State of African Cities 2010 Report: Governance, Inequality and Urban Land Markets

The State of African Cities 2010 Report: Governance, Inequality and Urban Land Markets report is the second in a series of regional, Africa-focused reports produced by UN-HABITAT. It examines critical urban issues and challenges in African cities, illustrating them with recent data and relevant examples. 

Some of the report’s key findings include:

- With Africa’s population expected to be 50 per cent urban by 2030, African governments cannot afford to ignore this rapid urbanisation and must take action now to position themselves for predominantly urban populations.

- In recent years, Africa as a whole has shown that informal settlements can be reduced effectively; the number of slum dwellers has been halved across North Africa.

- Africa is expected to suffer disproportionately from the negative effects of climate change, despite contributing less than 5 per cent of global green house emissions. Extreme weather has increased sharply in recent years, a trend that is expected to continue – further increasing Africa’s vulnerability. 

- Urban corridors across Africa are establishing trade flows and creating business and employment opportunities, thereby unlocking economic potential of landlocked countries.

- Africa’s urban slum populations are highly mobile and fluid, making it difficult to count them.