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Old Posted Dec 23, 2020, 7:29 PM
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High-quality walkable urbanism in Sub-Saharan Africa?

Hey guys,

I was wondering if you could point out (via street views or otherwise) some examples of African cities which have good pedestrian-level experience.

Broadly stereotyping, it seems like African cities tend to have three urban typologies.

1. Modernist/postmodernist tower-based neighborhoods with really poor street-level engagement.

2. Functionally suburban neighborhoods, often with security fences around properties in wealthier areas.

3. Shantytowns.

I know of a few examples which buck this trend. Parts of Dakar have a very strong gritty urban vibe. Cape Town has a nice urban core, though the rest of South Africa is pretty lacking. And there's also Zanzibar. But how many more cities can people point to?

Note: I don't expect upscale. Functional and gritty is just fine.
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Old Posted Dec 23, 2020, 7:36 PM
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Old Posted Dec 23, 2020, 9:35 PM
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Old Posted Dec 23, 2020, 9:46 PM
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Mombasa has been an important city for the past thousand years, and still has the medieval centre to show for it.


https://www.wsup.com/blog/at-the-epi...ater-in-kenya/


https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/532198880938439736/


https://www.safari254.com/mombasa-old-town-piece-past/
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Old Posted Dec 23, 2020, 10:40 PM
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I would say that outside of the areas with colonial or medieval downtowns, this is about as good as it would get (typically).
https://www.google.ca/maps/@6.461439...7i13312!8i6656
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Old Posted Dec 23, 2020, 11:29 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SIGSEGV View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by iheartthed View Post
They (and Durban) might have been in the past. Today their central areas are face extreme urban decay and are quite dangerous. That's why I wouldn't say there are walkable.

I'd say, in South Africa, only Cape Town CBD is walkable. Some of their southern suburbs are not very hostile to pedestrian either.

--------------------------

I've not been there, but by pictures, Maputo "formal city" urban form is not very different from South American cities and maybe is walkable, I can't tell for sure.
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Old Posted Dec 23, 2020, 11:59 PM
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No streetview, but a few random panoramics on Google Maps. Luanda looks a lot like an Eastern European city in some ways (complete with cars parking on the sidewalk!)

https://www.google.com/maps/@-8.8201...!7i8704!8i4352
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Old Posted Dec 24, 2020, 12:03 AM
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Originally Posted by yuriandrade View Post
They (and Durban) might have been in the past. Today their central areas are face extreme urban decay and are quite dangerous. That's why I wouldn't say there are walkable.

I'd say, in South Africa, only Cape Town CBD is walkable. Some of their southern suburbs are not very hostile to pedestrian either.
Some outer parts of Pretoria seem fairly walkable too. No idea about safety.
Here's near the University of Pretoria:
https://www.google.com/maps/@-25.750...7i13312!8i6656
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Old Posted Dec 24, 2020, 12:29 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SIGSEGV View Post
No streetview, but a few random panoramics on Google Maps. Luanda looks a lot like an Eastern European city in some ways (complete with cars parking on the sidewalk!)
They do that in Hamburg and other northern German cities too. Quite common in much of the world, even in regions generally regarded as orderly and affluent.
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Old Posted Dec 24, 2020, 12:37 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by yuriandrade View Post
They (and Durban) might have been in the past. Today their central areas are face extreme urban decay and are quite dangerous. That's why I wouldn't say there are walkable.

I'd say, in South Africa, only Cape Town CBD is walkable. Some of their southern suburbs are not very hostile to pedestrian either.

Most South African cities have a fairly walkable core and occasionally outer suburban district high streets, just Cape Town is the best known as the core never really fell into decay (and the scenery, of course). They also tend to be perceived as quite dangerous and many will tell you to avoid at all costs.

The whole of Johannesburg CBD is quite walkable over an extensive area, though has quite a bad reputation. Sometimes deservedly so, and you do want to know the area well enough to avoid certain parts. Despite this there are still safe, more upscale walkable areas such as Maboneng, most of Braamfontein, Newtown and the area around Gandhi square and the corporate bank offices. More recently developments like Jewel City and the ABSA bank precinct are injecting more affordable middle-class housing into the core. I do know people who live in the CBD and do most of their trips by walking (one lives in the former boardroom of an old bank building!).

https://goo.gl/maps/6CJPxdE65KNc4UYN7
https://goo.gl/maps/vcwHiukLya8A8Zhg7
https://goo.gl/maps/9LB5bmZwnarbYokn9
https://goo.gl/maps/LGjHAKkWpEU7PiWXA



You also have a number of suburban high streets with lots of bars/restaurants:

https://goo.gl/maps/5tjioXrkz1KPR9HC9
https://goo.gl/maps/FEAFaXMHAkBLS6Y7A
https://goo.gl/maps/2Neb1uLA2qG6zPqJA


In terms of new stuff outside the core you have upscale Rosebank as an increasingly walkable area centred around an underground commuter rail station and half outdoor/indoor mall:

https://goo.gl/maps/jp5vvgkCtmzsbBup8
https://goo.gl/maps/PpJfTFLUpauurFgv7


Melrose Arch which is more of a new-urbanist styled mixed use development:

https://goo.gl/maps/9Ds8EDbKKmhLV75S8


I've also walked around the area of Pretoria posted above - Hatfield. It's mostly University students and in close proximity to embassies. Fairly safe as far as SA goes. As I'm sure I've relayed before the only place I've almost been robbed in SA was on Long st in Cape Town (the main tourist street).
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Old Posted Dec 24, 2020, 2:21 AM
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I would think Zanzibar?
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Old Posted Dec 25, 2020, 1:49 AM
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Nairobi recently added some downtown bike lanes

Video is from Aug this year
Video Link
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