AN ASSESSMENT OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF MEGA REAL ESTATE PROJECTS IN SUB–SAHARAN AFRICA

Mauritius has been a model for sub-Saharan Africa in terms of its rapid growth and development. Much of the progress achieved can be linked to industrialization and industrial upgrading, from sugar to manufacturing and tourism to services and more recently, real estate. This chapter will focus on the development of the industrial hub of Mauritius, looking specifically at the industrial trajectory of the country and the path adopted towards industrial upgrading in key sectors. The chapter discusses the development of the textile industry within the Mauritius Export Processing Zone as well as the challenges in this sector and the gender dimensions of EPZ employment. The chapter also examines the upgrading strategies adopted, including some of the main hub developments such as the Ebène Cybercity and the JinFei special economic zone. It contends that while upgrading has been crucial for industrial survival, growth, and development in Mauritius, it has not been without cost.

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Real estate in Sub-Saharan Africa for the first-time investor

10.15396/eres2016_214 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Maria Wiedner

Keyword(s):

Real Estate ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

First Time

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Digital Visualisation as a New Driver of Urban Change in Africa

Urban Planning ◽

10.17645/up.v5i2.2989 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 35-43 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Vanessa Watson

Keyword(s):

Real Estate ◽

Informal Settlement ◽

Growth Potential ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Local Planning ◽

Property Development ◽

Spatial Justice ◽

The World ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

New City

Cities in Sub-Saharan Africa are growing faster than in any other part of the world, driven by expanding informal settlement (usually on the urban periphery) and the real-estate sector aiming for up-market property development. The continent currently has the highest real-estate value growth potential in the world. Much up-market property development is currently taking the form of new ‘cities’—sometimes a redevelopment of an entire city (e.g., Kigali), sometimes a new city on an urban edge (e.g., Eko-Atlantic, Lagos) and sometimes a new satellite city (e.g., Tatu City, Nairobi). These projects are driven by international property development companies often in collaboration with governments and sometimes with local planning and property partners. All manifest as plans in a new way: as graphics on the websites of international consultants. Most involve no public participation and attempt to by-pass planning laws and processes. Producing these new plans (as computer generated images) are a new set of professionals: architects, planners, visualisers, advertising executives and project managers, working together in offices in global capitals of the world. Their aim is commercial. Planning in these projects is no longer shaped by the materiality of the city and attempts to achieve socio-spatial justice and sustainability. Rather planning is shaped by the circulation of graphics through a network of software programmes and marketing professionals. This article will situate Africa’s new cities in theorisation of urban development and the role of urban planning through digital visualization.

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