Lagos Model City Plans & Eko Atlantic
Core idea
Island reclamation + district upgrades
Why it matters
Mega-city coastal adaptation + growth
Description
Lagos's contemporary plans pair model-city master planning with the controversial Eko Atlantic project (from the 2010s), a vast private city built on land reclaimed from the Atlantic behind a sea wall, marketed as a high-end financial district.
Significance
Lagos and Eko Atlantic crystallize debates over privatized, exclusive city-building in Africa's largest urban agglomeration — climate-defensive engineering and luxury enclave set against the needs of the surrounding megacity.
What became of it
Under construction: shoreline protection (the 'Great Wall of Lagos') and initial districts and towers have been built, but the city is far from complete and occupancy remains limited.
Critique
Heavily criticised for displacing tens of thousands of poorer coastal residents and for worsening erosion and flood risk for adjacent communities while catering to the wealthy.
What shaped it
- The master plan (early 20th c.)
- Neoliberalism (1970s–1990s)
- Splintering Urbanism (Graham & Marvin) (2001)
- Planetary urbanisation (Brenner & Schmid) (2011-2014)
Plans it influenced
- New Alamein City (Egypt) (2018–)
- Nova Cidade de Kilamba (Luanda) (2011–)
- Waterfall City Masterplan (Midrand, SA) (2010s–)
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eko_Atlantic
- https://www.afdb.org/en/documents/document/nigeria-eko-atlantic-city-development-lagos-nigeria-s