{"title":"Lubumbashi (DR Congo): Navigating the socio-ecological complexities of a vital mining hub","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2024.105341","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Lubumbashi, the economic hub of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, thrives on its mining sector but faces challenges from rapid, unregulated population growth and urban expansion. This has led to a dichotomous urban landscape, combining well-planned colonial districts with haphazardly developed areas lacking infrastructure. This study examines Lubumbashi's urban evolution and related challenges through a desktop survey, contributing to literature on urbanization, economic development, environmental sustainability, and resource extraction in sub-Saharan Africa. It also introduces theoretical frameworks such as “resource urbanism.”</p><p>Key challenges include disorderly land governance, natural vegetation degradation, transport privatization, electrification issues, sanitation deficiencies, and pollution. Although provincial and city governments are working to improve urban organization, their efforts often lack comprehensive consultation and cohesive strategy, focusing primarily on the city center.</p><p>The study highlights the complex interplay between historical legacies and contemporary issues, emphasizing the urgent need for integrated urban planning. Addressing socio-spatial disparities, environmental concerns, and community resilience requires collaboration among government entities, local communities, and stakeholders to ensure sustainable and equitable development for Lubumbashi.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Cities","FirstCategoryId":"96","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264275124005559","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"URBAN STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Lubumbashi, the economic hub of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, thrives on its mining sector but faces challenges from rapid, unregulated population growth and urban expansion. This has led to a dichotomous urban landscape, combining well-planned colonial districts with haphazardly developed areas lacking infrastructure. This study examines Lubumbashi's urban evolution and related challenges through a desktop survey, contributing to literature on urbanization, economic development, environmental sustainability, and resource extraction in sub-Saharan Africa. It also introduces theoretical frameworks such as “resource urbanism.”
Key challenges include disorderly land governance, natural vegetation degradation, transport privatization, electrification issues, sanitation deficiencies, and pollution. Although provincial and city governments are working to improve urban organization, their efforts often lack comprehensive consultation and cohesive strategy, focusing primarily on the city center.
The study highlights the complex interplay between historical legacies and contemporary issues, emphasizing the urgent need for integrated urban planning. Addressing socio-spatial disparities, environmental concerns, and community resilience requires collaboration among government entities, local communities, and stakeholders to ensure sustainable and equitable development for Lubumbashi.
期刊介绍:
Cities offers a comprehensive range of articles on all aspects of urban policy. It provides an international and interdisciplinary platform for the exchange of ideas and information between urban planners and policy makers from national and local government, non-government organizations, academia and consultancy. The primary aims of the journal are to analyse and assess past and present urban development and management as a reflection of effective, ineffective and non-existent planning policies; and the promotion of the implementation of appropriate urban policies in both the developed and the developing world.