Technology and the Urban Future in Developing Countries: The Case of Africa

2. Technology And Urban Change In Developing Countries

This part aims to provide the theoretical underpinnings of the relationship between technology and urban change and how technology affects urbanization. In reaching its objective, this part starts by defining the main technology forces affecting urbanization and their direct urban impacts, and the role of globalization in this process. Then, it provides an analysis of how technology affects urban change patterns, regarding size and the spatial configurations of urban systems. Finally, and to validate the rationality of technology urban impacts argument in developing countries, it presents an investigation of technology transfer and diffusion of technology use in these countries.

According to UNDP 2001 report “Making New Technologies Work for Human Development”, technology is seen to affect urbanization in three possible ways:

• 1.

  Through changing the social behavior and nature of human needs and aspirations, which in turn affect pattern of urban change,

• 2.

  Through improving the prevailing economic conditions, which in turn affects the pace and scale of urban change, and

• 3.

  Through introducing and improving many technological forces; mainly transportation, telecommunications, energy and urban utilities which yield direct physical urban changes (Figure 1).

Figure 1.

Ways in which technology affects urbanization