Best Practices
Innovative urban development approaches and success stories from across Africa
Urban Development Best Practices
Learn from successful urban initiatives across the African continent
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
Dar es Salaam BRT System
The DART system in Dar es Salaam serves over 300,000 passengers daily, reducing commute times by 50% and significantly lowering carbon emissions in the city.
Partners: DART Agency, World Bank, African Development Bank, AFD, ITDP
Green Building Standards
Eco-Cité Initiative
Morocco eco-city program integrates renewable energy, water conservation, and green building standards into new urban developments across multiple cities.
Partners: MATNUHPV, UN-Habitat Morocco
Digital Land Registry
Ardhisasa Platform
Kenya digital land management system streamlines property registration, reducing processing time from months to days and improving transparency.
Partners: Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning, National Land Commission
Social Housing Program
Integrated Residential Development Programme
Comprehensive housing subsidy program providing fully subsidized homes and serviced sites to low-income households in well-located areas.
Partners: Department of Human Settlements, Provincial and municipal authorities
Participatory Governance
Citizen Participation in Urban Planning
Community-driven planning processes in Accra Metropolitan Area enabling citizens to directly participate in local development decisions and budget allocation.
Partners: Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Local civil society organizations
Urban Green Spaces
New Administrative Capital Green Infrastructure
Egypt new capital features extensive green corridors, parks, and sustainable water management systems integrated into the urban master plan.
Partners: Administrative Capital for Urban Development (ACUD)
Cities Without Slums
Villes Sans Bidonvilles Programme
A national programme combining slum upgrading, rehousing and resettlement to improve living conditions for households in informal settlements. Recognised by UN-Habitat and the World Bank as a scalable model, it has declared dozens of Moroccan cities slum-free since 2004.
Partners: MATNUHPV, Al Omrane Group, World Bank, UN-Habitat
Participatory Slum Upgrading
PSUP — Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme
A joint initiative giving slum dwellers a decisive voice in the future of their communities. The programme addresses housing, water and sanitation, waste management, tenure security and gender equality across participating African cities.
Partners: UN-Habitat, Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, European Commission
Women-Led Urban Funding
Community-Managed Funds for Women and Girls
Community-managed funding mechanisms that place resources directly in the hands of women and girls in informal settlements, strengthening their economic autonomy and their role in local decision-making.
Partners: UN-Habitat, Community-based organizations
Inclusive Settlement Upgrading
Kigali City-Wide Upgrading Strategy
A city-wide strategy for unplanned and underserviced settlements, developed with UN-Habitat support. It combines participatory planning, land pooling, housing cooperatives and subsidised rentals for low-income households with improved access roads and sanitation.
Partners: City of Kigali, Rwanda Housing Authority, UN-Habitat
Share Your Best Practice
Help build the knowledge base of urban innovation across Africa.
Explore Countries