Urban challenges and strategies in African cities

The article addresses the challenges and strategies related to urban planning in African cities, particularly since the 1950s. It highlights how these cities have been striving for modernity and prosperity but have faced difficulties due to inconsistent planning policies and rapidly changing socio-economic, environmental, and technological factors.

The paper aims to provide a localised and contextualised analysis of these urban planning challenges and to propose integrated long-term strategies for sustainable urban development in Africa. It uses a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) and machine-learning tools to analyse 243 urban studies across 107 African cities, focusing on the most pressing urban challenges and the strategies applied to address them.

Key points of the study include:

• Identification of 17 major urban challenges and 16 strategies used to address these challenges.
• Advocacy for a shift in spatial planning towards urban resilience, integrating various spatial policies and development strategies.
• Emphasis on improving urban infrastructure and optimising existing cities to combat environmental degradation and adapt to climate change.

Abstract based directly on source.