{"product_id":"the-urban-question-in-africa-isbn-9781119833611","title":"The Urban Question in Africa","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIlluminates the path to more generative urban transitions in Africa's cities and developing rural areas\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfrica 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. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Urban Question in Africa: Uneven Geographies of Transition \u003c\/i\u003eexamines the\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eimbalanced 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. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003ePresents a novel framework based on extensive fieldwork in multiple countries and regions of the continent\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eExamines geopolitical and socioeconomic topics such as manufacturing in African cities, the green economy in Africa, and the impact of China on urban Africa\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eDiscusses the prospects for generative urbanism to produce and sustain long-term development in Africa\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eFeatures high-quality maps, illustrations, and photographs\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Urban Question in Africa: Uneven Geographies of Transition \u003c\/i\u003eis essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students in geography, urban planning, and African studies, academic researchers, geographers, urban planners, and policymakers. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSeries Editor's Preface xi\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAcknowledgements xii\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eList of Abbreviations xiv\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIntroduction: Urban Transitions in Africa 1\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eUrban Transition Trajectories in Africa: Generative or Parasitic? 7\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAssessing the Urbanization-Globalization-Industrialization Nexus 10\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eStructure of the Book 13\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e1. (African) Cities as Sociotechnical Systems: A Conceptual Approach 18\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntroduction 18\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Urban (Question) in Africa: A Review of the Literature 21\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEconomic Geographies of Urban Development 22\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRadical, Planetary, Comparative and Postcolonial Urbanisms 24\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eUrban Studies and Theory in\/for Africa 26\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConceptualizing the Urban Question in Africa 28\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(African) Cities as Sociotechnical Systems 29\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eApplying the Approach 33\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e2. Urbanization with Industrialization? Manufacturing in African Cities 35\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntroduction 35\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHistoricizing Africa's Manufacturing Path Dependencies 38\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAfrica's Present-day Manufacturing Horizon 40\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe China Factor in African Manufacturing 43\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) 45\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTransforming Manufacturing? Governance Challenges and Opportunities 49\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRethinking the Governance of Production Regimes: National Urban Policies 50\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePathways for Industrialization in African Cities 52\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConclusion 54\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e3. The Impact of China and Other New Economic Powers on African Cities 57\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntroduction 57\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNEUP-African Relations Today: Key Channels of Impact 59\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eImports 59\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eInfrastructure and Other Productive Investments 60\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHousing and Built Environments 62\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMigration, Travel and Knowledge Flows 65\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntegrating the Channels and Their Impacts 67\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSino-African Relations in Africa Today: Specific Forms and Regime Impacts 68\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eProduction Regimes 70\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConsumption Regimes 71\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eInfrastructure Regimes 72\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConclusion 74\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e4. Fantasy Urbanization in Africa: The Political Economy of Heterotopias 76\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntroduction 76\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Rise of Fantasy Urbanism in Africa 77\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNeoliberal Planning and Heterotopic Urbanism in Africa 80\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmerging Heterotopias in Africa 82\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEko Atlantic (Lagos), Nigeria 82\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eKonza Technopolis (Nairobi), Kenya 84\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHOPE City (Accra), Ghana 87\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAfrica's Neoliberal Heterotopias: Generative or Exclusionary Enclaves? 88\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e5. A Generative Urban Informal Sector? 92\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntroduction 92\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Contours of Africa's Urban Informal Economies 96\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eExplicating the UIS Experience: Agbogbloshie Settlement, Accra 98\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSituating Africa's UIS in a Sociotechnical Systems Framework 104\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTransforming the UIS? ICTs, the 4IR and Makerspaces 106\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRealizing a More Generative UIS: Collaborative Pathways for Transition 109\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConclusion 110\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e6. The Rise of the \"Gig Economy\" and the Impacts of Virtual Capital on African Cities (with Alicia Fortuin) 114\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDefining the Gig Economy 115\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Gig Economy in Africa 116\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRide Sharing and the Evolution of Cape Town's Sociotechnical Regimes 118\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePractices in Cape Town's Ride-sharing Regime 120\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGoverning Ride-sharing: Power Asymmetries, Informal Contracts and Rating Schemes 122\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrecarious Platforms: Safety Issues in Cape Town's Ride-sharing Economy 124\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRide-sharing and the Evolution of Sociotechnical Regimes in African Cities 125\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConclusion 127\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e7. Making Cities Livable for All: Infrastructure and Service Provisioning Challenges 131\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntroduction 131\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Scale and Scope of the Collective Goods Challenge in African Cities 132\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGovernance of Infrastructure Regimes: Speculation, Resource Constraints and Political Priorities 138\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSplintered Urbanization and the Challenge of Service Distribution 140\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eStructural and Political Economic Drivers of Infrastructure Deficits in African Cities 143\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSkyTrain -- Accra's Utopian Mega Infrastructure Project 144\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Bagamoyo Port Project, Tanzania 145\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eKenya's Standard-Gauge Railway (SGR) 146\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAchieving Infrastructure Transformations: Recentering Use-Value 147\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e8. The Wrath of Capital or Nature? Threats to Cities from Climate to COVID-19 150\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntroduction 150\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Geography of Risk and Riskscapes 151\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRiskscapes, Cities and Sociotechnical Systems 153\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eClimate Change and Sociotechnical Regimes 155\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHeat 155\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSea Level Rise and Coastal Erosion 156\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFlooding 157\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDrought 159\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePublic Health Threats: Pandemics (Ebola and COVID-19) 160\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEbola 161\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCOVID-19 162\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eManaging Risk and Resilience in African Cities 163\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e9. The Green Economy and African Cities 166\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntroduction 166\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Green Economy and the Global South 168\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAfrica's Green Economy Experience to Date 170\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGreen Industrialization through SEZs? South Africa's Atlantis GreenTech Zone 173\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGreen Economy Transitions and the Urban Informal Sector (UIS) 178\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConclusion 182\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e10. Prospects for Generative Urbanism in Africa 184\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntroduction 184\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAssessing the Urban Question in Africa Today: A Multidimensional View 185\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRealizing Generative Cities: Constraints, Capabilities, Governance and Resilience Strategies 187\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eProduction Regimes 188\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConsumption Regimes 190\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eInfrastructure Regimes 193\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eReframing the Urban Question as a Sociotechnical, Systemic One 194\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eReferences 199\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndex 251\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePÁDRAIG R. CARMODY, \u003c\/b\u003eProfessor in Geography, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland; Senior Research Associate, University of Johannesburg, South Africa. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJAMES T. MURPHY, \u003c\/b\u003eProfessor and Director, Graduate School of Geography, Clark University, USA. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRICHARD GRANT, \u003c\/b\u003eProfessor of Geography and Director of Urban Studies, University of Miami, Florida, USA. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFRANCIS Y. OWUSU, \u003c\/b\u003eProfessor and Chair, Department of Community and Regional Planning, Iowa State University, USA.   \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA timely exploration of the world’s most rapidly urbanizing region\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Urban Question in Africa explores the uneven and contested nature of the urban transition on the continent, offering fresh insights into the implications of climate crisis, geopolitical changes, and other contemporary meta-trends. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAddressing Africa's urbanization as well as its broader development, the authors present an original framework that points towards more generative urban transitions by conceptualizing cities as sociotechnical systems constituted by production, consumption, and infrastructure regimes. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBased on extensive fieldwork in multiple countries and regions of Africa, \u003ci\u003eThe Urban Question in Africa \u003c\/i\u003eis a valuable resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students, researchers, geographers, and urban planners alike. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The complexities of Africa’s urbanization processes and challenges – present and future – clearly dissected and presented in an easy to read and understand style. This book presents the different faces of Africa’s urbanization which have been neatly crafted together in a single edited volume and offers the reader the different perspectives of viewing urbanization on the continent, certainly a must read for urbanists and all interested in Africa’s present and future.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—George Owusu,\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eProfessor of Urban Geography, Institute of Statistical, Social \u0026amp; Economic Research (ISSER)\/Dean, School of Social Sciences, University of Ghana\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“This lively text takes on the most cogent themes of today in urban Africa, while addressing the long-running debate over whether cities in Africa can generate development or simply operate as parasites. This will be a valuable text for courses on urban Africa, African development, and globally-oriented urban-economic geography. The authors make a strong case for the utility of a sociotechnical systems approach in African urban studies.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Garth Myers, \u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eCenter for Urban and Global Studies, Trinity College, Hartford, USA\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wiley","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47990361784549,"sku":"NP9781119833611","price":94.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781119833611.jpg?v=1761787514","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-urban-question-in-africa-isbn-9781119833611","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}