--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Lagos was the ultimate dysfunctional city…" description: "\"Lagos was the ultimate dysfunctional city - but actually, in terms of all the initiatives and ingenuity, it mobilised an incredibly beautiful, almost u..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc9/rem-koolhaas-5371_africa_lagos-was-the-ultimate-dysfunctional-cit_2518068.jpg" --- # Lagos was the ultimate dysfunctional city - but actually… ![“Lagos was the ultimate dysfunctional city - but actually, in terms of all the initiatives and ingenuity, it mobilised an incredibly beautiful, almost utopian landscape of independence and agency.” quote by Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc9/rem-koolhaas-5371_africa_lagos-was-the-ultimate-dysfunctional-cit_2518068.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc9/rem-koolhaas-5371_africa_lagos-was-the-ultimate-dysfunctional-cit_2518068.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc9/rem-koolhaas-5371_africa_lagos-was-the-ultimate-dysfunctional-cit_2518068.jpg) > “Lagos was the ultimate dysfunctional city - but actually, in terms of all the initiatives and ingenuity, it mobilised an incredibly beautiful, almost utopian landscape of independence and agency.” [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote contrasts Lagos’s chaotic infrastructure with its vibrant, self‑driven creativity, showing how disorder can foster innovative independence. **In simple terms:** Lagos is messy but creatively independent. Key Takeaway Embrace chaos as a catalyst for inventive solutions. Themes urbanism creativity resilience agency paradox Mood reflective optimistic Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - city planning - community development - entrepreneurship - cultural projects Key Concepts informal economies self‑organization urban innovation Questions to Reflect On - How can planners harness creativity without ignoring essential infrastructure? - What policies support grassroots innovation? A Different Perspective Chaos can also hinder basic services and equity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Africa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/africa/) [Agency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agency/) [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Dysfunctional City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dysfunctional-city-1222707/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Incredibly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incredibly/) [Independence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independence/) [Ingenuity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ingenuity/) [Initiative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/initiative/) [Lagos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lagos-424828/) [Lagos Ultimate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lagos-ultimate-1222708/) [Landscape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/landscape/) [Mobilised Incredibly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mobilised-incredibly-1222709/) [Term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/term/) [Ultimate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ultimate/) [Utopian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/utopian/) ## Related quotes > [In Lagos there's a really strong case to resurrect strong parts. Embedded in all of it are some amazing pieces of planning, amazing pieces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/in-lagos-there-s-a-really-strong-case-to-resurrect-strong-parts/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [Lagos has also had a particular effect on my career. I was there early, and although it was a courageous step to go there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/lagos-has-also-had-a-particular-effect-on-my-career-i-was-there-early/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [Lagos was not very inviting even to Lagosians. It was considered a no-go zone, almost in its entirety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/lagos-was-not-very-inviting-even-to-lagosians-it-was-considered-a-no/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [Lagos was a city that had been turned against itself. There was a bridge that became the perfect trap for crimes, which began with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/lagos-was-a-city-that-had-been-turned-against-itself-there-was-a/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [In this branch of utopian real estate, architecture is no longer the art of designing buildings so much as the brutal skyward extrusion of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/in-this-branch-of-utopian-real-estate-architecture-is-no-longer-the/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [Architecture is a hazardous mixture of omnipotence and impotence. It is by definition a c h a o t i c a d v…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/architecture-is-a-hazardous-mixture-of-omnipotence-and-impotence-it/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [ “\[ifemelu\] did not think so, but she was no longer sure. She was no longer sure what was new in Lagos and what was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/ifemelu-did-not-think-so-but-she-was-no-longer-sure-she-was-no-longer/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [“Lagos is a metropolis of almost twenty million people, with more energy than London, more entrepreneurial spirit than New York, and so people come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/lagos-is-a-metropolis-of-almost-twenty-million-people-with-more/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [I divide my time between Columbia, Maryland, and Lagos, Nigeria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/i-divide-my-time-between-columbia-maryland-and-lagos-nigeria/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [In Nigeria, there is energy, whether it is Lagos, which is sheer anarchy, but it is not lethargic. It is strong, even aggressive and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/in-nigeria-there-is-energy-whether-it-is-lagos-which-is-sheer-anarchy/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [My knowledge of Abuja is not as deep as my knowledge of Lagos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babatunde-fashola/my-knowledge-of-abuja-is-not-as-deep-as-my-knowledge-of-lagos/) [Babatunde Fashola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babatunde-fashola/) > [“The degree to which my family members wish me to be separate from the life of the city is matched only by my desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/the-degree-to-which-my-family-members-wish-me-to-be-separate-from-the/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [As governor of Lagos, I never signed a cheque and never fixed contract prices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babatunde-fashola/as-governor-of-lagos-i-never-signed-a-cheque-and-never-fixed-contract/) [Babatunde Fashola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babatunde-fashola/) > [Everything makes sense to me in Lagos; I even understand myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skepta/everything-makes-sense-to-me-in-lagos-i-even-understand-myself/) [Skepta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/skepta/) > [Lagos is a fascinatingly infuriating place that its residents love - and love to hate. Licence plates on cars here proudly display the state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/lagos-is-a-fascinatingly-infuriating-place-that-its-residents-love/) [Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/) ## More by Rem Koolhaas > [ That has been another interesting discovery: that basically a city \[Lagos\] could recover from a really deep, deep, deep pit. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/that-has-been-another-interesting-discovery-that-basically-a-city/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [Manhattan has generated a shameless architecture that has been loved in direct proportion to its defiant lack of self-hatred, has been respected exactly to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/manhattan-has-generated-a-shameless-architecture-that-has-been-loved/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [In a script, you have to link various episodes together, you have to generate suspense and you have to assemble things - through editing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/in-a-script-you-have-to-link-various-episodes-together-you-have-to/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [ The beauty of my profession \[architecture\] lies in its randomness and surprise. And don't think I can choose my projects. I have to build… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/the-beauty-of-my-profession-architecture-lies-in-its-randomness-and/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [Our office acts like a kind of educational establishment and we are very careful who we educate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/our-office-acts-like-a-kind-of-educational-establishment-and-we-are/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [We discovered a person in Lagos who had a fish stall, and within a single square metre she carried two children all the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/we-discovered-a-person-in-lagos-who-had-a-fish-stall-and-within-a/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [ Nigeria \[in 1990\] was all rumour, an unbelievable amount of rumour - largely about crime and almost mythical manifestations of evil. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/nigeria-in-1990-was-all-rumour-an-unbelievable-amount-of-rumour/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [Let's put it this way: One can be happy or unhappy in a building. But some buildings make us more depressed than others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/let-s-put-it-this-way-one-can-be-happy-or-unhappy-in-a-building-but/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [Nigeria was a blank on the map - there weren't even any maps. The US State Department, everyone said don't go there. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/nigeria-was-a-blank-on-the-map-there-weren-t-even-any-maps-the-us/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [The City is an addictive machine from which there is no escape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/the-city-is-an-addictive-machine-from-which-there-is-no-escape/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [The work in S, M, L, XL was almost suicidal. It required so much effort that our office almost went bankrupt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/the-work-in-s-m-l-xl-was-almost-suicidal-it-required-so-much-effort/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [Manhattan has no choice but the skyward extrusion of the Grid itself; only the Skyscraper offers business the wide-open spaces of a man-made Wild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/manhattan-has-no-choice-but-the-skyward-extrusion-of-the-grid-itself/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [The stronger the identity, the more it imprisons, the more it resists expansion, interpretation, renewal, contradiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/the-stronger-the-identity-the-more-it-imprisons-the-more-it-resists/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [Why I talked about political correctness: the colonial is now such a major taboo that any achievement of the colonial period, or any generosity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/why-i-talked-about-political-correctness-the-colonial-is-now-such-a/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [The thing is that I have a really intense, almost compulsive need to record. But it doesn't end there, because what I record is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/the-thing-is-that-i-have-a-really-intense-almost-compulsive-need-to/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) [Explore all 101 Rem Koolhaas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) ## More Africa quotes > [“We ought to know the history of our ancient ancestors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-ought-to-know-the-history-of-our-ancient-ancestors/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Africa, being the major target of colonial plunder, therefore becomes a major source of conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-horne/africa-being-the-major-target-of-colonial-plunder-therefore-becomes-a/) [Gerald Horne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-horne/) > [I'm in 'Madagascar 2.' I'm Testy the Lion. The franchise moves to Africa, and Bernie Mac is also in the film. I loved working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lister-jr/i-m-in-madagascar-2-i-m-testy-the-lion-the-franchise-moves-to-africa/) [Tom Lister, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lister-jr/) > [South Africa needs a second liberation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mugabe/south-africa-needs-a-second-liberation/) [Robert Mugabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mugabe/) > [There's a place in Botswana where there are 100,000 elephants living in a single population. Think of the amount of space they need. Remember,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-bergin/there-s-a-place-in-botswana-where-there-are-100-000-elephants-living/) [Patrick Bergin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-bergin/) > [If you followed the media you'd think that everybody in Africa was starving to death, and that's not the case; so it's important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/if-you-followed-the-media-you-d-think-that-everybody-in-africa-was/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [Africa for the Africans... at home and abroad!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-garvey/africa-for-the-africans-at-home-and-abroad/) [Marcus Garvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-garvey/) > [In Africa, animals and the natural landscape allow local communities to support themselves, as there is a constant source of money from tourism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lidington/in-africa-animals-and-the-natural-landscape-allow-local-communities/) [David Lidington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lidington/) > [My mom is from Ghana, and my dad is from Detroit, so I would go back and forth to Africa a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-richardson/my-mom-is-from-ghana-and-my-dad-is-from-detroit-so-i-would-go-back/) [Sam Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-richardson/) > [I've never been invited to do an exhibition or do a talk in England, except once, about 10 years ago. 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I told her about 'Coraline' long before the film was made, and she got the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-selick/my-mother-is-a-huge-fan-of-my-work-i-told-her-about-coraline-long/) [Henry Selick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-selick/) [Browse all 1,665 Africa quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/africa/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Lagos was the ultimate dysfunctional city - but actually, in terms of all the initiatives and ingenuity, it mobilised an incredibly beautiful, almost utopian landscape of independence and agency.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rem Koolhaas" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/lagos-was-the-ultimate-dysfunctional-city-but-actually-in-terms-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Africa" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/lagos-was-the-ultimate-dysfunctional-city-but-actually-in-terms-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc9/rem-koolhaas-5371_africa_lagos-was-the-ultimate-dysfunctional-cit_2518068.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc9/rem-koolhaas-5371_africa_lagos-was-the-ultimate-dysfunctional-cit_2518068.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc9/rem-koolhaas-5371_africa_lagos-was-the-ultimate-dysfunctional-cit_2518068.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Lagos was the ultimate dysfunctional city - but actually, in terms of all the initiatives and ingenuity, it…” — Rem Koolhaas", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Rem Koolhaas", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Lagos was the ultimate dysfunctional city...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/lagos-was-the-ultimate-dysfunctional-city-but-actually-in-terms-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/lagos-was-the-ultimate-dysfunctional-city-but-actually-in-terms-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```