Urban waterfront revitalization in developing countries: the example of Zanzibar’s Stone Town

Abstract

Urban waterfront redevelopment, in port cities and other cities on water, is still largely confined to advanced countries. However, it is now impacting upon developing countries as they seek to revive historic cities in post‐colonial contexts, including Islamic renewal, urban conservation and tourism development. These trends raise a variety of policy issues and problems, increasingly debated in an expanding literature, and invite comparison between contrasted case studies. This paper attempts to situate Zanzibar’s Stone Town waterfront within a theoretical framework originally based on European and North American experience but increasingly influenced by global trends.