Urban sprawl and socio-spatial differentiation in Dakar (Senegal)
One characteristic of southern cities is urban sprawl, usually in combination with a highly marked dynamic of socio-spatial differentiation. The situation in the city of Dakar, Senegal’s main pole of attraction where the most important functions of the nation’s activities are carried out, was used to develop a methodological approach for an analysis of socio-spatial differentiation. The purpose was to draw on multidimensional analysis methods and actual household survey data to analyze socio-spatial differentiation in the city. Our study shows that the Dakar area is vulnerable to urban sprawl as a result of the failure of the city’s urban development planning policies, and deregulation of the land and housing markets, factors which have become sources of exclusion for low-income groups in the population. Further analysis of this sprawling urban area reveals a complex space, governed by a strongly marked dynamic of socio-spatial differentiation.