Urban Poverty and Spatial Inequality: A Geospatial Analysis of Slum Dynamics in Rapidly Growing African Cities

The process of rapid urbanization, which has markedly transformed the lives of the people of Africa during the last twenty years, has witnessed the phenomenal growth of informal settlements, which has dramatically altered the very spatial patterns within the cities. African urban centers are still characterized by extreme spatial inequality as well as deep urban poverty although these cities are economically dynamic. This paper analyses urban deprivation in terms of space by conducting an integrative literature review (20102024) and comparative geospatial analysis of Lagos, Nairobi, Accra and Addis Ababa, since they are the fastest-growing cities in the world. The aim is to reveal the contribution of geospatial particularities, land-use distributions and exclusionary urban administration to the spread of the slums and systematic marginalization of their inhabitants. In a mixed-method design that incorporates peer-reviewed evidence with sciences developed on spatially grounded case studies, the research proposes similar patterns of spatial fragmentation such as unequal access to infrastructure, environmental injustice, the peripheralization of low-income population. It finds that although geospatial technologies (GIS and remote sensing) are becoming more accessible, their use in urban policy and planning is minimal. Such a dis-integration compromises the ability of governments to combat spatial injustice and to promote inclusive development outcomes. The argument of this study is the need to have spatially informed urban planning reforms, participatory models of slum upgrading, and collaborative governance models. Effective institutionalization of geospatial data has the potential to become a transformative intervention in terms of realizing spatial equity and sustainable urban futures in Africa.