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Neoliberalism, Urbanization and Change in Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Pádraig Carmody

    (Department of Geography, Trinity College and Department of Geography, Environmental Management and Energy Studies, University of Johannesburg)

  • Francis Owusu

    (Community and Regional Planning Department , Iowa State University)

Abstract

In the much of the popular media, the discourse around Africa has changed. Whereas stories of the "coming anarchy" or the "hopeless continent" abounded a little over a decade ago, it was, until the recent collapse in commodity prices, increasingly seen as the final global investment frontier, with rapid uptake of cellular technology and economic growth. Although much of this growth has been propelled by natural resources, the current conjuncture offers opportunities as well as challenges for African urban areas and raises questions about the role of cities in the continent's future development as they continue to become more deeply informalised. The response of many city authorities to the deepening informalisation of their economies has been to try to connect to the global economy in new ways, through the creation of new financial service, high-tech and elite residential areas. In this paper we explore these developments through the Foucaudian lens of heterotopia. These new developments attempt to erase their associations with the cities from which they originate in favour of new connections outwards. However the creation of these new enclaves is filled with socio-spatial contradictions, which make them unlikely to achieve their ostensible objectives.

Suggested Citation

  • Pádraig Carmody & Francis Owusu, 2016. "Neoliberalism, Urbanization and Change in Africa," Journal of African Development, African Finance and Economic Association (AFEA), vol. 18(1), pages 61-73.
    • Handle: RePEc:afe:journl:v:18:y:2016:i:1:p:61-73
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    File URL: http://www.afeawpapers.org/RePEc/afe/afe-journl/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/04_Carmody_rev1.pdf
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Korah, Prosper Issahaku & Osborne, Natalie & Matthews, Tony, 2021. "Enclave urbanism in Ghana’s Greater Accra Region: Examining the socio-spatial consequences," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    2. Ricardo Reboredo, 2021. "Disaggregating Development: A Critical Analysis of Sino-African Megaprojects," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 21(1), pages 86-104, April.
    3. Laurence Côté-Roy & Sarah Moser, 2019. "‘Does Africa not deserve shiny new cities?’ The power of seductive rhetoric around new cities in Africa," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 56(12), pages 2391-2407, September.
    4. J Miguel Kanai & Seth Schindler, 2019. "Peri-urban promises of connectivity: Linking project-led polycentrism to the infrastructure scramble," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 51(2), pages 302-322, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Neoliberal planning; African cities; heterotopia;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N97 - Economic History - - Regional and Urban History - - - Africa; Oceania
    • P21 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist and Transition Economies - - - Planning, Coordination, and Reform
    • P47 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Other Economic Systems - - - Performance and Prospects
    • R19 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Other

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