The West-African City [Paperback]

Rapid growth, unmanageable cities, urban crisis, macrocephali... The cities of west Africa are no longer plannable  at least not using traditional urban development tools. Without negating the importance of participatory processes in city creation, it nonetheless seems crucial to return to city plans and models, to what cities convey, and how they are built. But to understand the city in all its depth and richness, we must also hit the streets. The West African City proposes a dual perspective. At the urban scale, it analyses historical trajectories, spatial development, and urban planning documents to highlight the major trends beyond the plans. At the second level  that of public space  the street is discussed as the citys lifeblood. By innovating approaches and testing new methods, The West African City offers an unconventional look at Nouakchott, Dakar and Abidjan, the three study sites for this investigation. The city of today, in Africa or elsewhere, must re-examine its many social, economic, cultural, political, and spatial dimensions; for this, urban research has begun challenging its own methods. This book is also the companion of Chenal's MOOC African cities.

Foreword - INTRODUCTION: ASPECTS OF THE URBAN PHENOMENON // SECTION I: THREE CITIES IN WEST AFRICA: NOUAKCHOTT, DAKAR AND ABIDJAN  1 The African city, NKC Nouakchott  2 Nouakchott: New city, old concept, DKR Dakar  3 Dakar: the city; Pikine: the suburbs, ABJ Abidjan  4 Abidjan: the capital of French-speaking West Africa  5 The three cities: a comparative analysis // SECTION II: URBAN PLANNING  1 Master Plan for Urban Development of Nouakchott  2 Urban Master Plan for Dakar (2025)  3 Master Plan for Greater Abidjan  4 Three cities, three plans // SECTION III: THE PRESS  1 Public space as seen through the press  2 The press and public space in Nouakchott  3 The press and public space in Dakar  4 The press and public space in Abidjan  5 Commonalities and differences // lã6