The historical cities of Southern Africa adapted to future development: a study on feasibility strategies for the protection of Blantyre

Globalization and rapid urbanization have created a unique crisis that most historical cities across the southern part of Africa are facing. Blantyre, one of the oldest cities both in Malawi and Southern Africa has inherited a rich historical built environment with the majority of the old municipality’s buildings still in a fairly good state. However, these historic monuments and the city’s urban landscape is under threat due to rapid urbanization, poor policies and a growing need for modern city services. As the urban morphology keeps changing, the city needs to address how these old monuments can be adapted, sustained and reused for continued functionality. Place-making, heritage and identity for such cities is crucial as these elements define the city and its people. Therefore, preservation of the historic urban landscape and the monuments is crucial for the city’s identity. The paper aims to provide strategies that could highlight the advantages of adaptive reuse to improving historic conservation of the city without compromising on urban development, urban growth and quality of life.