'Transforming Freetown': Dilemmas of planning and development in a West African City. (June 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lynch, Kenneth; Nel, Etienne; Binns, Tony
• Is Part Of: Cities. Volume 101(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-06
• Subjects: Freetown -- Sierra Leone -- Planning -- Urban growth -- Development; City planning -- Periodicals; Urban policy -- Periodicals; 711.4
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2020.102694
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0264-2751

Abstract

Abstract: The urban development and planning challenges facing Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone are typical of the significant issues which face most cities in Africa, including rapid growth, resource constraints, burgeoning informal settlements and inadequate planning regimes. In parallel with many African cities, colonial neglect and racial bias in planning the urban form created a city which is ill-prepared to cope with post-independence growth. This paper examines how these trends have played themselves out in the case of Freetown, and also draws attention to particular issues which have exacerbated urban development, and the environmental and planning challenges facing the city. Notably, the effects of the devastating civil war and Ebola outbreak in 2014/15 are discussed. While the city council and local NGOs are attempting to address local development challenges, significantly more needs to be done to improve the well-being of Freetown's population and this paper provides an indication of how urban planning might contribute to this. Graphical abstract: Unlabelled Image Highlights: We explore the colonial, early independence and postcolonial planning and management approaches, discussing their challenges and shortcomings. We analyse the evidence of planning and urban management in Freetown, Sierra Leone from 1787 to the present day. We Illustrate the manifestation of the colonial and postcolonial legacies in the structure of the city. We show how the imprint of history has left the city vulnerable during a series of humanitarian crises. There is an urgent need to build planning and urban management capacity, to devolve power to the city and to update policies and legislation.