Africa

Traffic Costs Nairobi $746,000 Per Day

The Kenyan capital of Nairobi is struggling with crippling car congestion -- a problems some say is so bad the country should consider transferring its capital to another city.

September 24, 2007 - Mail & Guardian

Libyan Sustainable Development Project May Be World's Largest

What may be the world's largest sustainable development project is currently being planned in Libya. The project aims to boost the country's ecotourism along its Mediterranean coast and to protect its many archaeological sites.

September 11, 2007 - Environmental News Network

Rural-To-Urban Shift Brings Quick Growth To Smaller Cities

The rapid rural-to-urban population shift is felt heavily in many African cities, but especially so in the continent's smaller cities, such as the Botswanan capitol of Gaborone.

September 10, 2007 - The Christian Science Monitor

Poor Benefitting From 'Poverty Tours'

In the squatter settlements in South African slums, a burgeoning new industry is developing around so-called "poverty tours", where Western tourists are taken off the beaten tour path to see what life is like in impoverished squatter communities.

August 23, 2007 - Mail & Guardian

Crumbling Rail In Congo Seeks Private Investment

With few paved roads, rail is often the best transport option in the Democratic Republic of Congo. But the system suffers derailments, crumbling tracks, and trains in disrepair -- and the government doesn't have the money to fix it.

August 8, 2007 - The Washington Post

A Turning 'Ponte' for Jo-Burg?

Johannesburg's Ponte City, a once-exclusive whites-only address now at the center of a dangerous, abandoned part of the city, will undergo a major renovation project featuring affordable housing, with the aim of turning the neighborhood around.

July 31, 2007 - The Globe & Mail

African Nations Plan Largest Game Reserve

Five African nations met recently to approve the creation of a game reserve that will be the world's largest protected land area. The countries are hoping the park will serve as a major tourist attraction and source of jobs.

July 2, 2007 - BBC

Flood Prospect Sparks Violent Opposition To Dam Project

Plans to build a dam on the Nile River have incited protests, outrage, and even violence as Sudanese villagers demonstrate their opposition to a project that would flood them out of their ancient homeland.

June 21, 2007 - National Geographic

World's Most Powerful Dam Proposed For Africa

Industrialists in Africa are pushing for the creation of a giant dam on the Congo River that would generate enough energy for the half-billion people on the continent without electricity. The huge project has been called "a Marshall Plan for Africa."

June 20, 2007 - International Herald Tribune

City Will Provide Basic Services To Slum Dwellers

The mayor of Cape Town, South Africa, has announced a plan to provide water, lighting, and sanitation to all of the city's densely-packed slum dwellers.

May 24, 2007 - Mail & Guardian

Broad Transit Upgrades Approved In Cape Town

Transit officials have approved a plan to take over the city's transportations systems, creating an expanded and more unified web of trains and buses.

May 9, 2007 - Mail & Guardian

South Africa Struggles To Redistribute Farmland

A 2014 goal of 30% farm ownership by blacks in South Africa is far from being met, as whites still control more than 80% of the nation's farmland. Many say the government's land reform laws are incapable of efficiently redistributing the land.

May 5, 2007 - The Economist

2010 Is Right Around The Corner For World Cup Host

South Africa has been tapped to host the 2010 World Cup, and though th event is three years away, preparations are already underway -- and progressing at a strenuous pace to try to stay on schedule.

April 26, 2007 - The New York Times

Will Khartoum Become The 'African Dubai'?

Oil money has fueled an urban development boom in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, prompting some to call it the "African Dubai". But with the continuing and deadly conflict in Darfur, many countries are hesitant to invest in Sudan.

April 25, 2007 - BBC

Reacting Before The Disaster

After floods killed more than 700 in 2001, the government in Mozambique has shifted its disaster management from 'response' to 'prevention'. With recent floods swallowing villages whole, the new disaster prevention efforts have saved hundreds.

February 21, 2007 - The Christian Science Monitor

As Plans For Europe-Africa Rail Link Develop, U.S. Lags

Plans for a long-imagined underwater high speed rail line connecting Europe and Africa emphasizes the comparative lack of rail development in the United States.

February 1, 2007 - International Herald Tribune

Seized Farmland Returned To Whites Amid Zimbabwe Food Shortage

Food shortages and economic decline have forced Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe to rescind his 2005 land reform decision to seize all farmland from white farmers. Land has already been returned to 19 white farmers, while more await lease approval.

January 4, 2007 - The Guardian Unlimited

Botswanan Bush People Regain Rights To Ancestral Lands

Bushmen have won a long court case against the Botswanan government for illegally removing them from their ancestral lands. The ruling is expected to set a standard for other indigenous people in the protection of their ancestral lands.

December 18, 2006 - BBC

South African Infrastructure Projects Slowing Private Development

Large-scale infrastructure projects in South Africa are rapidly increasing land costs and the costs of building. Some fear these projects may create a slow-down in private development.

December 2, 2006 - Business Day

CBD Rebound In Johannesburg

Inner-city regeneration in the central business district of Johannesburg, South Africa, have turned the area around from being an abandoned and dangerous neighborhood into one flourishing with active businesses and residents.

November 30, 2006 - Business Day

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

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