This book clarifies the smart city concept that is gaining application in Sub – Saharan Africa. It shows how the smart concept can be used to address problems that would be difficult and more expensive to solve using traditional techniques such as employment creation. This is done through elaboration of the African interpretation of smartness, using tools for smart solid waste management, e-governance, smart energy, and smart infrastructure. The case studies selected, and each chapter explain a different dimension of the smart city concept and offer innovative solutions to problems of rapid urbanization. It lays the theoretical foundation for further research on smart cities and rural areas in Africa.

This book clarifies the smart city concept that is gaining application in Sub – Saharan Africa. It shows how the smart concept can be used to address problems that would be difficult and more expensive to solve using traditional techniques such as employment creation. This is done through elaboration of the African interpretation of smartness, using tools for smart solid waste management, e-governance, smart energy, and smart infrastructure. The case studies selected, and each chapter explain a different dimension of the smart city concept and offer innovative solutions to problems of rapid urbanization. It lays the theoretical foundation for further research on smart cities and rural areas in Africa.

This book analyses urban planning in Anglophone, Francophone, and Lusophone Africa, exploring its history and advocating for new approaches. In a climate changing world, cities need to be reimagined and designed to be more sustainable, but despite being one of the fastest urbanising continents, Africa has generally weak urban planning systems. The chapters adopt multi-disciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches, combining insights from urban studies and policy sciences, emphasising existing gaps, particularly in decision-making, planning practice and inclusiveness, to offer an in-depth analysis of urban planning in Africa. The authors advocate for the reimagination of urban planning, debating new institutionalism, digital infrastructure, climate urbanism, gated communities, and smart mobility. The chapters provide both theoretical and practical contributions, and advance thinking, policymaking, and implementation of sustainable urban planning approaches in Africa, thus making the book indispensable for advanced students, researchers, and practitioners alike.

Building Smart, Resilient and Sustainable Infrastructure in Developing Countries contains the papers presented at the International Conference on Development and Investment in Infrastructure (DII-2022). The contributions cover a wide range of topics related to infrastructure issues on the African continent: Sustainable Infrastructure Development Smart Infrastructure and Cities Quality and Resilient Infrastructure Education, Empowerment, Gender Equity, Wellness and Development Environmental and Waste Management/Facilities & Real-Estate Management Infrastructure, Investment and Finance- Trends and Forecasts Infrastructure: Shock Events, Procurement, Project Management, Health & Safety Infrastructure: Economic, Social/Environmental Sustainability Digital Innovation and transition in the built environment Building Smart, Resilient and Sustainable Infrastructure in Developing Countries evaluates innovations, empowerment, growth and sustainable development of infrastructure development in Africa, and aims at administrators, academics, and professionals.

While urban settlements are the drivers of the global economy and centres of learning, culture, and innovation and nations rely on competitive dynamic regions for their economic, social, and environmental objectives, urban centres and regions face a myriad of challenges that impact the ways in which people live and work, create wealth, and interact and connect with places. Rapid urbanisation is resulting in urban sprawl, rising emissions, urban poverty and high unemployment rates, housing affordability issues, lack of urban investment, low urban financial and governance capacities, rising inequality and urban crimes, environmental degradation, increasing vulnerability to natural disasters and so forth. At the regional level, low employment, low wage growth, scarce financial resources, climate change, waste and pollution, and rising urban peri-urban competition etc. are impacting the ability of regions to meet socio-economic development goals while protecting biodiversity. The response to these challenges has typically been the application of inadequate or piecemeal solutions, often as a result of fragmented decision-making and competing priorities, with numerous economic, environmental, and social consequences. In response, there is a growing movement towards viewing cities and regions as complex and sociotechnical in nature with people and communities interacting with one another and with objects, such as roads, buildings, transport links etc., within a range of urban and regional settings or contexts. This comprehensive MRW will provide readers with expert interdisciplinary knowledge on how urban centres and regions in locations of varying climates, lifestyles, income levels, and stages development are creating synergies and reducing trade-offs in the development of resilient, resource-efficient, environmentally friendly, liveable, socially equitable, integrated, and technology-enabled centres and regions.

There has been relatively little written on the history of urban planning in North Africa, despite the wealth of towns and cities in this region which date back to Antiquity. The book explores the history of urban planning in North Africa and the challenges confronting contemporary urban planning in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia. It examines the transnational flow of planning ideas during the colonial period, namely through the French, British, and Italian colonial presence, and the Portuguese and Spanish influences as well, and discusses key challenges currently confronting urban planning in the major urban centers in the region. The fifteen chapters that constitute the book offer an informed analysis of the history of urban planning in North Africa, covering the pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial periods.

Technological Pathways for Africa's Net-Zero Economy: Technology Solutions to Unlock Africa's Sustainable Future explores the potential of African countries to transition towards a net-zero economy. It highlights sustainable development challenges and opportunities Africa faces and provides insights on technological pathways toward this goal. The book emphasizes the importance of harnessing renewable energy resources, promoting green innovation, and building resilient infrastructure for a sustainable future. It calls for strong policy frameworks and international collaboration to support African countries in their transition. The book outlines seven scenarios supporting Africa's technological paths to a net-zero economy: leapfrogging, hybridization, adaptation, decentralization, sustainable development, promotion, and finance.These scenarios aim to adopt innovative technologies and strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Investing in education and capacity-building programs is crucial for African countries to effectively implement sustainable energy solutions, so the book also highlights the role of education and awareness in fostering a culture of sustainability among African communities and empowering them to actively participate in climate action initiatives. - Takes into account the unique socioeconomic and environmental context of Africa, which is crucial for developing tailored strategies and solutions that are suitable for the continent - Offers practical insights and recommendations for policymakers, businesses, and individuals to navigate the challenges and opportunities of transitioning to a sustainable future - Highlights successful case studies from other regions that can serve as inspiration and learning points for Africa's journey towards a net-zero economy

In recent years "smartness" has risen as a buzzword to characterize novel urban policy and development patterns. As a result of this, debates around what "smart" actually means, both theoretically and empirically, have emerged within the interdisciplinary arenas of urban and regional studies. This book explores the changes in discourse, rationality and selected responses of smartness through the theme of "transition." The concept of transition provides the broader context and points of reference for adopting smartness in reconciling competing interests and agendas in city-regional governance. Using case studies from around the world, including North America, Europe and South Africa, the authors link external regime transition in societal values and goals with internal moves towards smartness. While reflecting the growing integration of overarching themes and analytical concerns, this volume further develops work on smartness, smart growth, transition, city-regionalism, governance and sustainability. Smart Transitions in City Regionalism explores how smart cities and city regions interact with conventional state structures. It will be of great interest to postgraduates and advanced undergraduates across urban studies, geography, sustainability studies and political science.

This edited volume discusses infrastructural cooperation and industrial cooperation between China and several countries in Africa. In contributions by academics and practitioners alike, the book distils the conceptual implications of empirical and ethnographic findings and explores probable future developments in the Africa-China relationship. The chapters deal with numerous countries across the African continent, covering nearly all regions, showcasing the dynamics of China’s relations with different countries while highlighting African agency over major infrastructure projects and industrial activity. Providing an in-depth look at the evolving economic cooperation across these two regions, this volume will appeal to researchers and students of African politics, international relations, area studies, and comparative politics. The book will be of relevance to policymakers in governments, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations involved in policy formulation particularly regarding the Africa-China/China-Africa relationship.

This book highlights the use of information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructures in order to develop smart cities and produce smart economies in Africa. It discusses a robust set of concepts, including smart planning, smart infrastructure development, smart economic development, smart environmental sustainability, smart social development, resilience, and smart peace and security in several African cities. By drawing on the accumulated knowledge on various conditions that make cities smart, green, livable and healthy, it helps in the planning, design and management of African urbanization. In turn, it fosters the development of e-commerce, e-education, e-governance, etc. The rapid development of ICT infrastructures facilitates the creation of smart economies in digitally served cities and towns through smart urban planning, smart infrastructures, smart land tenure and smart urban policies. In the long term, this can reduce emissions of CO2, promote the creation of low carbon cities, reduce land degradation and promote biodiversity.