Summary
Highlights
Shlomo Angel introduces the 'Making Room' concept as a counterpoint to the prevailing 'containment' paradigm in urban planning. The containment approach, which restricts city expansion, can lead to unaffordable housing as seen in Seoul. Conversely, uncontrolled expansion without proper infrastructure, as in Bangkok, results in severe congestion and lack of public services like drainage.
Angel emphasizes that laying out basic infrastructure such as streets before development occurs is crucial and significantly more efficient. He cites the example of Lima where planned squatter invasions with a street grid resulted in thriving neighborhoods, demonstrating that prior land preparation for public works prevents higher costs and disorganized growth.
Cities' physical areas expand faster than their populations due to declining densities. Historical data from Paris and US cities show a long-term trend of decreasing population density. This phenomenon, he explains, means that cities in developing countries will require substantial land for expansion, not just because of population increase, but also due to these density declines.
Angel presents calculations on future land needs based on different density decline rates (0%, 1%, and 2% per year). He predicts that by 2050, if densities decline by 2%, the land required for urban expansion in developing countries could increase sevenfold. For Sub-Saharan Africa, this could be as high as twelvefold.
The 'Making Room' paradigm consists of four key steps: 1) Calculating adequate land supply based on population growth and density decline, similar to New York City's historical expansion plans. 2) Establishing generous city limits, as seen in Chinese cities, to allow for comprehensive planning. 3) Creating a grid of arterial roads with secured rights-of-way, before development, for public transport and major trunk infrastructure. 4) Protecting a hierarchy of public open spaces from early development.
The 'Making Room' initiative is being implemented in Ethiopia (four cities) and Colombia (five cities). These cities are actively planning their arterial grids, calculating compensation for landowners, and physically marking the land to ensure these plans are realized. This orderly planning ensures room for public transport, trunk infrastructure, and guided development.