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Building a City from Scratch? The limits of top-down urban policy making in the case of the “new urban hub” of Diamniadio, Senegal

Megatrends Policy Brief 2022 06, 20.10.2022, 10 Pages

doi:10.18449/2022MTA-PB06

African cities are growing fast. A highly controversial solution is the construction of so-called “new cities”. Based on a study of the new Urban Hub of Diamniadio (UHD) in Senegal, this paper unpacks and challenges the idea of new cities as a horizontal, one-size-fits-all solution. The paper argues that the UHD represents an inherently political policy tool, used to reassert central state power over strategic territories. As a political flagship project of President Macky Sall, the UHD is a top-down approach that excludes decentralised bodies and citizens from urban policy making.

Bird's eye view of the con-struction work in Diamniadio. The construction process is slow and fragmented.

Bird's eye view of the con-struction work in Diamniadio. The construction process is slow and fragmented.