Most studies on urbanity in Africa focus on megacities whereas secondary cities, the unspectacular middle ground between metropolises and small towns, have largely been neglected. However, as the World City Report by the UN from 2016... more
Most studies on urbanity in Africa focus on megacities whereas secondary cities, the unspectacular middle ground between metropolises and small towns, have largely been neglected. However, as the World City Report by the UN from 2016 demonstrates, the number of secondary cities and the people living therein increase. Here in this double issue, we explore aspects of cities that are not considered as megacities in their respective countries: Kisumu in Kenya, Kankan in Guinea, and Korhogo and Bouaké in Côte d’Ivoire. The aim is to study secondary cities in their own right, that is, through various modes of interactions that take place among urban dwellers. Based on specific empirical data, we illustrate that everyday urban life in the four presented cities is as urban and probably even more ordinary than in larger urban centres because the former lack the national, regional or global ambitions metropolises usually embrace.
