Makerere University, together with the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development and the Urban Authorities Association of Uganda (UAAU) are set to undertake an urban expansion planning drive that will result in better-planned cities and urban areas in Uganda.
A national workshop on Urban Extension Planning in Uganda financed by Cities Alliance was held on Wednesday 25th April 2024, in the CEDAT Conference Hall during which participants delved into the concept, the principles and importance of urban expansion, and its fundamental stages. They also explored the best practices for Urban Expansion Plan implementation and financial strategies.
The Head of the Architecture and Physical Planning department at the College of Dr. Amin Tamale Kigundu said the 21st Century is about collaboration, and that as physical planners they may not be able to solve the problems but solutions and actions can be found through such networks. He said a fund has been set aside to support the training of city leaders and offer opportunities for the students to undertake their internships there.
While expounding on the role of Makerere University in the program, Dr. Tamale said the University was to establish a knowledge hub. The program came at the right time with the establishment of Makerere University Regional Centre for Urban Research, Governance, and Innovation located at CEDAT. He said although challenging, the idea to set up a National Urban Research Centre, where all of the people can play a part was one way through which the university was to play a core role in Research, innovation, and Outreach. The future of our countries lies in the cities because, in the future, most of our economic activities will be concentrated in the cities, he said and emphasized the need to get prepared as a country.