Urbanization and Urban Sprawl in the Post-Colonial Era Douala City, Cameroon

Abstract

The history of the port city of Douala spans pre-colonial period, colonial period of the Germans and French occupation, the post- colonial era and the contemporary situation with continuous occupancy of the coastal environment. This article looks at the relationship between the history of the city of Douala to the resulting urban situation focusing on governance structure as well as rapid urbanization. The findings show that governance structure allowing for a duality of modern political system and traditional cultural system of kingships and chiefdoms has an effect to the resulting urban sprawl. Moreover, rapid urbanization under this condition has an overall impact to the challenges resulting from urban sprawl including development of settlements that do not have basic services. Developing comprehensive urban planning policies that prioritize sustainable and green building practices and transport systems, promoting the use of locally sourced building materials, use of technology to encourage generation of renewable energy, encouraging a broader participation of local communities in the planning and development of the city are some possible interventions recommended to ensure a more sustainable and resilient city of Douala.