Unpacking Territorial Development in the Namaacha, Boane and Moamba Regions. A Cartographic Narrative

The chapter presents the primary analytical and methodological approach adopted and applied by the “Boa_Ma_Nhã, Maputo!” project team to represent and describe the Maputo Province in its multi-dimensional and cross-scalar features. The first part of the essay provides a brief introduction to the main debates and cultural frameworks on reading and mapping African urbanization patterns. A second section is devoted to the state of the art of the current socio-spatial and cartographic knowledge on the Boane, Moamba and Namaacha Regions. In the third section, the visions and regulations provided by the current planning plans in place in the area are combined with information from different data sources, qualitative and direct observations to propose a new cartographic knowledge base for the region. These maps have been intended as the main background to provide a more comprehensive and integrated knowledge base designed to support a revision and implementation of territorial visions and guidelines for more sustainable and WEF-sensitive development of the Maputo Province.