The Impact of Urbanization on Environment in Africa. The Case of Yeka Sub City, Addis Ababa


Book Description

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2019 in the subject Geography / Earth Science - Physical Geography, Geomorphology, Environmental Studies, grade: A, Ethiopian Civil Service University (College of Urban Development and Engineering), course: Research, language: English, abstract: The general objective of this senior essay is to assess the impact that urbanization has brought to the environment in Yeka sub city. The research is descriptive in its very nature. Besides, both quantitative and qualitative research approach is used. Simple random sampling technique particularly lottery method is used to select samples from the total population. Both primary and secondary data sources have been employed, and questionnaire, interview and observation are employed to collect the required data. Furthermore, quantitative (i.e. descriptive statistics specially frequency distribution and percentage) and qualitative (i.e., verbal analysis or narration) data analysis methods have been launched to analyze the collected data. Data are mainly presented in tabular, pictorial and textual form. Continuous population growth in Yeka sub city resulted in the encroachment of forest land mostly through informal way and this resulted in the minimization of forest cover and the alteration of land use from natural forest into human-made residential and other built-up areas on a continuous manner. Besides the formal settlement, made by the legal allotment of land, the informal settlement is very high and even difficult to control. This indicates the high magnitude of urbanization in the sub city. The main causes for the continuous urban population growth or urbanization are influx of people into the city of Addis Ababa, ever-increasing natural birth rate and reduced mortality rate. The impact that urbanization has on the environment encompass deforestation, land slide and soil degradation, excessive waste generation and water and land pollution, and air pollution. Protecting agricultural and forest land as well as public open spaces from human settlement, containing the growth of the sub city within limited square with the help of policy instrument that earmark regulatory environment, restrict the geographic or spatial growth of the city, facilitate the management of urban growth and protect/preserve public open spaces and forest lands, reducing the influx of people through the creation of equal development opportunities for all rural and urban centers and implementing family planning is compulsory, and controlling informal settlement with a very strict regulatory environment is decisively needed.










The Urban Question in Africa


Book Description

Illuminates the path to more generative urban transitions in Africa's cities and developing rural areas Africa is the world's most rapidly urbanizing region. The predominantly rural continent is currently undergoing an “urban revolution” unlike any other, generally taking place without industrialization and often characterized by polarization, poverty, and fragmentation. While many cities have experienced construction booms and real estate speculation, others are marked by expanding informal economies and imploding infrastructures. The Urban Question in Africa: Uneven Geographies of Transition examines the imbalanced and contested nature of the ongoing urban transition of Africa. Edited and authored by leading experts on the subject, this unique volume develops an original theory conceptualizing cities as sociotechnical systems constituted by production, consumption, and infrastructure regimes. Throughout the book, in-depth chapters address the impacts of current meta-trends—global geopolitical shifts, economic changes, the climate crisis, and others—on Africa's cities and the broader development of the continent. Presents a novel framework based on extensive fieldwork in multiple countries and regions of the continent Examines geopolitical and socioeconomic topics such as manufacturing in African cities, the green economy in Africa, and the impact of China on urban Africa Discusses the prospects for generative urbanism to produce and sustain long-term development in Africa Features high-quality maps, illustrations, and photographs The Urban Question in Africa: Uneven Geographies of Transition is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students in geography, urban planning, and African studies, academic researchers, geographers, urban planners, and policymakers.




Handbook of Climate Change Adaptation


Book Description

The Handbook of Climate Change Adaptation addresses the scientific, social, political and cultural aspects of climate change in an integrated and coherent way. The multi-volume reference focuses on one of the key aspects of climate change: adaptation and how to handle its impacts on physical, biotic and human systems, analyzing the social and normative scientific concerns and presenting the tools, approaches and methods aimed at management of climate change impacts. The high-quality, interdisciplinary contributions provides state-of-the-art descriptions of the topics at hand with the collective aim of offering, for a broad readership, an authoritative, balanced and accessible presentation of the best current understanding of the nature and challenges posed by climate change. It serves not only as a valuable information source but also as a tool to support teaching and research and as help for professionals to assist in decision-making.







Urban Environments in Africa


Book Description




Environmental Problems in an Urbanizing World


Book Description

* Updated and much expanded edition of the authors' 1992 classic Environmental Problems in Third World Cities * Comprehensive account of the health- and life- threatening environmental conditions in which a growing proportion of the world's people live * Ideal as a textbook and for professionals and interested general readers * 1st edition widely adopted on urban geography, development studies, environmental courses Most of the world's urban population and most of the large and rapidly growing cities are in developing countries. Often poorly governed, their conditions produce millions of preventable deaths and extensive disease. This book describes these cities' environmental problems and how they affect health, local ecosystems and global cycles. It analyzes the causes: the failure of governments to supply clean water and implement existing measures, or land-owning structures that marginalize the poor. It also highlights the innovative ways in which problems are being tackled, showing solutions are available and the action needed by cities, local governments and community organizations.




Urban Environments in Africa


Book Description

Africa's urban populations are growing rapidly, raising numerous environmental concerns as the pace of change stretches local resources and generates hazardous and unhealthy living conditions. Because these urban areas are also linked to the extremes of both poverty and wealth, they offer a unique opportunity for analyzing the many aspects of environmental politics. Drawing on fieldwork data, map analysis, place-name study, interviews, and fiction studies, Garth Myers explores African environmentalism from a variety of perspectives. By acknowledging the clash between Western planning mindsets that focus on sustainable development and the lived realities of residents in often poor, informal settlements, this important book marks a critical advance in the study of Africa's urban environments. It will have a profound impact across disciplines, from geography to urban, development, environmental, and African studies.