Lilongwe (, ,) is the capital and largest city of Malawi. It has a population of 989,318 as of the 2018 Census, up from a population of 674,448 in 2008. In 2020, that figure was 1,122,000. The city is located in the central region of Malawi, in the district of the same name, near the borders with Mozambique and Zambia, and it is an important economic and transportation hub for central Malawi. and later became an administrative centre in 1904. In the 1920s, its location at the junction of several major roadways increased its importance as an agricultural market centre for the fertile Central Region Plateau.
As a trading post, Lilongwe was officially recognized as a town in 1947. After gaining independence, it increasingly developed into an important trading centre in Malawi's central region.
In 1965, Malawi's first president, Hastings Kamuzu Banda, selected it as an economic growth point for northern and central Malawi. The last government offices were relocated to Lilongwe in 2005.
Development projects of the 1970s and 1980s included the construction of Lilongwe International Airport, which serves the city; rail connections to Salima to the east and the Zambian border to the west; industrial areas in the northern part of the city; and an agricultural program for the fertile tobacco lands of the Central Region Plateau.
Planning history
The first plan for Lilongwe was published in 1955, before the decision was made in 1965 to move the capital from Zomba to Lilongwe. The aims of the move were to improve Government efficiency by concentrating Central Government administration in one city and to stimulate development in the Central and Northern Regions by establishing a major growth point in the centre of the country. Consultants were appointed to prepare the Lilongwe Master Plan, which was completed in 1968. Many of the principles set out in the Master Plan were adopted in subsequent plans. The first of these was the Lilongwe Outline Zoning Plan 1969. It was prepared in order to elaborate the broad recommendations of the Master Plan and amend those aspects which the Government thought were inappropriate.
The Lilongwe Outline Zoning plan guided the early development of the capital city. A liner, multi-centred urban form was adopted in order to avoid the congestion problems that can arise with a single centre. The aim was to cluster residential, employment, and service areas around each centre, so as to reduce the need to travel long distances. There were four such centres, and each one was the focus of a sector of the city.
: (a) Old Town Primary Commercial Centre, comprising the twin established centres in Area 2 (Bwalonjobvu) and Area 3 (Kang'ombe)
: (b) City Centre, serving the Capital Hill sector
: (c) Kanengo Primary Commercial Centre in Area 25/2 (Bvunguti)
: (d) Lumbadzi Primary Commercial Centre, based on the established trading centre in Area 53/2 (Kalimbakatha).
The aim was to achieve balanced development of housing, industry and commerce, among other features. Another key feature of the city was its parkland setting. From the beginning there was a concern to create a high-quality environment with spacious living standards, as befits a capital city.
By the mid-1970s, it was felt that there should be a new, up-dated plan which would take a wider look at the development of the city. The result was the Lilongwe Urban Structure Plan of 1978. This incorporated boundary changes and new planning work on Lumbadzi and the Kamuzu International Airport. The plan was the principal influence on planning policy.
The initial stage of development was completed in 1986. The city was well established and its future growth was assured. A large part of the road network had been built and there were water supply and electricity networks. Urban development was taking place in all four sectors of the city. The Old Town sector was nearly fully developed; the Capital Hill sector was about half developed; and the Kanengo and Lumbadzi sectors were about one quarter developed.
The Lilongwe Outline Zoning Scheme was established and indicated the various land uses of the new capital city. The scheme was reviewed and the area of the city proper was expanded by including Area 56 and Area 57. Then Area 58 was added to the jurisdiction of the city according to the 2008 Population and Housing Census. The 1986 Outline Zoning Scheme was intended to promote regulated urban development and appropriate land use for transport and other purposes. The Scheme was effective until 2000, but it was not updated after the year 2000 due to financial, technical and human resource constraints.
In response to the official request of the Government of Malawi (GoM), the Government of Japan (GoJ) decided to conduct a "Study of Urban Development Master Plan for Lilongwe", which was entrusted to the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), in accordance with the Agreement on Technical Co-operation between the GoM and the GoJ, signed on 15 November 2008. The study was jointly carried out by a JICA study team and Malawi's counterpart agency for a fourteen-month period from June 2009 to September 2010. On 20 July 2011, the report on the Study of Urban Development Master Plan for Lilongwe City was approved by the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development.
The Project for Urban Plan and Development Management of Lilongwe City has been in the process of implementation since November 2012, with support from JICA. JICA experts assisted Lilongwe City Council with revisions of the Urban Structure Plan.
The jurisdiction area of Lilongwe City, including Area 58, is 393 km<sup>2</sup> and has a population of approximately 989,318 according to the 2018 Population and Housing Census. Despite the fact that the existing outline zoning scheme was planned to develop the four sectors of (1) Old Town Sector, (2) Capital Hill Sector, (3) Kanengo Sector and (4) Lumbadzi Sector, the urban area has been expanding to the southern, south-western and western areas of the old town section of the city. Unplanned settlements occupied by illegal settlers have expanded in almost all areas. Some areas have problems of illegal settlers occupying land designated for industrial development and public use. It is necessary to urgently identify and secure a sizeable land area for planned residential development.
Politics
thumb|[[National Assembly (Malawi)|National Assembly.]]
Local government
Lilongwe is governed by Lilongwe City Council, which is dominated by the Malawi Congress Party.
Parliament
The Malawian parliament is in Lilongwe.