ASSIGNMENT 03
UNIQUE ASSIGNMENT NUMBER: 668410 & 658996
DUE DATE: 23 September 2021
, Part 1
Discuss the impacts of urbanization on the African continent in terms of
human settlements, employment, and service delivery.
Urban settlements across Africa are experiencing immense changes at a swift rate.
Much of this change is causing urban populations to become and remain vulnerable
to numerous risks such as the impacts of climate change. The key drivers and
processes causing these changes include urbanisation, natural population growth
within cities, in formalisation of the city, growing inequality, increasingly youthful
urban populations, smaller household formations, industrialisation, and growth and
decline in the economy and employment opportunities. Two of these key processes
and their associated challenges are discussed below, with reference to the situation
in SADC countries.
The proliferation of informality, particularly urban slums, is one of the most prominent
phenomena of SADC settlements, and potentially one of the most pressing future
challenges. Factors contributing to the development and growth of urban slums are
the sheer number of people that need to be housed and provided with services and a
lack of formal employment, but also mainstream urban policy that fails to address
issues of informality or appreciate the cumulative consequences of poverty.
Urbanisation has mostly failed to bring about inclusive growth. Rising inequality is
thus another prominent characteristic of cities in the SADC region. The way
settlements develop generates exclusion and segregation by reflecting and
reinforcing a pattern of wealth accumulation that only benefits a few.
UNIQUE ASSIGNMENT NUMBER: 668410 & 658996
DUE DATE: 23 September 2021
, Part 1
Discuss the impacts of urbanization on the African continent in terms of
human settlements, employment, and service delivery.
Urban settlements across Africa are experiencing immense changes at a swift rate.
Much of this change is causing urban populations to become and remain vulnerable
to numerous risks such as the impacts of climate change. The key drivers and
processes causing these changes include urbanisation, natural population growth
within cities, in formalisation of the city, growing inequality, increasingly youthful
urban populations, smaller household formations, industrialisation, and growth and
decline in the economy and employment opportunities. Two of these key processes
and their associated challenges are discussed below, with reference to the situation
in SADC countries.
The proliferation of informality, particularly urban slums, is one of the most prominent
phenomena of SADC settlements, and potentially one of the most pressing future
challenges. Factors contributing to the development and growth of urban slums are
the sheer number of people that need to be housed and provided with services and a
lack of formal employment, but also mainstream urban policy that fails to address
issues of informality or appreciate the cumulative consequences of poverty.
Urbanisation has mostly failed to bring about inclusive growth. Rising inequality is
thus another prominent characteristic of cities in the SADC region. The way
settlements develop generates exclusion and segregation by reflecting and
reinforcing a pattern of wealth accumulation that only benefits a few.
