Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP15327
Authors: Vernon Henderson; Cong Peng; Neeraj Baruah
Abstract: Institutions persisting from colonial rule affect the spatial structure and conditions underwhich 100’s of millions of people live in Sub-Saharan African cities. In a sample of 318cities, Francophone cities have more compact development than Anglophone, overall, in oldercolonial sections, and at clear extensive margins long after the colonial era. Compactnesscovers intensity of land use, gridiron road structures, and leapfrogging of new developments.Why the difference? Under British indirect and dual mandate rule, colonial and native sectionsdeveloped without coordination. In contrast, integrated city planning and land allocation werefeatured in French direct rule. These differences in planning traditions persist.
Keywords: colonialism; persistence; africa; sprawl; urban planning; leapfrog
JEL Codes: H7; N97; O1; O43; P48; R5
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| colonial rule (F54) | urban spatial structures (R11) |
| francophone cities (R12) | compact urban development (R58) |
| francophone cities (R12) | land use intensity (R14) |
| francophone cities (R12) | gridiron road structure (R42) |
| British indirect rule (F54) | fragmented urban development (R11) |
| colonial governance (F54) | urban morphology (R23) |
| urban morphology (R23) | urban sprawl (R11) |
| anglophone cities (R12) | area covered (R14) |
| anglophone cities (R12) | openness (O36) |
| anglophone cities (R12) | leapfrog patches (Y60) |