Green Infrastructure for Sustainable Urban Development in Africa

by Abbott; John

• ISBN13: 9781849714723
• ISBN10: 184971472X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-02-02
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

For over 50 years international development agencies have struggled to achieve any significant improvement in Africa's urban condition. This failure is a direct result of flawed intervention strategies; by controlling Africa's intellectual space, and dominating the urban development debate, external agencies have defined the urban development trajectory in Africa that have led to the current situation. Africa is a rapidly urbanising continent, yet the way it is developing is quite distinct from other regions. 70% of its population live in the secondary towns and cities with populations less that 500,000 people. These urban areas are quite different from those of 19thcentury Europe. Based upon extensive experience working in secondary cities, much of it in Africa, and the lessons learnt from a major development programme that covered 18 secondary towns in Ethiopia, this book demonstrates that, far from being problematic, the secondary towns provide an immense opportunity to create truly sustainable urban habitats. The key to success lies in rethinking the role of urban infrastructure and situating this in a 21st century context, within a framework of social equity and environmental sustainability, with the city rather than the individual as the user of resources, so that the primary role of infrastructure becomes one of mediating the resource flows, With this approach, African countries retain their current low carbon economies, whilst at the same time integrating into the new Green Economy. Service delivery is equitable and the quality of life improved. Roles and relationships evolve naturally while the approach results in a more effective model for urban governance.