Urbanization, Collective Action and Coping Strategies in Informal Areas of African Cities: A Polycentric Environmental Planning Perspective

Abstract

This chapter uses the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework in tandem with Political Economy Approach to analyse the missing links between urban managers and urban residents in Angola, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria. Many of the African cities are spatially (physically), administratively and socially unable to accommodate the pressure of concentrated social and economic activities on them; consequently, the majority of the urban poor that are residing in informal urban spaces, have ended up through collective action by building their own water and sanitation facilities, which are often of poor quality. The consequent urban environmental poverty, at times, warrant evictions and demolition by governments, which affects cities dwellers as citizens are killed, property destroyed, while children education is greatly affected. The chapter argues that urban governance structures in the three countries are centralised and deviate from planning norms and people-centred urban system. This chapter provides case studies to demonstrate principles and practices needed to make polycentric planning and community initiatives resolve conflicts of interests on urban space and integrate informal economic space into urban economy through functional polycentric planning framework. Using Polycentric Planning Strategy (PPS), this chapter designs and adopts African Polycentric Urban Environmental Governance Model (APUEGM), African Local Economic Development Strategy (ALEDS) and African Polycentric Privatization Model (APPM) capable of mainstreaming citizens-centred institutions in urban areas into socio-economic and political decision making, thus entrenching good urban governance, citizens-centred environmental planning and development in African cities.