Urban Dynamics in Africa: Measuring, Monitoring and Shaping Change through Multiple Lenses

Urban Dynamics in Africa explores how African cities are being transformed and how that change can be understood through diverse methods and perspectives. Bringing together contributions from across the continent, the book examines urban transformation as a complex process that is at once spatial, social, environmental, and political. Understanding African urban change requires not only technical tools and data, but also attention to local knowledge, governance, and everyday lived experience. The chapters address key issues including urban sprawl, mobility in informal settlements, thermal comfort and climate vulnerability, and community-led placemaking, drawing on a wide range of methods such as geospatial analysis, participatory mapping, environmental monitoring, and qualitative research. Featuring case studies from Ghana, Namibia, Mozambique, and South Africa, the volume highlights both the diversity of African urban realities and the shared challenges of building more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable cities. Accessible yet grounded in current research, this book will be of interest to scholars, students, practitioners, and policymakers concerned with urban change in Africa and with the wider question of how cities can be shaped more equitably in a rapidly urbanising world. The chapters were originally published in African Geographical Review.