Abstract
Rapid urbanization and proper urban planning are two variables in the equation of environmental stability. In Bamenda municipality these have been moving in opposite directions. This indicates the lopsidedness in which the problems of urban planning and urban development, masterminded by urbanization have been handled over time. This paper therefore examines the pattern of urbanization and urban development in the Bamenda area, with respect to the implication on the hydrology, geomorphology and sustainable urban space management. The study made use of primary and secondary sources to collect the necessary data. The results show that Bamenda started experiencing a rapid rate of urbanisation and urban development from the 1980s. This forced many people especially the poor to reside in cheap marginal areas which naturally constitute the pathways for catastrophic hydrological and geomorphological phenomena. Although these hazards originate from natural systems and mechanisms, anthropogenic modifications spearheaded by urbanisation have reinforced the frequency and magnitude of certain hazards like floods and landslides. In order to mitigate these hydro-geomorphologic problems, the study recommends the development of an alternative land use system on occupied slopes and flood plains, the creation of levees and the construction of adequate storm drains.
Highlights
With more than half of the world’s population living in urban areas, this is truly an urban century (United Nation Bulletins, 2008)
In Bamenda municipality these have been moving in opposite directions. This indicates the lopsidedness in which the problems of urban planning and urban development, masterminded by urbanization have been handled over time
This paper examines the pattern of urbanization and urban development in the Bamenda area, with respect to the implication on the hydrology, geomorphology and sustainable urban space management
Summary
With more than half of the world’s population living in urban areas, this is truly an urban century (United Nation Bulletins, 2008). A prominent feature of population redistribution in developing countries is the growth of major cities. Natural increase accounts for about 60% of this urban growth though the rate of growth is faster in developing countries. By 2030, for example, it is expected that nearly 5 billion people (61%) of the world’s total of 8.1 billion people will live in cities with accelerated impacts on the environment (Park, 2001). An increase in the world population alongside widespread urbanization associated with advances in technology and related developments of economic, political and social structures have all combined to make the interaction between humankind and nature very different from the situation a few decades back. The level of urbanization in urban watersheds has shown no systematic planning at all
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