The Historiography of Town Planning and Its Shifting Paradigms in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

This chapter traces the evolution of town planning, which developed in response to specific challenges of industrialization. However, the chapter is written from a Sub-Saharan standpoint, with emphasis on the planning situation in the context of the pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial periods. Although the arrival of European colonialists along the African coastline dates from 16th century, the colonial roots of modernist planning in Sub-Saharan Africa is traceable only to the 19th century. Post-independence, it has been recognized that the colonial planning systems are inadequate for effectively confronting the emergent development challenges such as rapid urbanization, informal settlements proliferation, as well as post-conflict and post-disaster situations. This chapter therefore highlights the efforts that have been made to reform urban planning processes in Sub-Saharan Africa, emphasizing the post-colonial discourse on urban and regional planning theories and practices that are responsive to prevailing circumstances within this sub-continent.