Urban infrastructures : planning and management

Abstract

The African cities are undergoing rapid population growth accompanied by rapid development pressures with high demands for housing and infrastructures. Some of these cities are doubling in population and have more than doubled in area within the last decade. The rapid growth of the population and concentration in the urban areas has led to the deterioration of the human environment caused by the increasing gap between economic growth on one hand, population growth and concentration on the other. This urbanization has led to deteriorating human settlements conditions, depletion of natural resources and increased discharge of unprocessed wastes into the environment, which is resulting in severe health problems.