More than 20, 000km of fibre stretches inland and surrounds major conurbations, 3G mobile towers cover cities like Nairobi and long-range wireless masts using Wimax technology have appeared.

BBC: Is Kenya sabotaging its broadband future?

Without a vigorous party organisation in most of Britain's large conurbations, the Tories have abdicated the job of challenging Labour in many places to the Liberal Democrats.

ECONOMIST: Bagehot

Most cities, however dilapidated, possess a civic focus completely lacking in the suburban conurbations: government offices, cathedrals, courts, theatres, and various forums for intellectual and cultural exchange.

ECONOMIST: They can yet be resurrected | The

From Amsterdam to Leicester, conurbations that now thrive on diversity could face problems if economic pressures put an end to the municipal largesse that keeps all groups happy.

ECONOMIST: Muslims and city politics

Few places have transformed themselves so fast into modern conurbations.

ECONOMIST: Asian nation-building

With projects such as Meixi Lake City, starting from scratch brings significant benefits not open to -- easily at least -- existing conurbations, such as combining water transport with energy production, superior flood prevention and urban agriculture.

ENGADGET: Alt-week 12.22.12: strange skulls, solar portraits and 17-minute code cracking