The environment and tools of urban planning in Sub-saharan Africa: A search for identity and implications for sustainable development

Despite the efforts of various stakeholders, the growth and development of cities of Sub-saharan Africa seems to be uncontrollable. This paper therefore examines the environment and tools of urban planning in Africa. This is with a view to identifying to what extent: (1) the tools are responsive to urban development challenges in the continent, and (2) urban planning environment (in Africa) can benefit from ‘global and African paradigms’. The paper unveils the strengths and weaknesses in the types of plans, legislations, institutional frameworks and the associated processes of urban planning and management in selected countries across sub-regions of the continent.