{
  "id": 17766863,
  "title": "UoN urban planning curriculum changed little in 44 years, World Bank says",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/02/uon-urban-planning-curriculum-changed-little-in-44-years-world-bank",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-11-02T08:06:34.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Capital Business",
    "slug": "capital-business",
    "url": "https://capitalfm.africa/uon-urban-planning-curriculum-changed-little-in-44-years-world-bank-says/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Nairobi, Kenya – The University of Nairobi has only made minor revisions to its master’s curriculum in urban planning over a span of 44 years, according to a 2015 review cited in a recent World Bank report. This assessment highlights the limited changes made to the program between 1971 and 2015, as part of the World Bank report, Managing, Financing, and Governing Sub-Saharan Africa’s Rapid Urbanization. The review by UN-Habitat also points out the need for universities to keep professional training aligned with evolving urban development needs, warning that expanding the number of planners, architects, and engineers without enhancing their skills may yield limited benefits.\n\nThe 2015 review does not confirm whether the curriculum remained largely unchanged since then. However, the University of Nairobi’s published Master of Arts in Planning syllabus indicates revisions, though it does not mention the specific timeline of these changes. The World Bank emphasizes the urgent need for universities to align professional training with the dynamic urban development requirements, cautioning that increasing the number of urban professionals without improving their skills may not yield significant advantages.\n\nThe report also sheds light on the scarcity of urban professionals in Sub-Saharan Africa. Based on 2019 data from selected countries, the region is estimated to have approximately 0.01 urban planners per 1,000 inhabitants, a stark contrast to the United Kingdom, where the number stands at 0.33 per 1,000 people. Moreover, a 2005 OECD review of 130 urban plans from 47 Sub-Saharan African countries found that more than half failed to accurately anticipate urban growth or underestimated the pace of urban expansion.\n\nThe University of Nairobi’s Master of Arts in Planning program encompasses various aspects of urban and regional planning, environmental management, infrastructure development, and research. The university asserts that the course is designed to equip graduates with the necessary skills to tackle challenges associated with urbanization, population growth, and resource utilization.",
  "summary": "NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 2 – The University of Nairobi made only minor changes to its master’s curriculum in urban planning over 44 years, according to a 2015 review cited in…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
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        "published": "2026-10-31T00:33:01.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Moneyweb",
        "title": "World Bank warns poor urban planning threatens Africa’s future",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/world-bank-warns-poor-urban-planning-threatens-africas-future",
        "published": "2026-10-31T02:00:53.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Qatar Tribune Business",
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        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/india-lifts-496-mn-out-of-poverty-in-12-years-extreme-poverty-plunges",
        "published": "2026-10-31T21:27:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}