A history of urban planning in two West African colonial capitals: residential segregation in British Lagos and French Dakar (1850-1930)

摘要

The literature on colonial urban planning in Sub-Saharan Africa is limited at present. Liora Bigon's contribution in this field is therefore very welcomed. Based on two case studies, Lagos and Dakar, the book provides a comprehensive account of the evolution and character of the two colonial capital cities. Firmly rooted within the discipline of physical planning, the examination of the nature and attributed causes of racial segregation that permeated both cities represents the dominant theme. In comparing the British and the French colonial administrations the author seeks to highlight the inconsistencies which characterized the ideology and practices of both empires. Moreover, the book addresses an imbalance in the literature which has tended to focus predominately on the colonizers rather than the colonized.