Big Cities Mass Poverty
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the United States of America (USA), Europe and Japan became urbanized. This transformation was driven by sustained economic growth, which led to rapid industrialization, thus setting the global trend for urbanization in the post-industrial revolution era. Globally, cities are hubs for ideas, commerce, culture, science, productivity and social development etc. Ideally, urbanization creates opportunities for social and economic mobility for millions of people. While this is still the case in many instances, most developing countries today are urbanizing at a faster rate with lower income, productivity and industrial growth than their developed counterparts several decades ago.[1]A combination of bad urban policies, neglect, and sociocultural factors has created cities that are overcrowded, polluted, with large slums, high poverty and unemployment rates etc. These cities characterize the massive disparities between the rich and the poor. According to the United Nations (UN) and World Bank, poverty and rising inequality are among the biggest global challenges today. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)1, 10 and 11 specifically target ending poverty in all its forms everywhere, reducing inequalities, and building sustainable cities and communities. In Africa, the promise of urbanization is still a fantasy.
In 2015, world urban population surpassed 3 billion people. It is estimated that by 2030 two-thirds of the world population will live in urban areas. The UN projects that by 2050, 2.5 billion people will be added to the global urban population — 90 percent of this growth will be concentrated in Africa and Asia.[2] Declining mortality rates and decades of high fertility are some of the underlying causes of rapid population growth in Africa. These countries remain vulnerable to problems of conflict, climate change and economic factors that influence the massive rural-urban migration. Research shows that regional disparities in wealth are correlated with a high risk of conflict in sub-Saharan Africa.[3] The unfortunate reality is that urbanization is creating large fragmented urban agglomerations with diminishing opportunities for the majority of its dwellers. Cities across Africa reveal the unprecedented level — unequal access to resources and services — of poverty and inequality pervasive on the continent. There is a need to contemplate the quality of opportunities available in these cities in order to harness the benefits of urbanization to improve living conditions for the urban poor. To get there, Africa’s cities have to be accessible, affordable and sustainable for its people.
Our City Will Be The Best (Èkó ò ní bàjé ooo!)?
The Eco-Atlantic City development project in Lagos, Nigeria — one of the fastest growing cities in the world and an emerging megacity of almost 25 million people — is the latest example of a “modern city” designed to exclude poor urban populations. The multi-million-dollar coastal city is a public–private-partnership between private investors and the Lagos State Government. It is celebrated for its “exclusive state-of-the-art facilities and services”. Eco-Atlantic City is designed to satisfy the needs of residential, financial, commercial, and tourist accommodations, with “state of the art infrastructure” in line with modern and environmental standards. [[4]][[5]] However, Lagos is overwhelmed by the uncontrolled sprawl of city slums. Official UN figures suggest that 40 percent of urban expansion is occurring in slums.[6] Lagos, Nigeria is estimated to have over 70 percent of its population living in slums. This unprecedented level of poverty/inequality is creating risks for governance, public health, security and the environment. The Lagos State Government cannot afford policies that segregate nearly 25 million inhabitants along socioeconomic lines. The attempt to build modern cities with policies that deepen urban poverty will only exacerbate the challenges of urbanization in a country with over 80 million people — out of a population of 180 million — living in extreme poverty.[7]
Urbanization offers the best potential for prosperity and improvement in standard of living for a large number of people due to agglomeration of opportunities, resources and services. As Africa continues its gradual trend towards economic growth, home-crafted urban policies are fundamental to building inclusive cities with shared and sustainable prosperity. The McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) in 2015 affirmed that cities accounted for 75 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP), and by 2030, 86 percent of global GDP growth will come from cities. In order to cultivate and maximize the potentials of Africa’s urban centers, the slums and its poor residence have to be recognized and accepted as an important fabric and reality of African cities. In order to create urban centers that integrate the unique characteristics of an economic and sociocultural hub, it makes sense to plan them with deliberate consideration for the urban poor, their needs, aspirations and social realities.
Practical Solutions for Sustainable Cities
One of the challenges for policy makers in cities like Lagos, Nigeria and indeed across the continent is the lack of accurate census data and/or information about its urban poor populations. This group is often ignored, isolated and excluded from formal policy processes and public utilities. The government appears to be overwhelmed by their sheer number. The urban poor and slum dwellers are viewed as illegal squatters and a nuisance that should be eradicated. This should not be the case. Technological advancement and social innovations have made it easier to connect, identify, survey and map people in remote or not easily accessible locations. Information gathering in such a way helps to support data-driven policy design and implementation. The idea that poor people are an urban burden, incapable of transforming their lives is been debunked by social organizations such as Fundacion Paraguaya[8]. Through its innovative Poverty Stoplight[9] visual survey program, individuals, and families are able to measure their level of multidimensional poverty and become motivated to take action towards overcoming them. Consequently, governments, businesses, and non-governmental organizations are able to identify deprivations on an individual and aggregate (community) level for effective resource mobilization, allocation and tailored solutions to address these challenges. The Poverty Stoplight is an essential social innovation in a world that is increasingly depending on data to understand and solve human challenges, as it advances towards artificial intelligence and automation.
Few today will argue that African countries can successfully urbanize by simply replicating the economic growth and urban development strategies of developed nations. Local policies that cultivate the ideas, creativity, and drive of all classes of urban dwellers will help to maximize the benefits of urbanization. This will reduce the rising levels of urban poverty that will eventually choke the growth of cities in Africa. The ideas and technological innovations are available, why are we not leading the way in building inclusive cities that work for us?
Written by Verse Shom, Specialist of Internacional Replicas for the Poverty Stoplight at Fundación Paraguaya.
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References
[1] Mediel Hove, Emmaculate Tsitsi Ngwerume, and Cyprian Muchemwa, ‘The Urban Crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Threat to Human Security and Sustainable Development’, Stability: International Journal of Security and Development, 2.1 (2013), 1–14 <https://doi.org/10.5334/sta.ap>.
[2] World Urbanization Prospects 2014, United Nations.
[3] Gudrun Østby and Håvard Strand, “Horizontal Inequalities and Internal Conflict: The Impact of Regime Type and Political Leadership Regulation,” in K. Kalu, U. O. Uzodike, D. Kraybill, and J. Moolakkattu, eds., Territoriality, Citizenship, and Peacebuilding: Perspectives on Challenges to Peace in Africa (Pietermaritzburg, South Africa: Adonis & Abbey, 2013).
[4] Eko Atlantic City http://www.ekoatlantic.com/about-us/
[5] Dada, Akinpelu (2011–03–17). “Eko Atlantic City Project has expanded Nigeria’s territory — Fashola”. The Punch.
[6] World Economic Forum, ‘The Global Risks Report 2015: 10th Edition’, 2015, 1–62 <www.weforum.org/risks.>.
[7] 2017 Atlas of Sustainable Development Goals, World Bank.
[8] A self-sustainable, non-governmental organization founded in 1985, it spearheaded microfinance and entrepreneurship in Paraguay.
[9] A metric and methodology that allows families to trace their own poverty map and develop and implement a clear plan to overcome it.
