On Street Level: Random Thoughts on our Urban World

I came across an excellent and powerful article in the Independent documenting life in the world’s fastest growing metropolis (Lagos, Nigeria).  Mega cities are a new and growing challenge facing our world as more and more people move into these urban areas from the country.  Perhaps most challenging of all is how to deal with those megacities that don’t have a substantial infrastructure already in place, which generally includes the majority of the megacities in the third world countries, including Lagos.  The unfortunate reality is these cities are often filled with squalor and slums.

As one may expect for a city in west Africa, the gap between the minority rich and the majority poor is extremely large.   The article does an excellent job highlighting life in Makato, a floating slum where residents live a ‘marginalized’ life away from the wealthy of the city.  However, there in no question that Makato is just one of many similar neighbourhoods throughout the giant city centre.

What is most astonishing is some of the facts about Lagos.  These facts include:

Population Growth: 600 000 people/year

Average Population Density: 20 000 people/square kilometer

Current Population: 17 million (which is likely quite low)

Proportion of Households that have reported a murder in the family: 1 percent

You can check out the article here: Lagos: Inside the Ultimate Megacity