Understanding density in unplanned and unregulated settlements of peri-urban Africa: a case study of Maputo, Mozambique

There has been sustained focus on the rapid urban expansion in Sub-Saharan African metropolises. However, few studies focus on the concurrent densification processes taking place in most unplanned and non-formal peri-urban areas. These arguably constitute a more sustainable tendency at macro-level, given adequate guidance. This paper examines the densification of three such areas in Maputo, Mozambique, where the urban landscape is undergoing significant transformations as urban densities increase without state involvement. The study analyses developments of built densities using satellite photos for three case study areas in neighbourhoods (‘bairros’) with varying distance (0, 5 and 10 km) from the city centre over a 10-year interval compared with developments of population densities based on census data. The chapter argues that the phenomenon of this ‘emerging’ urbanism in peri-urban areas of Africa will continue to dominate and policy-makers need to regard these trends as solutions, rather than problems, and provide guidance for the inevitable densification that will take place.