The Urban Question in Africa

Uneven Geographies of Transition

Padraig R. Carmody, James T. Murphy, Richard Grant, Francis Y. Owusu

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN: 9781119833628, 9781119833611
• eBook ISBN: 9781119833642
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Urban Sociology
• Index: Social Sciences

Illuminates the path to more generative urban transitions in Africa's cities and developing rural areas

Africa is the world's most rapidly urbanizing region. The predominantly rural continent is currently undergoing an "urban revolution" unlike any other, generally taking place without industrialization and often characterized by polarization, poverty, and fragmentation. While many cities have experienced construction booms and real estate speculation, others are marked by expanding informal economies and imploding infrastructures.

The Urban Question in Africa: Uneven Geographies of Transition examines the imbalanced and contested nature of the ongoing urban transition of Africa. Edited and authored by leading experts on the subject, this unique volume develops an original theory conceptualizing cities as sociotechnical systems constituted by production, consumption, and infrastructure regimes. Throughout the book, in-depth chapters address the impacts of current meta-trends—global geopolitical shifts, economic changes, the climate crisis, and others—on Africa's cities and the broader development of the continent.

• Presents a novel framework based on extensive fieldwork in multiple countries and regions of the continent
• Examines geopolitical and socioeconomic topics such as manufacturing in African cities, the green economy in Africa, and the impact of China on urban Africa
• Discusses the prospects for generative urbanism to produce and sustain long-term development in Africa
• Features high-quality maps, illustrations, and photographs

The Urban Question in Africa: Uneven Geographies of Transition is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students in geography, urban planning, and African studies, academic researchers, geographers, urban planners, and policymakers.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Series Editor’s Preface
• Acknowledgements
• List of Abbreviations
• Introduction: Urban Transitions in Africa
• 1. (African) Cities as Sociotechnical Systems: A Conceptual Approach
• 2. Urbanization with Industrialization? Manufacturing in African Cities
• 3. The Impact of China and Other New Economic Powers on African Cities
• 4. Fantasy Urbanization in Africa: The Political Economy of Heterotopias
• 5. A Generative Urban Informal Sector?
• 6. The Rise of the “Gig Economy” and the Impacts of Virtual Capital on African Cities (with Alicia Fortuin)
• 7. Making Cities Livable for All: Infrastructure and Service Provisioning Challenges
• 8. The Wrath of Capital or Nature? Threats to Cities from Climate to COVID-19
• 9. The Green Economy and African Cities
• 10. Prospects for Generative Urbanism in Africa
• References
• Index
• End User License Agreement