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Paper short abstract:

Dispersed rural densification transforms Sub-Saharan African landscapes with a building boom in rural areas. It can cause land unsuitable for farming, pressure on infrastructure and land conflicts. We will examine the drivers and impacts of this process on livelihoods, lifestyles, and the area.

Paper long abstract:

Africa is currently the fastest urbanizing continent in the world and this trend is expected to continue in the coming decades. This urbanization process impacts all aspects of a place, from altering natural or natural or agricultural landscapes to urban and peri-urban ones. At the same time this process comes with changes in people’s livelihoods and lifestyles.

One unique, but underexposed facet of urbanization in Sub-Saharan Africa, is the process of dispersed rural densification. This form of uncontrolled development that occurs in fertile rural areas and that is characterized by rapid population growth, an increase of plot-based development of buildings without an integrative spatial plan, and land-subdivision. This process of rural densification leads to small plots that are unsuitable for (subsistence) farming, put pressure on weak infrastructure, and induce increased land conflicts.

In my presentation I will delve deeper into the topic of dispersed rural densification, using empirical evidence from Kisii county, Western Kenya. Join me as I unravel the spatial patterns, drivers, actors, and consequences of this form of urbanization that is specific to various areas in Sub-Saharan Africa.