The efficiency of cities in using land: A comparison of Africa and Asia

Inclusive and land use efficient urbanisation is crucial for achieving sustainable development, particularly in African and Asian cities that will have over 90 per cent of the total increase in the world’s urban population in the next three decades. Using density growth rate, as an alternative indicator to SDG11.3.1, in corroboration with 11 in-depth cases of African and Asian cities, this study attempts to assess and explain the extent of efficient use of urban land and their variations. This study presents descriptive statistics and regression analyses using the European Commission’s Global Human Settlement Layer data on 1,203 cities – 192 African and 1,011 Asian cities – with over 100,000 populations and over 20 km2 of built-up areas. Contrary to existing belief, the majority of African and Asian cities are densifying albeit with some variations. Densification patterns are non-linear: small- and medium-sized cities have slower densification than large cities; Asian cities have slower densification (led by Chinese cities) than African cities; and cities located in less developed regions (e.g., China) have slower densification than those cities located in the least developed region (e.g., Tanzania). Currently, ill-conceived land and housing policies and the proliferation of unplanned human settlements are dominant contributors to densification rather than land use planning. This study argues for the promotion of economic density – where cities should opt for vertical growth with appropriate space for infrastructures and economic activities – to reap the benefits of compact development, including greenhouse gas mitigation from urban areas.