Contained Urban Growth in Post-Independence Malawi

ABSTRACT In this paper Malawi is used as a case study of an implicit urban development program during the Banda regime that succeeded to a certain extent in slowing the growth of large urban areas while encouraging the proliferation and growth of small urban centers throughout the country. The paper examines the dynamics of population growth and change in Malawi's urban hierarchy during the 1966–1977 and 1977–1987 intercensal periods. An evaluation of the relative success of governmental strategies in redistributing urban population and implementing spatially balanced development across the three regions is also offered. The paper concludes that the development oriented strategies implemented during the Banda era had profound direct and indirect effects on Malawi's urban landscape resulting in a desired trend in population redistribution and urban growth throughout the country.