The word “Gabs” is the most common used abbreviation for Gaborone and is sometimes used in casual speech.Gaborone was for many years the fastest growing city in the world, and even now, is still among the fastest. Every year, the majority of the country’s infrastructural budget goes towards improving this city’s roads, buildings, and services. Since most of the large buildings are relatively new, the entire downtown area tends towards modernity, built generally with a mix of glass, steel and bricks. Today Gaborone is a vibrant cosmopolitan capital, and although small in size, is a melting pot of diverse cultures and practices. There are numerous busy shopping malls offering a full range of imported and locally produced goods, excellent restaurants, international-quality hotels, sports clubs and various night clubs. New buildings (such as Phakalane) sprout like mushrooms wherever exists a block of land to fit them, resulting in a mix of low-cost housing, blocks of flats, shopping centers and industrial complexes.