State institutions in Somalia have somewhat stabilized over the past decade, but public services remain minimal or inexistent. This is evident in Somali cities, which have grown rapidly over the past two decades. The commodification of urban land, privatized water supply, more individual transport options or the absence of public space(s) illustrate the privatization of Somali cities. Drawing on collaborative and comparative research in six Somali cities, this talk highlights increasing socio-spatial differentiation in the Somali urban space, various layers of regulation beyond the state and the need to make urban development more inclusive. The dynamics of Somalia’s urban political economies have so far eschewed scholarly inquiry and lend themselves for comparative and interdisciplinary considerations.

Tobias Hagmann is an associate professor in international development at the Department of Social Sciences and Business at Roskilde University in Denmark, a research associate with the Political Geography chair at the University of Zurich in Switzerland and a fellow at the Rift Valley Institute in London/Nairobi.