Understanding climate adaptation and transformation challenges in African cities

What role can African cities play in low-carbon development? A multilevel governance perspective of Ghana, Uganda and South Africa

“…The question of how best to influence action is therefore complicated by the fact that decision-making will be dispersed across many actors, and action will necessitate a variety of collaborations and interactions across a range of scales (Simon and Leck, 2015;Bulkeley 2010;Madlener and Sunak, 2011). Any transition towards a lower-carbon development path is thus critically a question of governance.…”

“…The ability of cities to mainstream climate goals into their activities is, however, influenced by the divisions of responsibilities across different levels of government. In more centralised states, where cities lack substantial decision-making powers and financial resources, their ability to govern climate change mitigation is greatly constrained (Simon and Leck, 2015;Harker et al, 2016). The literature on multilevel climate governance in Africa, although growing, remains sparse, affording us limited insights into the role for African local governments to develop their own low-carbon visions and pathways (Diep et al, 2016).…”

“…Smaller municipalities were purposefully selected and included Ga East in Ghana, Jinja in Uganda and Polokwane in South Africa. The bulk of research and donor interest remains disproportionately focused on Africa's large primary cities (Simon and Leck, 2015), yet the majority of people live in smaller cities that will experience equally dramatic population growth in the future (Pieterse and Parnell, 2014).…”

Rethinking sustainable cities: Accessible, green and fair

“…The extent to which these elite utopian visions offer substantive pathways to alternative and genuinely sustainable urban futures -including replacing conventional private cars with high degrees of integrated and grid-controlled public transport -remains highly dubious; some would even suggest this to be an oxymoron (Meinhold, 2009;Chang and Sheppard, 2013;Cugurullo, 2013;Shwayri, 2013;Kennedy et al, 2014;Hodson and Marvin, 2010;Datta, 2012;Söderström et al, 2014;Greenfield, 2015;Jazeel, 2015;Simon and Leck, 2015;Watson, 2015;Waters, Chapter Two, this volume (Bunnell, 2015, 48) To these concerns about social injustice and narrow controlling interests, as with Luque et al's (2014) schema, we must add the need to demonstrate substantial contributions to urban sustainability and greenness, not just visually and aesthetically appealing living and working environments for the urban elite.…”

“…Recent attention to the challenges facing cities in poorer regions has increased markedly in recent years as the urgency of taking action and prioritising interventions in resource-scarce contexts has become more evident. Such analyses and policy agendas are increasingly focusing on the potential contributions of restored and conserved ecosystem services, including 'soft engineering' and diverse forms of urban greening within integrated strategies to reduce vulnerability, enhance resilience and promote urban transformation (for example, Birkmann and von Teichman, 2010;Carmin et al, 2012;Cartwright et al, 2012;UNEP, 2012;Bulkeley and Tuts, 2013;Silver et al, 2013;Birkmann et al, 2014;Friend et al, 2014;Kernaghan and da Silva, 2014;Adelekan et al, 2015;Cartwright, 2015;Lindley et al, 2015;Simon and Leck, 2015). One particular socio-technical approach to addressing these related urban sustainability challenges is represented by eco-cities, smart cities and smart grids (see below).…”