Singapore inspires bold new city master plan

Djibouti sees many parallels between itself and Singapore – a gift from geography positioning it strategically at the crossroads of one of the world’s busiest maritime seaways; a small population in a manageable-sized country; political and economic stability and an ambition to punch well above its weight. The one glaring difference is that while Singapore has won award upon award for its urban planning, Djibouti City is still very much work in progress. But this is very likely to change radically over the next few years. In November 2024, following a delegation visit to Singapore by the minister of city, urban affairs and housing, Amina Abdi Aden, Djibouti entered into a partnership with a Singaporean design office to revise its master development plan. 

This marks a break with past collaborations with French, Italian and Swiss firms. The plan, which will span 10 years, is still in the data collection and analysis phase. “With Singapore, we are changing our approach. We want to combine urban planning and economic development to make Djibouti a strategic hub in East Africa,” says the minister.

From her office in the city centre, Aden reflects on her study trip to Singapore. “We were impressed by their optimised space management. Despite a small surface area, they have been able to maximise every economic and social opportunity. Their housing policy is very structured, their governance is efficient and their land management is well-controlled.”

Marc Liew, director for Africa at Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE), sees clear similarities between the two countries: “Both occupy a major geostrategic location, on some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Another similarity is the demographics. Singapore is more populated than Djibouti, but remains a small country compared to its neighbours. Finally, Djibouti City is very urbanised, with more than 70% of the population concentrated in the capital. This dynamic is reminiscent of Singapore, a city-state with a high urban density.”

However, Djibouti has a major advantage: its space. With 23,000 square kilometres compared to 700 square kilometres for Singapore, the country can plan for more spacious urban expansion.

Djibouti inherited colonial-style planning, with rural areas largely underdeveloped and the city centre divided into separate commercial and residential areas. With a rapid rise in migration into the city, the system failed.

“About ten years ago, we launched a decentralisation process to promote regional development and encourage social and functional diversity,” says minister Aden. 

For a long time, rural populations were deprived of essential services. “Some areas didn’t even have a secondary school. Families had to move to Djibouti City to enable their children to continue their education,” recalls Aden, who joined the ministry in 1993 as an urban planner. This situation fuelled the rural exodus, amplified by drought and desertification. Djibouti City today has a population of around 750,000, or 76% of the country’s population. Faced with this growth, the country has been rethinking its urban planning.

The construction sector, which represents 6% of GDP, plays a key role in this transformation. New neighbourhoods are emerging with a more structured and sustainable approach. At the same time, the state is strengthening regional infrastructure – high schools, health centres, economic hubs – to better distribute activity and limit urban density.

Integrating the city and its ports

In Djibouti, the port sector and associated services generate 80% of the country’s income, but remain poorly integrated within the city. The aim is to ensure that the population benefits directly from the economic spin-offs of the port’s dynamism. “Today, the city and the ports function as separate entities. We want to connect them better to the neighbouring districts,” says the minister.

To illustrate this, Aden cites the example of the old port of Djibouti, which is being transformed into a business centre. This historic site will become a city within a city, with business offices, a shopping centre, a ferris wheel, a giant aquarium and a cruise port.

“This economic centre will have to be connected to the surrounding neighbourhoods so that the population can benefit directly,” she says. The same logic applies to the Doraleh area and its adjacent working-class neighbourhoods, where the government wants to encourage local economic activity. The same goes for the area around Damerjog, where the future port could be a lever for urban integration.

Planned and structured neighbourhoods

Djibouti is also focusing on the development of new planned and structured neighbourhoods. In Balbala South, a 1,500-hectare area has been developed to prepare the new face of the city. “Almost 100% of the land belongs to the state, which facilitates planning,” says Abdourahman-Tamine Youssouf, deputy director of housing and urban planning at the ministry. The initial infrastructure – roads, sanitation and electricity – has been put in place to create a framework for future property development projects.

The PK12 Nord project illustrates another paradigm shift. For a long time, individual housing dominated; given land pressure, Djibouti is now favouring apartment buildings. Today, around 1,500 homes have already been built, with a target of 1,000 more. 

Despite these efforts, the country still has an estimated shortfall of 20,000 homes. “Individual plots are no longer enough. We have therefore opted for four-storey buildings, better suited to urban densification”, explains the minister.

“At first, there was a cultural reluctance to live in apartment buildings. But today, families appreciate these well-designed homes, available for rent-to-own,” she says. To support this transition, the government has set up a building-manager system integrated into the management fees, allowing for regular maintenance of the common areas and better cohabitation.

At the same time, Djibouti wants to develop its seafronts. In the Héron district, 60 hectares are being filled in to make way for upmarket housing. But these developments have to deal with growing environmental challenges.

Sustainable and resilient urban planning

Djibouti is one of the countries in East Africa most vulnerable to climate change, with rising sea levels and temperatures posing major challenges for land use planning. 

“We have rising groundwater tables, intense rainfall and more frequent heat waves,” the minister notes. To remedy this, Djibouti is focusing on improving sanitation and building bioclimatically-adapted housing.

The city also wants to become greener. “Singapore has been able to transform its waterfronts and improve the management of its waste and wastewater. In its early days, the city suffered from pollution and urban disorganisation, but it has been able to reinvent itself,” says Aden. 

The drainage and sanitation infrastructure is another major challenge. “Djibouti City is built on a peninsula where the natural flow of water is limited. We have identified sensitive areas where we need to improve rainwater management and strengthen our facilities,” says a ministry executive.

To accelerate urbanisation, the government is counting on private investment. “The state cannot do everything on its own. It is counting on partnerships with developers to diversify the housing supply, particularly in the medium and high-end sectors,” says minister Aden.

Although the re-design project is huge, the trajectory has been mapped out. “Our objective is clear: a better organised, sustainable and connected city,” pledges the minister. The revision of the partnership with the Singaporean firm is part of this dynamic. 

“Djibouti City will continue to grow, it’s inevitable. But we must transform the regions into attractive economic centres to avoid a mass exodus. Our watchword is transformation. Djibouti can become an urban model in Africa,” minister Aden concludes.