In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

“IN THIS BOOK, NDENECHO DEVELOPS A FRAMEWORK FOR SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING WITH A FOCUS ON RURAL SETTLEMENTS. HE EMPHASISES THE FACT THAT THE IMPACT OF POLITICAL DECENTRALISATION ON URBAN – RURAL RELATIONS IN CAMEROON LIKE IN MANY DEVELOPING COUNTRIES HAS NOT RECEIVED MUCH ATTENTION SO FAR, AND THAT PRIORITY ATTENTION HAS BEEN PAID TO URBAN PLANNING TO THE DETRIMENT OF RURAL AREAS. AGAINST THIS BACKGROUND THE BOOK ATTEMPTS TO TACKLE ONE QUESTION: HOW CAN DECENTRALISATION REACH THE RURAL POPULATION TOO, AND HOW CAN THIS BE TRANSLATED INTO IMPROVEMENTS IN RURAL LIVELIHOODS THROUGH SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING?” Professor Eze Bassey Eze, Department of Geography and Regional Planning, University of Calabar, Nigeria Despite rapid urbanisation, Africa remains predominantly rural. This calls for decentralisation beyond the dominant concern by states and government with urban spaces. Rural areas, rural development and the future of rural settlements need to be understood and addressed in the context of the ongoing democratisation trends and the emergence and development of civil society. States have tended to tame rather than serve civil society in Africa. By establishing a single cultural reference and imposing a centralised state, African governments have exacerbated the fragmentation of civil society. However, political pluralism has slowly been gaining ground since the 1990s. This book explores the scope for implementing decentralisation programmes that focus on citizens in rural areas. For the purpose of decentralisation, civic participation in local politics and user participation in development programmes must be seen as two sides of the coin. The book focuses on spatial planning – a process concerned with spatial organisation in an integrative manner, and incorporates the design, establishment and implementation of a desired spatial structural organisation of land. This is especially relevant in a context where the formulation of guidelines for spatial development at the overall level of a state is inadequate. EMMANUEL NEBA NDENECHO is Associate Professor in Geography at the University of Yaoundé I (E.N.S. Annex Bambili). He has published extensively in scholarly journals and has also authored six books on Natural Resource Management and the Environment. His special interest and experience includes research and development associated with Natural Resource Management, Sustainable Livelihoods and Landscape Ecological Problems. Langaa Research & Publishing Common Initiative Group P.O. Box 902 Mankon Bamenda North West Region Cameroon ...

Share