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Cities at Risk
▲ Abidjan, Ivory Coast. ŠAxe. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Urbanization for Development?
CHAPTER ONE
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frica’s urban transition has the potential to transform the development prospects of countries across the region. The defining characteristics of urban settlements (demographic size, density and socio-economic diversity) render them particularly dynamic spaces. Economies of scale in production, large markets for labour and goods, and the ease of information flows in urban environments enhance productivity and innovation. As the primary spatial interface between citizens and government, cities can stimulate vibrant political engagement. Moreover, the density and diversity of cities can encourage the emergence of progressive values and institutions that promote social cohesion. However, for cities to fulfil their developmental potential, a range of inherent vulnerabilities associated with urbanism must be continuously monitored and mitigated through public policy, planning and investment. These vulnerabilities can be roughly divided into environmental (associated with the relationship between humans and the environment) and
social (associated with the interactions between humans). The same characteristics that make cities socially and economically progressive spaces also generate complex environmental and social challenges that can only be met by active public interventions at multiple scales, at the household (e.g. housing subsidies), city (e.g. planning) and national levels (e.g. trade and employment policies). If these challenges are not dealt with effectively, the welfare of individuals, communities and entire nations can suffer. Currently, African cities are not fulfilling their development potential, which is underscored by evidence of increasing environmental strains and social conflict in urban areas. These are no inevitable consequences of rapid urban population growth; rather, they are a consequence of political and institutional failure that inhibits effective urban planning, policymaking, investment and regulation. Urban authorities across Africa struggle to fulfil their mandates due to financial and human capital constraints, the detrimental effects of which are compounded by the intensely