Building Sustainable Neighborhoods in African Cities (Sustainable Neighborhoods)

Rapid urbanization and climate change are placing extreme pressure on urban neighborhoods across Africa.

Governments are unable to keep up with the rising population, leaving nearly half of the urban population living in slum-like conditions. Most urban residents face water shortages, electricity blackouts, and sanitation challenges.

Yet the variation across the continent is uneven: some communities find a way to build sustainable neighborhoods that are resilient to sea level rise, floods, and water shortages, while others experience perennial flooding, fire outbreaks, and droughts.

This project examines why some local communities build sustainable neighborhoods while others do not by uncovering the conditions of collective decision-making and successful local governance. The project brings together researchers from higher education institutions working in Sweden, Ghana, and Nigeria.

Our goal is to implement research in Lagos (Nigeria) and Accra (Ghana); develop theoretical insights into sustainable development policy; and disseminate findings to scholars, policymakers, and practitioners.

In the three-year project, we develop a household-level survey that builds off ongoing qualitative research and implement it in Nigeria (year 1) and Ghana (year 2), and disseminate the results to policymakers, planners, and residents (year 3).

The study will contribute new insights into sustainable development and state-society relations in rapidly urbanizing Africa.