Survey links environmental planning to stronger urban outcomes in Mogadishu

A survey of 280 residents, NGO representatives and civil society representatives in Mogadishu has found that environmental sustainability planning shows the strongest positive association with urban outcomes among the factors studied, ahead of social sustainability planning and institutional and governance capacity.

The study, conducted by researchers at SIMAD University in Mogadishu and published in Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, examined how three planning and governance dimensions relate to urban outcomes in a city shaped by rapid urbanization, informal settlement expansion, infrastructure limitations, weak governance systems and unequal access to urban services.

The research targeted a population of 933 individuals engaged in urban development, governance, community development and service delivery in the Somali capital. From this group, the researchers collected data from 280 respondents using structured questionnaires.

The design was quantitative, descriptive and correlational. Before testing the main relationships, the authors assessed the measurement quality of their survey instruments, reporting satisfactory reliability and validity, with all constructs achieving acceptable internal consistency.

Analysis proceeded in several stages. The team used descriptive statistics to summarize responses, a Relative Importance Index to rank the factors, Pearson correlation to examine pairwise relationships, and multiple regression analysis to estimate the combined and individual contributions of the three predictors to urban outcomes.

Across these analyses, environmental sustainability planning, social sustainability planning, and institutional and governance capacity were each positively and significantly associated with urban outcomes. The ranking of the associations placed environmental sustainability planning first, followed by social sustainability planning, with institutional and governance capacity third.

The authors conclude that sustainable urban development in Mogadishu requires integrated approaches that combine environmental management, inclusive planning, effective governance and coordinated institutional action, rather than any single dimension pursued in isolation.

Because the study is correlational and cross-sectional, based on self-reported questionnaire data from one city, the findings describe associations rather than demonstrated causal effects, and the results may not generalize to other fragile or post-conflict urban settings. The authors note that the study contributes empirical evidence from a rapidly urbanizing and institutionally fragile post-conflict city context, a setting where such survey-based data remain scarce.

Subject of Research: The relationship between sustainability planning, governance capacity and urban outcomes in Mogadishu, Somalia

Article Title: Urban sustainability planning and urban outcomes in a rapidly growing city in Mogadishu, Somalia

Article References: Amei, A. A., & Yusuf, A. A. (2026). Urban sustainability planning and urban outcomes in a rapidly growing city in Mogadishu, Somalia. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, 8, Article 1918152. https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2026.1918152

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3389/frsc.2026.1918152

Keywords: Mogadishu, Somalia, urban sustainability, environmental planning, governance, post-conflict cities, urban outcomes, survey research, regression analysis, informal settlements, Urban, sustainability