Paper short abstract:

This paper discusses urban-to-rural migration in sub-Saharan Africa and its relation to the emergence and development of new towns and urbanism. Case studies include emergent towns in Angola and Mozambique.

Paper long abstract:

This paper discusses urban-to-rural migration in sub-Saharan Africa and its relation to the emergence and development of new towns and urbanism. New conditions of mobility in the continent together with the establishment and development of newly urbanised and proto-urban areas call for a reassessment of migratory and settlement dynamics in most regions. The theoretical approaches and policy focuses in the continent aim at and prioritise issues of unequal territorial development and the demographic imbalances between urban and rural areas, often not taking into account important changing contexts of urban-rural relations, the societal implications, and new signs of transformation and reconfiguration of urban form. As new dynamics emerge, the focus needs to move beyond urbanization linked to rural exodus and integrate the research on new social and economic local reconfigurations, such as towns linked to agribusinesses or mining/natural resources-related ventures, to border posts or ports, or to tourism facilities, and assess the specific role and importance of urban-to-rural migration in these processes. Case studies include emergent towns in Angola and Mozambique.