Lagos: Africa's New York City

11 December 2007 - 12:00pm

This video from Current profiles Lagos, Nigeria, the world's fastest growing megacity.

Only 300,000 people lived in Lagos in 1950, but now the United Nations number it amongst the world's megacities -- those with populations above 10 million.

The mass rural-to-urban migration has flooded the city with squatter camps and slums. But the low availability of jobs has created a bustling and chaotic informal economy.

Unregulated housing, poor access to sanitation, traffic, and overpopulation are some of the major problems facing this rapidly changing African metropolis.

Full Story: Lagos la Vida Loca
Source: Current, November 8, 2007
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I argue that the vocabulary of planning and the concepts necessary to participate in local government and planning issues need to be taught to students in K-12.