Small towns and rural growth centers as strategic spaces of control in Rwanda’s post-conflict trajectory

Cottyn, Ine

doi:10.1080/17531055.2018.1457280

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Although administratively converted into urban areas, in reality many households still rely to a large extent on agriculture for their livelihoods. As such, these settlements and their inhabitants struggle through the transition where both urban and rural characteristics remain prevalent (Cottyn 2018). While these transformations offer opportunities for livelihood diversification into non-farm areas, they have also necessitated many households to reshape their livelihood strategies (see also Cottyn and Nijenhuis 2016).…”

Section: Multi-activity Livelihood Transformations and Small-town Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-activity, Multi-locality and Small-Town Development in Cameroon, Ghana, Rwanda and Tanzania

et al. 2018

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This paper deals with the impact of livelihood diversification through multi-activity and multi-locality on small-town development in Cameroon, Ghana, Rwanda and Tanzania. Based on a cross-country analysis of qualitative and quantitative data from ten different research sites, its central argument is that the tendencies of de-agrarianisation, agricultural commercialisation, livelihood diversification and the increased importance of rural-urban connections have accelerated an almost * Griet Steel

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Section: Multi-activity Livelihood Transformations and Small-town Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-activity, Multi-locality and Small-Town Development in Cameroon, Ghana, Rwanda and Tanzania

et al. 2018

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“…Many such towns remain without formal planning even after they have been declared for urban planning (Yamungu, 2019). As aforementioned, small towns have contributed enormously to socioeconomic development of countries and regions (Cottyn, 2018;Donaldson, 2018;Emran & Shilpi, 2018). However, their categorization as rural areas in some developing countries has rendered them ineligible for urban planning financing (ibid.).…”

Section: Theoretical Perspective On Urban Planning In Developing Coun...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating Resilience in the Urban Planning Process in Mlandizi Town: An Approach Towards Promoting Comprehensive Over Piecemeal Planning

Yamungu

2023

JGAt

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Urban resilience is one of the prominent themes in urban development discourse. Its importance resonates with the quest to balance rapid urbanization and adaptation to climate change and variability, which raises the need for building adaptive capacities within urban system. Despite the rapid urbanization in Mlandizi, Tanzania, the town is planned on a piecemeal basis that lacks a holistic view of the urban system. While the integration of urban resilience into the urban development planning process is effective for building adaptive capacities, piecemeal planning raises questions about its effectiveness to integrate the tenets of resilience for addressing a wider range of climate risks, shocks and stresses. This paper ascertained the extent to which piecemeal planning integrated urban resilience into the planning process in Mlandizi small-town. Mixed-research methods were used involving geospatial mapping, in-depth interviews and field observation. Land use/cover change analysis and mapping of urban development were conducted in piecemeal planned areas. Susceptibility to flooding was assessed in the Ruvu river floodplain through an overlay of houses on the Digital Elevation Model. In-depth interviews and field observations were conducted to ascertain the urban resilience outcomes of piecemeal planning. Results suggest that informal urbanization constitutes 90% of the housing development in Mlandizi. There is also rapid land use change and conversion of the natural landscape to man-made land uses, which results in diminishing green spaces. The results further indicate that the piecemeal planning process ignored consultation of stakeholders and strategic environmental assessment. As a result, it failed to provide an appropriate policy for integrating urban resilience with spatial planning. This paper argues for the adoption of comprehensive planning that integrates resilience in urban planning processes, and builds capacity for addressing a wide range of shocks, including the impacts of climate change.

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“…In research and policy, small towns therefore refer to a broad range of urban locations [36][37][38]. This heterogeneity complicates cross-national comparison and policy making, which for Africa is further distorted by an almost-neglect of explicit policies for the promotion of small-town urbanization [25], with Rwanda [39] and Ethiopia [40] being among the few exceptions.…”

Section: Small-town Urbanismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Between Village and Town: Small-Town Urbanism in Sub-Saharan Africa

2021

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In the next twenty years, urban populations in Africa are expected to double, while urban land cover could triple. An often-overlooked dimension of this urban transformation is the growth of small towns and medium-sized cities. In this paper, we explore the ways in which small towns are straddling rural and urban life, and consider how insights into this in-betweenness can contribute to our understanding of Africa’s urban transformation. In particular, we examine the ways in which urbanism is produced and expressed in places where urban living is emerging but the administrative label for such locations is still ‘village’. For this purpose, we draw on case-study material from two small towns in Tanzania, comprising both qualitative and quantitative data, including analyses of photographs and maps collected in 2010–2018. First, we explore the dwindling role of agriculture and the importance of farming, businesses and services for the diversification of livelihoods. However, income diversification varies substantially among population groups, depending on economic and migrant status, gender, and age. Second, we show the ways in which institutions, buildings, and transport infrastructure display the material dimensions of urbanism, and how urbanism is planned and aspired to. Third, we describe how well-established middle-aged households, independent women (some of whom are mothers), and young people, mostly living in single-person households, explain their visions and values of the ways in which urbanism is expressed in small towns. In conclusion, we discuss the implications of this urban life-in-becoming of small towns for urban planning, emphasizing the importance of the development of inclusive local governance. Ultimately, we argue that our study establishes an important starting point for further explorations of the role of the simultaneous production and expression of urbanism in small town urbanization.

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Small towns and rural growth centers as strategic spaces of control in Rwanda’s post-conflict trajectory

Cited by 9 publications

References 18 publications

Multi-activity, Multi-locality and Small-Town Development in Cameroon, Ghana, Rwanda and Tanzania

Multi-activity, Multi-locality and Small-Town Development in Cameroon, Ghana, Rwanda and Tanzania

Integrating Resilience in the Urban Planning Process in Mlandizi Town: An Approach Towards Promoting Comprehensive Over Piecemeal Planning

Between Village and Town: Small-Town Urbanism in Sub-Saharan Africa

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