URBAN EXTENSION AND RECONVERSION OF URBAN MARKETS IN ANGREEXTENSION

Abstract

The urban dynamics have been very important over the last two decades in the town of Abidjan.The front pioneers of these spatial extension phenomena are the peripheries which areexpanding to meet the high demand for housing of the Abidjanese and which are often underequipped with commercial infrastructures. Angre extension, a residential area located to the north of the municipality of Cocody, is part of this dynamic of demographic pressure and arecomposition of urban markets to adapt to the consumption needs of resident populations. This research therefore focuses on the impact of the spatial expansion of the town of Abidjan through commercial activity in the quarter of Angre extension. To achieve this, the methodology was based on documentary research and a field survey involving observation and a questionnaire survey of 80 shopkeepers and 70 local customers who are heads of households in the study area. The results of our analysis revealed that under the effect of the urban expansion of the city of Abidjan, the urban markets in Angre extension are undergoing a reconfiguration whose dynamics are based on multiple attractive independent commercial centers. The promoters are private individuals of diverse cultural origins. Beyond the permanent supply of foodstuffs and other consumer goods, these urban markets strongly influence the structure of this residential neighborhood and considerably modify the lifestyle of its residents.