIAM discourse on Urbanism in Africa; Anglophone, Francophone, and Lusophone colonial planning cultures in Africa; Other European colonial influences on African urban planning - Belgian, German, Italian, Spanish
•Planning education, the planning profession and the practice of colonial urban planning; Medical and sanitary discourses and the rationale of colonial urbanism in Africa
•Local government and the governance of cities during the colonial period and the impact with previously existing forms of urban government
•The role of local elites and traditional authorities in the colonial governance system; Symbolism and spirituality in indigenous planning cultures
•Urban land policy, housing and social housing in colonial Africa
•Infrastructure networks in colonial Africa - roads, waterways, rail, electricity, harbours, airports: new settings, new cities and behaviours
•Ruptures and continuities in the transition to the new independent states in Africa; Legacies of colonialism in the post-independence urban planning in Africa; Transfer of planning ideas from socialist countries to Africa during the Cold War
•Differences and similarities in contemporary African planning flowing from distinct histories and diverse colonial origins
•Discussion on the various forms of urban modernity beyond the colonial clichés