About infrahub.africa

The infrahub.africa website is a product of a collaboration between the African Centre for Cities at the University of Cape Town and the Urban Futures Studio at Utrecht University, exploring the use of sustainable infrastructure examples from Africa as an entry point for imagining more sustainable, equitable cities.

Why infrastructure?

By 2050, the world’s urban population is expected to have doubled compared to 2010. In particular, Africa’s urban population is expected to triple during this period. This demographic shift will translate into extensive urbanization in a part of the world where more than half of urban dwellers currently live in self-built neighbourhoods with poor access to services. While many governments focus on infrastructure for economic growth, the majority of Africa’s urban citizens are living in undignified conditions that stifle their potential. Unprecedented investment in new buildings and infrastructure is required at a time when global resources are under pressure and emissions need to reduce rapidly. For African cities to deliver dignity and quality of life for all citizens, they will need to adopt different technologies, materials and approaches to those we are familiar with.

African inspiration – case studies from the continent

Imaginaries of African cities that leap ahead of fossil-fuel-based cities may seem far-fetched at first, but there are already signs of this starting to happen in various infrastructure initiatives around the continent. The website forms part of ongoing efforts to share what is happening in Africa, to inspire others to develop and experiment with more sustainable approaches. It is hoped that these case studies will be used by governments, businesses, non-profit organisations and communities across the continent and elsewhere to inspire new experiments, collaborations and adaptation to other contexts, and to stimulate more hopeful imaginaries of Africa’s urban future.

Visit the website to learn more about how to contribute to this project: https://www.infrahub.africa