Planning in Contemporary Africa: The State,Town Planning and Society in Cameroon FROM THE PUBLISHER
Why do authorities in post-colonial African states continue to employ European or Western planning models? What are the implications for different societal groups of adopting such models? Several decades following independence, this outstanding volume provides in-depth empirical research to uncover the answers to such questions.
The book focuses in particular on Cameroon, the only African country to have been colonized by three different European powers: Germany, Britain and France. It discusses the nature of the state in peripheral capitalist countries and sets current planning and land use policies in their historical, colonial and post-colonial contexts. The author then proceeds to examine key planning issues such as housing, land ownership, sustainable development, environmental and waste management, transportation, infrastructure and gender.
In addition to analyzing the impact of colonialism and imperialism on the built environment in Cameroon in particular and sub-Saharan Africa in general, the book also addresses global issues about urbanism and will be particularly relevant to those interested in planning, regional studies and development, and development geography.
SYNOPSIS
Cameroon, having been colonized at various times by Germany, Britain, and France, has adopted spatial structures, land use policies, and urban management systems that have largely depended on Western models of planning. Njoh (U. of South Florida) explores how this came to be the case and evaluates the impacts of such planning for different societal groups. He proposes a model of the Cameroonian state (somewhat applicable to other African countries) that posits that urban and rural planning is designed to primarily benefit the state, as well as secondarily to benefit influential social groups. He first examines historical land and housing policies, focusing on the formalization of ownership claims. Other issues discussed are sanitation and waste management policy, transportation and infrastructure policy, and gendered impacts of planning. On the whole, Njoh is critical of the adoption of the Western models, and he offers some advice on how to reform planning. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
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