AgroCity

Al Imfeld, a well known Africa specialist, published the marvellous book "AgroCity - Die Stadt für Afrika - Skizzen einer neuen Urbanität" (= The City for Africa - Outlines of a new Urbanity) shortly before his death in February 2017.

The book analyses different exploding (mega-) cities in several Sub-Saharan countries. Cities mainly have an administrative and commercial centre, which is surrounded of – often many – slums. Their inhabitants have left their farmland, hoping for a better life in city. 

For handling this situation, new forms of cities are proposed – guaranteeing a better life for their inhabitants, characterised by 

• Mix of farming and city advantages as employment opportunities
• Land ownership as cooperative member
• Schools, neighbourhood, health care, market, theatre, sports and public traffic 
• Cooperatives, surmounting traditional ways of separation as tribes and religions
• No fossil powered vehicles drives
• Two third of food from horizontal and vertical farming in AgroCity and a belt of roughly 25 km around it self-sufficiently and supply contracts.
• The rest by trading against crafts, services and natural resources