  As the African continent continues to urbanise, cities are becoming
increasingly central to the transformations of societies and economies. Many
studies highlight the limits of urban planning in these cities, emphasising the
high share of population living in slums and the low levels of services that
reach neighbourhoods. Less attention is given to the urban planning activities
that try to prevent or improve these conditions. This analysis of urban plans
illustrates that plans are more widespread than commonly thought. They also,
for the large part, consider spatial growth. The low number of cities that grew
within the projected boundaries of these plans is a symptom of numerous
bottlenecks that constrain planning systems in these countries. Examples of
these include the disregard of the full built-up areas at the time of the
plan's approval and the missing link between the plans and the financial means
allocated for its delivery. This article identifies opportunities to overcome
these barriers such as flexible and adaptable urban plans that consider the
entire built-up area of the agglomeration.
