Feature Africa in the New Century Professor Achille Mbembe on the emerging consensus that the destiny of our planet will be played out, to a large extent, in Africa and how this will constitute the main cultural and philosophical event of the 21st century
Conversations Kinshasa's Fluxes & Rhythms What the nebulous idea of living together in a place such as Kinshasa means Filip De Boeck & AbdouMaliq Simone
Intelligence Chinese Urbanism in Africa On-going media reports that tower-block Chinese urbanism is taking root in Africa distort what is a far more complex and variegated truth on the ground Phillip Harrison & Yan Yang
Intelligence Surbana’s African City Gold Rush Planners and architects seem to have a habit of colluding with developers and politicians to make every city look like every other city. writes Robert Neuwirth Robert Neuwirth
Feature Anatomy of a failure Sean O'Toole on how a South African Metropolitan Municipality's failed prepaid smart metering system offers a case study of what happens when technology and finance are applied to a pressing need without clear political, and financial oversight Sean O'Toole
Feature Housing High Stakes in Addis Over the past 35 years, Ethiopia's urban population has doubled. Faced with a chronic housing shortage in the country’s capital, Addis Ababa, officials have had to innovate Mary Anne Fitzgerald
Intelligence What is Next? Cultivating an appetite for the future demands recouping a politics of aspiration Maarten Hajer
Conversations On Inclusive Cities Argentinian architect and urban planner Alfredo Garay speaks to Marcelo Corti and Demian Rotbart on the role of these torsional forces and the on-going challenges of urbanisation in contemporary Latin America Marcelo Corti and Demian Rotbart
Conversations A Man of the Future Remaking Johannesburg, says executive mayor Parks Tau, requires not only a future focus and commitment to a long-term vision, but patience and courage too Lesley Lokko
Intelligence Waiting to Grow Up Many African youths find themselves trapped in prolonged suspension between childhood and adulthood, argues Professor Alcinda Honwana Alcinda Honwana
Intelligence From Refugee Storage Facilities to Living Spaces A paradigm shift is required in the way refugee settlements are managed in order to rapidly normalise these enclaves and welcome them into the mainstream of society Kilian Kleinschmidt
City Report Life in the Magic Kingdom Private developers are remodelling Johannesburg at its urban edge Tanya Pampalone
Intelligence From the Editors Africa is a continent poised between aspiration and actuality. This future-minded edition of Cityscapes is framed around the rubric of “futurity” The Editors
Conversations Informal Worlds Reader Peter Mörtenböck and Helge Mooshammer spent five years researching informal marketplaces globally Edgar Pieterse
Reporting An energetic opportunity Africa sits on the cusp of a renewable energy revolution, but needs massive investment in modernising the grid Megan Lindow
City Report Rising from the dumps Waste has emerged as major political concern in Dar es Salaam Joshua Palfreman
Feature The Athletes Len Taunyane and Jan Mashiani participated in the 1904 Olympic marathon in St. Louis. Their story is far bigger than that, tainted by an unanswerable silence Sean O'Toole
Intelligence From the Editors This issue focuses on cities in South Asia, not as a generic category but rather as a symbolic and political constellation loaded with complex histories and contemporary dynamics From the Editors