Africa's Urban Revolution

The facts of Africa's rapid urbanisation are startling. By 2030 African cities will have grown by more than 350 million people and the continent will have surpassed the 50% urban mark. Yet, in the minds of policy makers, scholars and much of the general public, Africa remains a quintessential rural place. This lack of awareness and robust analysis means it is difficult to make a policy case for a more overtly 'urban agenda'. As a result, there is, across the continent, insufficient urgency directed to responding to the challenges and opportunities associated with the world's last major wave of urbanisation. Drawing on the expertise of scholars and practitioners associated with the African Centre for Cities, and utilising a diverse array of case studies, the book provides comprehensive insight into the key issues - demographic, cultural, political, technical, environmental and economic - surrounding African urbanization.

History

Pieterse, Doctor Edgar

Parnell, Susan

Africa

Zed Books

The facts of Africa's rapid urbanisation are startling. By 2030 African cities will have grown by more than 350 million people and the continent will have surpassed the 50% urban mark. Yet, in the minds of policy makers, scholars and much of the general public, Africa remains a quintessential rural place. This lack of awareness and robust analysis means it is difficult to make a policy case for a more overtly 'urban agenda'. As a result, there is, across the continent, insufficient urgency directed to responding to the challenges and opportunities associated with the world's last major wave of urbanisation. Drawing on the expertise of scholars and practitioners associated with the African Centre for Cities, and utilising a diverse array of case studies, the book provides comprehensive insight into the key issues - demographic, cultural, political, technical, environmental and economic - surrounding African urbanization.

Cities are the future. In the past two decades, a global urban revolution has taken place, mainly in the South. The 'mega-cities' of the developing world are home to over 10 million people each and even smaller cities are experiencing unprecedented population surges. The problems surrounding this influx of people - slums, poverty, unemployment and lack of governance - have been well-documented.  This book is a powerful indictment of the current consensus on how to deal with these challenges. Pieterse argues that the current 'shelter for all' and 'urban good governance' policies treat only the symptoms, not the causes of the problem. Instead, he claims, there is an urgent need to reinvigorate civil society in these cities, to encourage radical democracy, economic resilience, social resistance and environmental sustainability folded into the everyday concerns of marginalised people. Providing a dynamic picture of a cosmopolitan urban citizenship, this book is an essential guide to one of the new century's greatest challenges.

City Futures: Confronting the Crisis of Urban Development (Global Issues Series (Zed Books))

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

This book is a powerful indictment of the current consensus on how to cope with the hundreds of "mega-cities" of the developing world. These cities are the future, and the problems surrounding this influx of people--slums, poverty, unemployment and lack of governance--have been well-documented. Pieterse argues that the current "shelter for all" and "urban good governance" policies treat only the symptoms of the problem. Instead, he claims, there is an urgent need to reinvigorate civil society in these cities, to encourage radical democracy, economic resilience, social resistance and environmental sustainability folded into the everyday concerns of marginalized people.

City Futures: Confronting the Crisis of Urban Development

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Pieterse, Doctor Edgar. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Pieterse, Doctor Edgar

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Pieterse, Doctor Edgar. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Africa's Urban Revolution

Africa's Urban Revolution

City Futures: Confronting the Crisis of Urban Development (Global Issues Series (Zed Books))

City Futures: Confronting the Crisis of Urban Development