Ground has broken on a city development in the Lekki Free Zone in the south west Nigerian state of Lagos.
Led by Africa’s largest urban developer, Rendeavour, and the Lagos State Government, Alárò City has been masterplanned by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM).
The city will cater to "mixed-income" residents, and will have industrial and logistics workspaces as well as offices, homes, schools, healthcare facilities, hotels, entertainment, and 150ha of parks and open areas.
SOM’s masterplan is structured around six "greenways", aligned north-to-south and spaced 800m apart so residents and workers are no more than a five-minute walk from open space.
A main boulevard will link the commercial, enterprise, and educational areas on the north with the research with the industrial area on the south.
Alárò City will be located close to Nigeria’s future international airport and the region’s largest deep-sea port.
Daniel Ringelstein, SOM director, said: "Alárò City helps strengthen Lagos’ position as the economic and cultural hub for West Africa by creating a new mixed-use model sustainable community – a place for people to work, make, live, and learn, and which aims to become an international trade gateway."
Akinwunmi Ambode, Lagos State governor, said: "Alárò City symbolises the government’s continuous support for private investors and fast-tracking development."
Commenting on the project, SOM said: the development will "boost foreign direct investment in Nigeria and create tens of thousands of jobs".
Images courtesy of SOM
