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.

About the Author

PADRAIG R. CARMODY, Professor in Geography, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland; Senior Research Associate, University of Johannesburg, South Africa.

JAMES T. MURPHY, Professor and Director, Graduate School of Geography, Clark University, USA.

RICHARD GRANT, Professor of Geography and Director of Urban Studies, University of Miami, Florida, USA.

FRANCIS Y. OWUSU, Professor and Chair, Department of Community and Regional Planning, Iowa State University, USA.

Book Information
ISBN 9781119833628
Author Padraig R. Carmody
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint John Wiley & Sons Inc
Publisher John Wiley & Sons Inc
Weight(grams) 425g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 17mm