Maputo revealed to me how contemporary cities go beyond that absurd dichotomy of the “formal” and “informal” city. In Maputo, city managers talk of the separation between a “city of concrete”–the old colonial city, designed by the Portuguese–and the “city of reed”–the neighbourhoods, or barrios, where most of the population live. The latter often lack basic infrastructure such as water, sanitation, and electricity.
Image: Photo: Rohan Reddy/Unsplash
