Urban sprawl of Ziguinchor city (Senegal) and territorial intelligence issues

Abstract

The urban sprawl of African cities raises several issues, including city-country relations. The objective of the article is to determine the socio-economic, environmental and land impacts of the advancement of the urban front of Ziguinchor city on its rural district bordering Niaguis as well as the governance mechanisms adopted by the various actors facing to the phenomenon. The methodology used is based on photo-interpretation and mapping to determine changes in land use over the last twelve years. Quantitative and qualitative surveys of local populations and resource persons are carried out to complete the analysis of observed phenomena. Between 2004 and 2016, the proportion of space occupied by buildings and orchard fields in the district of Niaguis is increasing rapidly. In the same period, the vegetation cover recorded a spectacular loss of its space initially occupied. The local population estimates at 76% that this degradation of the vegetation is linked to the urban sprawl of Ziguinchor city. Agricultural areas, like highland crops and rice fields, are also affected with a significant decrease. The strong land pressure on the rural district is accompanied by important social changes. Land previously loaned to the local population is thus 70.2% removed by the owners to sell or rent to newcomers from the city. The governance strategies deployed by the two municipalities to face the crisis are failures. The analysis of all its dynamics from the point of view of territorial intelligence makes it possible to launch a battery of recommendations that take into account the imperatives of sustainable development, in particular the consultation and the participation of all the actors in the governance of the urban sprawl problem and the development of participatory territorial development plans.