Smart housing prototype shows promise in rapidly urbanizing Africa
Africa is urbanizing fast, as its population grows and many flocks to cities in search of jobs, education and healthcare.
Studies show that hundreds of millions more Africans will live in cities over the next three decades.
Many of these new urban Africans, however, are likely to end up in informal settlements. Already an estimated 200 million Africans live in informal settlements—often without access to energy and sanitation.
The growing class of urban poor need access to decent housing. But the challenge is that the global housing sector already emits almost a third of global greenhouse gas emissions and uses up to 40 per cent of the planet’s total resources. New approaches are clearly needed.
As the housing sector grows—and it must grow if we want an equitable world—we need to reduce ...