Maize Sellers Where Skyscrapers Could Be

At the center of a major African capital city like Kampala or Uganda— where you would find skyscrapers in New York City—it is not uncommon to find a farmer tending to his plot of maize. This land is potentially the most lucrative, so why is it being used for such low productivity purposes? Africa is urbanizing rapidly: Cities like Kampala are predicted to triple by the year 2050. According to estimates, two thirds of the urban topography that Africa will have in 2050 will be built during the next three decades, yet planning is lagging behind city growth.

An efficient city is dense at its core. This encourages connectivity between firms, work forces, the goods and services they need for production, and their market. It is also easier to implement a transit system, and more efficient for public service provision when people are physically closer together. It is this density that makes cities productive places, thus, land near the center of cities is usually among the most expensive.