Abstract

Part of the Local and Urban Governance book series (LUG)

Abstract

Cape Verde, a small island state, despite outstanding socio-economic indicators within the African context, faces deep urban–regional inequalities, marked by a visible socio-spatial fragmentation. The relatively strong socio-economic dynamism in the main urban centres and in the more touristic islands has accentuated the intra-regional and inter-regional asymmetries, bringing in challenges that demand consistent public policies. In a total of 22 municipalities, almost half registered negative population growth rates, according to the most recent census. In contrast, only the city of Praia allocates 29.2% of the national population. Over the last decade, there has been a strong investment in the design of spatial planning instruments and in the revision of the legal planning framework, to meet new demands and to provide for a more harmonious territorial growth. The research questions this chapter addresses are how these reforms have impacted on regional and urban development in the country and what factors have determined the process of urbanization in Cape Verde.

Keywords
Urbanization,
Spatial planning,
Spatial planning instruments,
Socio-spatial cohesion,
Urban governance,
Cape Verde,

Keywords