Cities in Sub‐Saharan Africa

Abstract Sub‐Saharan Africa is the least urbanized region in the world, yet it has the highest urban growth rate. The region is traditionally known more for its rural cultures than its urban past, and urbanization is generally considered a colonial phenomenon. Studies of cities in sub‐Saharan Africa have focused mainly on the aspects of planning and industrialization in the colonial period and on informality, governance, and development in the postindependence period. Recent studies attempt to theorize the sub‐Saharan city on its own terms based on the lived experiences of the people inhabiting the cities here.