Title: Urban environmental management and issues in Africa south of the Sahara.

POPLINE Document Number: 128801

Author(s):

Silitshena RM

Source citation:

In: Sustaining the future: economic, social, and environmental change in sub-Saharan Africa, edited by George Benneh, William B. Morgan, and Juha I. Uitto. Tokyo, Japan, United Nations University Press, 1996. :100-20.

Abstract:

While Africa is the least urbanized continent, it has among the highest rates of urbanization. Africa's rapid rate of urban growth is causing social and economic strains, some of which are manifested in environmental problems. The author reviews a number of environmental problems which occur at varying spatial scales, from the home throughout the neighborhood, the city, to the region. Problems include crowded and cramped living conditions and the presence of pathogens in the human environment because of the lack of basic infrastructure; the dangerous and unhealthy sites of some neighborhoods and the irregular or non-collection of garbage in some neighborhoods; city-wide problems of the disposal of toxic/hazardous wastes, and water, air, and noise pollution; and the more regional problem of energy and vegetation. Causes and factors which contribute to these problems include massive rural-urban migration, poor planning, and ineffective development control, weak urban institutions, and inadequate financial resources. A number of suggestions, including institutional reform, improving financial viability, and reviewing standards, are made to improve the situation. Sections discuss the process of urbanization in sub-Saharan Africa, the nature of environmental problems, causes of the current problems, and the way forward.

Keywords:

Africa, Sub Saharan
Urban Population
Urbanization
Environment
Social Problems
Africa
Developing Countries
Population Characteristics
Demographic Factors
Population
Urban Population Distribution
Population Distribution
Geographic Factors