Uploaded on 2019-04-15 by Roderick Parsons

The photo shows a view along the tar road between Tete in Mozambique and Blantyre in Malawi. All along the road from Tete, for dozens of kilometres, there is informal development - houses, shops, bars, churches, schools, cell phone shops etc. Leading off the main road are gravel roads to where the development is spreading perpendicularly, however the primary development is in a linear fashion along the main road. It is evident therefore how urban form is following the infrastructure and changing the shape of what could be considered the "territory" of Tete City. The powerlines ultimately come from the Cahora Bassa hydroelectric power plant. The rapidly urbanizing area is strongly dependent on this power. Also important are the many cell phone shops. People in this area are heavily dependent on cell phones for communication, more so I think than in Europe. I believe that the signal is also strongest along this road, increasing the attraction of people to this spine of urbanisation.