Urbanisation and Sustainable Development in Dar es Salaam

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to present, in the form of a case study, the development of the former capital of the United Republic of Tanzania, its current economic and commercial centre, and its most politically influential settlement to date, as well as the fundamental problems of this metropolis, which plays a decisive role in the democratising Tanzania of the 21st century. After a brief summary of the formation of the East African (nation) state, we look at the initial phase of the life of “Dar” – as the locals call it – which was also considered an important port during the colonial period, and then the structure and development dynamics of the city today are partially presented. The dissertation concludes with a summary of the effects of the urbanization process and the tasks to be undertaken by the actors of political life. All this is of course, without claiming to be complete but is the result of an unwavering interest and gradually deepening, systematic research that has been going on since September 2000.