The experience and legacy of French colonial urban planning in sub‐Saharan Africa
2004; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 19; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/0266543042000268813
ISSN1466-4518
Autores Tópico(s)Political and Social Issues
ResumoAbstract This paper examines the activities of French colonial authorities in the urban planning arena in sub‐Saharan Africa. It reveals that, despite the dearth of information on these activities, especially in the relevant English language literature, the French were very active in the planning field before and during their colonial era in the region. While these activities might have been intended to do no more than facilitate the attainment of French colonial development objectives, they have far‐reaching implications for contemporary development efforts. It is argued that French colonial urban designs, schemes and legislation have negative implications for urban transportation, housing, land tenure and the growth and development of urban centres vis‐à‐vis the rural areas. Problems in these areas are aggravated by the fact that post‐colonial authorities in the region have opted to inherit and vigorously enforce the planning legislation and schemes crafted by their colonial predecessors. Acknowledgements The author would like to express his gratitude to the Fulbright Commission of the US State Department; Mrs Kadidia Konto of the Public Affairs Office, American Embassy, Niger and to the staff of the Library and Documents Unit of the Franco‐Nigerien Cultural Centre, Niamey, Niger for all the assistance they rendered in the course of gathering the material necessary for completing this study. Notes The exceptions here are the major cities of Cameroon and Togo, which were initially German colonies and only became part of the French colonial empire following the outcome of World War I. As part of the outcome of World War I, four‐fifths of the German colony, Kamerun, were placed under French control, with the remainder under British tutelage. 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He is the author of four books, including Urban planning, housing and spatial structures in sub‐Saharan Africa (Ashgate, 1999) and more than two dozen articles in peer‐reviewed journals. This work was prepared while he was on sabbatical and teaching/conducting research as a Fulbright Fellow at the Abdou Moumouni Université de Niamey, Niger during the academic year 2002/2003.
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