As floods threaten, Tanzania aims to build a megacity that works
Flood waters on Azikiwe Street in Dar es Salaam after a past storm. The city is exposed to a range of risks from climate change including flooding, sea level rise, coastal erosion, water scarcity and insect-borne diseases. Photo/Leonard Magomba
Tanzania’s largest commercial city - one of the fastest-growing in Africa - has redrawn its master plan to try to become a megacity prepared for climate change, and not a city of worsening urban sprawl and flooding.
The plan, which looks ahead to 2036, aims to transform the city of over 4.5 million people and proposes creation of a Metropolitan Development Authority to oversee planning and major infrastructure development, including transportation and utilities.
