Although human habitation in Eastern Africa dates back to the 1st Millennium, urbanization was later. The earliest settlements were thus dispersed that were later densified culminating into urban formations interrogated here. This background is used to illustrate how spatial paradigms of antiquity informed subsequent developments and contemporary urbanism.

The overarching themes used to understand the architecture of urbanism in Eastern Africa shall include: the Physical, Identity and Globalization.

The physical expression of East African urbanism is through its morphology encompassing its architecture through aesthetics and technology. It invokes the natural environment, its exploitation and the primordial strategies of its management. It also seeks to situate the discourse of ‘climate-change’, sustainability and the broader economy.

The basic premise is that the region and Africa has an identity crisis relating to its unique exposure to the Orient and Europe beyond its endogenous African roots. Expounded by Ali Mazrui (1986), this ‘triple heritage’ is extrapolated to architecture and urbanism. It further interrogates societal canons with regard to inclusivity and exclusivity of gender, race, faith and worldviews.

Understanding region’s urbanism invokes any linkages to rest of the world as technological innovations have made this inevitable. Globalization seeks to unify human political, socio-cultural and economic templates, and is increasingly extrapolated to architecture. Most notably is the unifying ideology of neo-liberalism. Though mooted and deep-rooted n economics and political systems, it is equally applicable to the structuring of cities. The position of the infusion of local content, hence ‘glocalization’, is a tenet explored in the series.

This is part of a 3-lecture series that also includes: Residential and Social space (2) and commercial and civic space (3). The present lecture (1), explores the roots and nature of urbanism in 5 Parts – chronologically structured: Part 1-Preamble, Part 2-Zamani era – curvilinear urbanism, Part 3- Zamani era – rectilinear urbanism, Part 4 – Sasa era – the colony early Postcolony, Part 5 – The Contemporary – current situation, policy directions & conclusions