The Africa Urban Lab Podcast
African cities are growing faster than anywhere on Earth. The Africa Urban Lab Podcast asks one of the most important questions facing humanity today: how do we make that growth work? We talk with mayors, urban planners, economists, and infrastructure builders about harnessing rapid urbanization for lasting economic prosperity.
The Africa Urban Lab Podcast
Joe Studwell on How Africa Works
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Our first guest is Joe Studwell — development scholar and author of the landmark How Asia Works — who has just published his long-awaited follow-up book, How Africa Works. We dig into the book's central arguments: why dense cities are essential to building functional markets, how urbanization can actually boost agricultural productivity, and why population density is the key to affordable infrastructure at scale. It's a conversation that challenges some persistent assumptions about African development. Enjoy the show.