Paper short abstract:

This paper draws insights from neoliberal planning and urban development literature to analyse the manifestations of neoliberal planning using Dar es Salaam as a case. The study problematizes failed planning practice in Dar es Salaam as a symptom of the neoliberal model of development.

Paper long abstract:

Dar es Salaam has emerged strongly over the past decade as one of the fastest-growing cities in Africa. The city has embraced modernization as a way of positioning itself as a global hub of business and innovation. Underlying this modernization agenda are massive infrastructural developments, which echo the ‘global city’ ideology. The current development pattern, however, has had far-reaching consequences, as it lacks effective planning measures. This paper draws insights from neoliberal planning and urban development literature to analyse the manifestations of neoliberal planning using Dar es Salaam as a case. The study problematizes failed planning practice in Dar es Salaam as a symptom of the neoliberal model of development. The neoliberal type of development, the paper argued, has rendered planning institutions weak and porous, and overly dependent on western ideologies. The situation presents a state that continues to favour capitalism at the expense of social well-being. This development paradigm, the paper maintains, creates a fertile ground for unfair competition, where the few rich exercise absolute power both in political and economic circles, influencing critical [physical] developmental decisions in the process. The paper notes that the current planning practices have little social resonance, suggesting a misplaced priority and a parochial preoccupation among city and planning authorities. Lessons and ways forward are discussed.

Paper short abstract:

I examine how a group of male migrant coconut sellers make place on a sidewalk abutting an important location in Kumasi, Ghana. I explore how the physical characteristics of the sidewalk enhance the production of familial and social ties among the coconut sellers, making the city liveable.

Paper long abstract:

The literature on street livelihoods in urban Africa focuses on street vendors and street hawkers (because of their heightened visibility), and street beggars and street children (because of their vulnerability), and female head potters. Youthful male migrant actors (including coconut sellers) on the streets are underrepresented in the literature. In this paper, we examine how a group of male migrant coconut sellers make a place on a sidewalk abutting an important location (Jubilee Park) in Kumasi. We examine how their status as migrants informs their interaction with the city and shapes their approaches to legitimacy within city spaces. Unlike other studies that discuss sidewalk uses in relation to street congestion and street activities, we focus not on their economic activity in relation to the sidewalk, but rather on how the space serves as a space for social relationships, familial bonding, hope, and social networking. We also explore how the physical characteristics of the pavement enhance the production of familial and social ties among the coconut sellers and between the coconut sellers and community members respectively. We argue that the quality of Jubilee Park creates an organised and safe space on the sidewalk, which then enhances the ability of these migrant actors to create familial links on the sidewalk and make use of the space as both a private and public space.

Paper short abstract:

In Africa, young migrants desire to have good quality jobs in the city, but unfortunately, they are only able to work in precarious employments within the urban informal economy. We provide evidence that youth migrants endure bad working conditions because of their imagined futures in the city.

Paper long abstract:

Young people migrate to cities with aspirations of having better lives and tapping into numerous economic opportunities. Many of these youths, however, end up working in precarious employment in the informal economy. This paper explores how youth migrants negotiate their livelihoods within the urban informal economy by determinative factors affecting their career choices. Additionally, we review the employment aspirations of these youth in the city in comparison to their actual employment experience in the informal economy. This paper proposes two main arguments. The first argument is that the employment-related aspirations of youth migrants before migration do not always match their employment experience in the urban informal economy, which leads to an aspiration gap. The second argument is that youth migrants will endure precarious employment because of their imagined future in the city. Drawing from qualitative data collected from 20 youths (15-35 years) in Makoko, Lagos, the study reveals that the condition of work in the informal economy is often characterised by long work hours, low wages, and exploitation, leaving young migrants disillusioned about city life. This frustration with their employment situation often makes these youths change jobs frequently, hoping to find better quality jobs in the city someday. The paper concludes that we need specially targeted employment support for youth migrants because they are very likely to settle for any kind of job in the city for survival’s sake.

Paper short abstract:

Using thematic and qualitative GIS-based analyses of map-based focus groups, this study examines the link between neighbourhood built environment and school children’s everyday experiences in a Turkish urban context to provide evidence and new insights towards child-friendly neighbourhoods.

Paper long abstract:

Previous research has shown that children's present and future healthy behaviours, such as physical activity and opportunities for social cohesion, are heavily influenced by the neighbourhoods in which they live, learn, and play. Although several urban design and planning indices, such as community spaces, green infrastructures and traffic measures that prioritise pedestrians and cyclists, have been identified as the design principles of pedestrian-friendly cities and neighbourhoods, the links between urban forms and the promotion of children's active behaviours remain unclear. This is due, in part, to a lack of understanding regarding children's experiences and perceptions of their environments, as the majority of the existing literature is adult-centric.

This study focuses on the daily experiences of children (aged 9-12) living in physically and socially diverse neighbourhoods of low-to-average income in Ankara, Turkey. Drawing on the findings from thematic and qualitative GIS-based analyses of 40 participatory map-based focus groups, this study aims to better understand the role of neighbourhood design in children’s everyday experiences. By visualising the spatiality of children's perceptions and thematically discussing specific neighbourhood and street-design features that may facilitate positive and negative aspects of children's everyday experiences in a Turkish context, this child-centred study adds to the limited body of research on children's perspectives on specific urban form features supportive of active behaviours. Our findings provide evidence on the benefits and limitations of specific neighbourhood- and street-level interventions towards child-friendly cities, which could inform practitioners and policymakers on how to apply more effective behaviour change interventions.

Paper short abstract:

Cities signified hope and progress; however, due to climate change and extreme heat, they appear to be concrete heat jungles preying upon the lives citizens. Delivery riders in cities are one integral vulnerable group whose voices must heard if we are to establish equitable and sustainable cities.

Paper long abstract:

In recent times, there has been a significant surge in the gig economy in Pakistan, driven by technological innovation and consumerism. The race to deliver items and edibles across distances in short spans of time is a phenomenon we have grown much accustomed to. Millions of workers look to this “platformisation” of work as a promise of economic growth coupled with flexibility and convenience. While this may be true, it has also compounded the existing vulnerabilities of socio-economically disadvantaged workers, aiming to make a living. 2% of Pakistan’s population is employed in gig work, a majority of as delivery riders, exposed to extreme heat and soaring temperatures with no protection. One of the most vulnerable groups in the face of climate change, delivery workers are classified as informal workers, deprived of social protection and other benefits. While cities, such as the city of Karachi, represent the hope of a better livelihood, they are also spaces where marginalization and injustice play out. This paper aims to draw upon the daily experiences of delivery riders in the city of Karachi and assess the impacts of extreme heat in a city where workers must strive to perform despite high temperatures and urban heat island effects. Additionally, the paper presents policy options and recommendations to ensure that every voice is heard to pave the way towards building sustainable and liveable cities.

Paper short abstract:

This paper considers how entrepreneurship-focused government and NGO programmes targeting disabled people in Uganda interact with residential patterns to facilitate urban liveability, or alternatively create exclusion, for different groups of disabled people.

Paper long abstract:

This paper is based on long-term fieldwork in a town in western Uganda, where government and NGO programmes targeting disabled people focus overwhelmingly on small-scale entrepreneurship, through providing micro-grants or loans for businesses and ‘skills development’ initiatives. Focusing on the members of a disabled women’s organisation based in a market on the edge of the town, I consider how these programmes interact with residential patterns to facilitate urban liveability, or alternatively create exclusion, for different groups of disabled people. I show that the focus on small-scale entrepreneurship has (without intending to) fostered an urban ‘care collective’ through concentrating disabled people in a co-resident group next to the market. This arrangement enables members and their families to provide each other with mutual support, including physical care (especially for members who use wheelchairs) and linguistic support (for Deaf members). This mitigates some of the inaccessibility of the urban environment for disabled people. However, the programmes available through government and NGOs fail to cater to the needs of members of the group who live with impairments considered to make communication or learning particularly difficult (including deaf people who do not use sign language). As a result, these members are unable to sustain urban residence, and feel isolated from disabled community and ‘development’ initiatives targeting disabled people. The fragile agrarian livelihoods of these excluded disabled people remain unaddressed by disability and development initiatives in the area.

Paper short abstract:

Despite the presence of local and foreign government at all levels, agencies, non-governmental organizations in the global south and Africa with the mandate to manage and administrate urban areas, many cities in these countries continue to face numerous challenges.

Paper long abstract:

About (55%) of the world's population live in cities - with an estimated increase to 68% by 2050 (UNDESA, 2018). This increasing population density present daunting challenges, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where urgent and significant funding are required in transportation, housing, sanitation, energy, education, and health, as well as social and physical infrastructure (Azcona, Bhatt, Duerto, & Uteng, 2020; UN-Habitat, 2020b). Despite the presence of local and foreign government at all levels, agencies, non-governmental organizations in the global south and Africa with the mandate to manage and administrate urban areas, many cities in these countries continue to face numerous challenges such as poor planning and development, inadequate provision of basic services, traffic congestion, ineffective maintenance of public spaces, and bad climatic conditions. This study aims to explore the root causes of these challenges, with the ultimate goal of providing recommendations for improving urban local governance in these countries. The study relies on secondary source of data gathering. Of note, poor implementation of the urban policies and non-compliance with the climate change policies and indicators. The study recommends time bond solutions to the challenges of urbanization in the global south and African countries.