Abstract
Climate change presents urban areas in Africa with significant challenges relating to adaptation to dynamic climate risks and protection of critical infrastructure systems and residents’ livelihoods. This chapter argues for the need to adopt multidisciplinary approaches, perspectives and theoretical frameworks that espouse the transformation of climate change adaptation options and sustainable urban environmental management practices in Africa. It also brings together key findings from the various chapters of the book underscoring the geographical variations, future challenges and opportunities for urban planning and climate change adaptation in Africa. It emphasises lessons learned from specific case studies can be useful to identify best practices which can be applied more widely and poor practices which need to be re-examined. Future research needs are also highlighted.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Addaney, M., Boshoff, E., & Oyetola, B. (2017). The Climate Change and Human Rights Nexus in African. Special Edition on the Environment and International Law. Amsterdam Law Forum, 9(3), 5–28.
Addaney, M., Boshoff, E., & Nyarko, G. N. (2018). Protection of Environmental Assets in Urban Africa: Regional and Sub-Regional Human Rights and Practical Environmental Protection Mechanisms. Australian Journal of Human Rights,24(2), 182–200.
Adger, N. W., Huq, S., Brown, K., Conwaya, D., & Hulmea, M. (2003). Adaptation to Climate Change in the Developing World. Progress in Development Studies, 3(3), 179–195.
Africa Growth Initiative (AGI). (2017). Foresight Africa: Top Priorities for the Continent in 2017. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/global_20170109_foresight_africa.pdf.
Ahrends, A., Burgess, N. D., Milledge, S. A. H., Bulling, M. T., Fisher, B., Smart, J. C. R., et al. (2010). Predictable Waves of Sequential Forest Degradation and Biodiversity Loss Spreading from an African City. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,107(33), 14556–14561.
Amoako, C. (2016). Brutal Presence or Convenient Absence: The Role of the State in the Politics of Flooding in Informal Accra, Ghana. Geoforum, 77, 5–16.
Anand, P., & Seetharam, K. (2011). Climate Change and Living Cities: Global Problems with Local Solutions. In B. Yeun & A. Kumssa (Eds.), Climate Change and Sustainable Urban Development in Africa and Asia. London and New York: Springer.
Arias, P. A., Villegas, J. C., Machado, J., Serna, A. M., Vidal, L. M., Vieira, C., et al. (2016). Reducing Social Vulnerability to Environmental Change: Building Trust Through Social Collaboration on Environmental Monitoring. Weather, Climate, and Society, 8(1), 57–66.
Atapattu, S. A. (2016). Climate Change, Human Rights, and COP 21: One Step Forward and Two Steps Back or Vice Versa? Georgetown Journal of International Affairs,17(2), 47–55.
Boadi, K., Kuitunen, M., Raheem, K., & Hanninen, K. (2005). Urbanisation Without Development: Environmental and Health Implications in African Cities. Environment Development and Sustainability,7, 465–500.
Carter, M. R., Little, P. D., Mogues, T., & Negatu, W. (2007). Poverty Traps and Natural Disasters in Ethiopia and Honduras. World Development, 35(5), 835–856.
Cobbinah, P. B., & Darkwah, R. M. (2017). Urban Planning and Politics in Ghana. GeoJournal,82(6), 1229–1245.
Cobbinah, P. B., Erdiaw-Kwasie, M. O., & Amoateng, P. (2015). Africa’s Urbanisation: Implications for Sustainable Development. Cities,47, 62–72.
Cobbinah, P. B., Poku-Boansi, M., & Peprah, C. (2017). Urban Environmental Problems in Ghana. Environmental Development,23, 33–46.
Croese, S., Cirolia, L. R., & Graham, N. (2016). Towards Habitat III: Confronting the Disjuncture Between Global Policy and Local Practice on Africa’s ‘Challenge of Slums’. Habitat International,53, 237–242.
Doherty, M., Klima, K., & Hellmann, J. J. (2016). Climate Change in the Urban Environment: Advancing, Measuring and Achieving Resiliency. Environmental Science & Policy,66, 310–313.
Dubbale, D. A., Tsutsumi, J., & Bendewald, M. J. (2010). Urban Environmental Challenges in Developing Cities: The Case of Ethiopian Capital Addis Ababa. International Journal of Environmental, Chemical, Ecological, Geological and Geophysical Engineering,4(6), 164–169.
Garland, J., Huising, R., & Struben, J. (2013). What if Technology Worked in Harmony with Nature? Imagining Climate Change Through Prius Advertisements. Organization, 20(5), 679–704.
Gebre, G., & Van Rooijen, D. (2009). Urban Water Pollution and Irrigated Vegetable Farming in Addis Ababa: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: Sustainable Development and Multi-Sectoral Approaches. In 34th WEDC International Conference, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Glick, P., Staudt, A., & Stein, B. A. (2009). A New Era for Conservation: Review of Climate Change Adaptation Literature. Technical Report, National Wildlife Federation.
Hallegatte, S., et al. (2014). Climate Change And Poverty: An Analytical Framework. Washington, DC: The World Bank Group.
Hallegatte, S., et al. (2016). Shock Waves: Managing the Impacts of Climate Change on Poverty. Washington, DC: The World Bank Group.
Hope, K. R. (2011). Climate Change in the Context of Urban Development in Africa. In B. Yuen & A. Kumssa (Eds.), Climate Change and Sustainable Urban Development in Africa and Asia. Springer.
Hulme, M., Doherty, R., Ngara, T., New, M., & Lister, D. (2001). African Climate Change: 1900–2100. Climate Research, 17, 145–168.
Ijjasz-Vasquez, E., & White, R. (2017). When It Comes to Developing Africa’s Cities, “Grow Dirty Now, Clean Up Later” Is Not an Option. Retrieved from http://blogs.worldbank.org/sustainablecities/when-it-comes-developing-africa-s-cities-grow-dirty-now-clean-later-not-option.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). (2014a). Summary for Policymakers. In C. B. Field, V. R. Barros, D. J. Dokken, K. J. Mach, M. D. Mastrandrea, T. E. Bilir, et al. (Eds.), Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Part A: Global and Sectoral Aspects. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (pp. 1–32). Cambridge and New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
IPCC. (2018). An IPCC Special Report on the Impacts of Global Warming of 1.5°C above Pre-Industrial Levels and Related Global Greenhouse Gas Emission Pathways, in the Context of Strengthening the Global Response to the Threat of Climate Change, Sustainable Development and Efforts to Eradicate Poverty: Summary for Policymakers (Geneva: IPCC). Retrieved from http://ipcc.ch/report/sr15/.
Isunju, J. B., Orach, C. G., & Kemp, J. (2016). Hazards and Vulnerabilities Among Informal Wetland Communities in Kampala, Uganda. Environment and Urbanization,28(1), 275–293.
Lafleur, B., Paré, D., Munson, A. D., & Bergeron, Y. (2010). Response of North-Eastern North American Forests to Climate Change: Will Soil Conditions Constrain Tree Species Migration? Environmental Review, 18, 279–289.
Lawlor, K., Handa, S., & Seidenfeld, D. (2015). Cash Transfers and Climate-Resilient Development: Evidence from Zambia’s Child Grant Programme. Florence: UNICEF Office of Research.
Mensah, C. A. (2014a). Urban Green Spaces in Africa: Nature and Challenges. International Journal of Ecosystem,4(1), 1–11.
Mensah, C. A. (2014b). Destruction of Urban Green Spaces: A Problem Beyond Urbanization in Kumasi City (Ghana). American Journal of Environmental Protection,3(1), 1–9.
Moser, C., Norton, A., Stein, A., & Georgieva, S. (2010). Pro-Poor Adaptation to Climate Change in Urban Centres: Case Studies of Vulnerability and Resilience in Kenya and Nicaragua. Washington, DC: The World Bank Group.
Misilu, E. M. N., Bailey, E., Tushiminine, M. M., Carleen, A., Jiangfeng, L., & Liqin, Z. (2014). Ongoing Informal Settlements in Democratic Republic of Congo: Implementing New Urban Policy for Creating Sustainable Neighborhoods. Journal of Sustainable Development,7(5), 254–265.
Naa Lamiley Bentil, N. A. (2017, June 1). Greening Africa’s Cities to Protect People and Growth. Daily Graphic. Retrieved from http://www.graphic.com.gh/international/africa/greening-africa-s-cities-to-protect-people-and-growth.html.
Nicholson, S. E. (2001). Climatic and Environmental Change in Africa During the Last Two Centuries. International Research—Climate Research, 17(2), 123–144.
Satterthwaite, D. (2008). Cities’ Contribution to Global Warming: Notes on the Allocation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Environment and Urbanization, 20(2), 539–549.
Schellnhuber, H. J. (2013). Turn Down the Heat: Climate Extremes, Regional Impacts, and The Case for Resilience. A Report for the World Bank by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Climate Analytics. Retrieved from http://www.worldbank.org/content/dam/Worldbank/document/Full_Report_Vol_2_Turn_Down_The_Heat_%20Climate_Extremes_Regional_Impacts_Case_for_Resilience_Print%20version_FINAL.pdf.
Schipper, F., & Burton, I. (2009). Understanding Adaptation: Origins, Practice and Policy. In E. Lisa, F. Schipper, & I. Burton (Eds.), The Earthscan Reader on Adaptation to Climate Change. London: Earthscan.
Schrijver, N. (2016). Managing the Global Commons: Common Good or Common Sink? Third World Quarterly,37(7), 1252–1267.
Shikur, E. T. (2011, April 13–14). Challenges and Problems of Urban Forest Development in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Trees, People and the Built Environment. In Proceedings of the Urban Trees Research Conference. Birmingham, UK.
Smith, N. W., & Joffe, H. (2009). Climate Change in the British Press: The Role of the Visual. Journal of Risk Research, 12(5), 647–663.
UN. (2015). The Sustainable Development Agenda. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/cities/.
UN. (2018). World Urbanization Prospects: The 2018 revision. Retrived from https://population.un.org/wup/Publications/Files/WUP2018-KeyFacts.pdf.
UN Habit. (2015). Sustainable Urban Development in Africa. Retrived from https://unhabitat.org/sustainable-urban-development-in-africa/.
UN Sustainable Development Goals. 2015. Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300.
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA/PD). (2014). World Urbanization Prospects. New York: The United Nations.
Watson, V. (2009). Seeing from the South: Refocusing Urban Planning on the Globe’s Central Urban Issues. Urban Studies,46(11), 2259–2275.
White, R., & Ijjasz-Vasquez, E. (2017). Greening Africa’s Cities to Protect People and Growth. The World Bank Group. Retrieved from http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2017/06/01/greening-africas-cities-to-protect-people-and-growth.
White, R., Turpie, J., & Letley, G. (2017). Greening Africa’s Cities: Enhancing the Relationship Between Urbanization, Environmental Assets and Ecosystem Services. Washington, DC: World Bank.
World Bank. (2014a). African Cities: Stronger Local Capital Markets Needed to Finance Sustainable Development. Retrieved http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2014/04/18/africa-local-capital-markets-to-finance-sustainable-development.
World Bank. (2014b). Population Living in Slums (% of Urban Population). Washington, DC: The World Bank Group. Retrieved from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.POP.SLUM.UR.ZS.
World Bank. (2018). United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects: Population in Urban Agglomerations of More Than 1 million (% of Total Population). Washington, DC: The World Bank. Retrieved from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.URB.MCTY.TL.ZS?view=chart.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Addaney, M., Cobbinah, P.B. (2019). Climate Change, Urban Planning and Sustainable Development in Africa: The Difference Worth Appreciating. In: Cobbinah, P.B., Addaney, M. (eds) The Geography of Climate Change Adaptation in Urban Africa. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04873-0_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04873-0_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-04872-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-04873-0
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)