Analyzing four decades of literature on urban planning studies in Africa (1980–2020)

ABSTRACT

African cities remain little known. As a result, they are outside the global intellectual arena on urban issues, which justifies the need for more productive research. This article aims to empirically analyze the evolution of urban planning studies in Africa, by identifying the trends that characterize scientific production, through a systematic literature review over the last four decades. The study is organized around four different analysis: temporal, thematic, methodological, and geographical, based on 268 journal articles. It highlights major trends in the evolution of this literature. The paper finally discusses important challenges and areas of improvement in African cities research.

KEYWORDS:

• Urban planning
• systematic literature review
• planning research
• Africa

Acknowledgments

The authors like to show their gratitude to Chantal Blanc, from the EPFL Library, for providing technical support that greatly improved the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. https://harzing.com/popbook/ch13_2_2.htm

Additional information

Funding

This work was partially supported by the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS), grant number [2016.1092], and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF), Synergia Project – African Contribution to Global Health: Circulating Knowledge and Innovations.

Notes on contributors

Armel Kemajou

Armel Kemajou ([email protected]) is a Doctoral Candidate at the CEAT, EPFL research unit focusing on urban and spatial issues in Switzerland, Africa, South America, and the Caribbean. His research interests include the processes of construction of urban peripheries in major cities in West and Central Africa.

Akpedze Akuto Konou

Akpedze Akuto Konou ([email protected]) is Doctoral Candidate in Architecture and Sciences of the City at the CEAT, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland. Her research interests include urban agriculture, and the link with urban public health in Eastern Africa.

Rémi Jaligot

Dr Rémi Jaligot ([email protected]) is Post-doctoral in Environmental and Spatial Planning at the CEAT, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland. His research interests include environmental assessment, socio-ecological systems and spatial planning.

Jérôme Chenal

Dr Jérôme Chenal ([email protected]) is a Senior Scientist, director of the CEAT, and academic director of the Excellence in Africa Program (EXAF) at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland. His research interests include spatial planning in Switzerland and Africa.