Abstract
This chapter posits that the transformation of ancient African cities into modern cities using the modernist theory of planning did more harm than good. Not only has the modern city created many more urban poor than obtained in ancient cities, but the urban poor also remain the most vulnerable as their livelihoods have often come under threat from not only unfriendly city council regulations but also from the rigid safeguards of the modernist theory of town planning. Consequently, in order to promote the building of human-centered African cities which would serve all those that live in them, it is here suggested that the mystical, humanistic, and spatial values of ancient African cities should be further researched, so as to embed them into the transformation of existing and subsequent African cities.
TopLivelihoods Of The Urban Poor In Africa
Investigation into the field of livelihoods and development began about the 1930s first, as an issue relevant mainly to the rural locale and second, as a necessarily interdisciplinary activity (Scoones, 2009). Consequently, everywhere, but particularly in Africa, where only few cities existed at the time, rural poverty and its livelihoods implications was the main focus. Concerns and subsequent studies regarding urban livelihoods in Africa started in earnest only towards the end of the 20th century (Olalekan, 2011).
Unfortunately, the rich and almost century old experience and knowledge gathered in the field of rural livelihoods are not helpful in studies of urban livelihoods because dynamics driving urban living are not the same as those of rural life.
Urban poverty is unique….First, urban life has a different effect on….livelihoods,….food access,…the capacity of households to provide adequate care for all members and environmental conditions (such as crowding) that influence health and the incidence of illness…Second, vulnerable groups in cities often have fewer informal safety nets (kinship and community networks) and formal safety nets for urban populations have largely collapsed or been dismantled…..Third, the macroeconomic policies of many African states in the late 1990s are widely believed to have had a deleterious effect on wage-dependent urban workers (Maxwell etal., 2000 p.1).
As such, the study area known as urban livelihoods is not only a fairly new domain of investigation but also a multifaceted one. But what is livelihood and what are the processes for investigating livelihoods?
Key Terms in this Chapter
City Council Regulations: Laws enacted by city administrations with a view to governing towns and cities under their control.
Sub-Saharan Africa: The section of the map of Africa that falls below the Maghreb (North Africa) region.
Urban Poor: Those persons that live within cities and earn less than $1.25 a day.
Mystical Values of Ancient African Cities: Laws and principles known to the ancient that are beyond the physical and ordinary realm of learning as they regard town and city building.
Modernist Theory of Town Planning: The theory of town planning that zones towns and cities into clearly demarcated areas of specific activities (residential, industrial, parks, etc.).
Ancient African Cities: Cities of Africa that were built before the arrival of colonialists.
Modern African Cities: Cities of Africa that were built after the arrival of colonialists. Particularly those that were built using the modernist theory of town building.
Postmodernist Theory of Town Planning: A theory of planning that is more inclusive than the modernist theory of town planning. This theory does not advocate for rigid zoning and it takes into consideration the needs of a variety of entities (vegetation, domestic and wild animals, human beings of various statuses and professions, etc. that need to use the city space).
Urban Town Planning: A process of planning and building a city or town.
Creation of Urban Livelihoods: A process of strategizing (including identifying resource base, negotiating the manners to implement the process and implementing the process) for the purpose of creating livelihoods in cities.