Rechercher

Sur ce site


Accueil du site > Equipes de Recherche > Population, développement urbain et environnement en Uganda : le cas de le ville des Kampala et ses environs > Problem, objectives, contexts and challenges

Population, Urban Development and the Environment in Uganda : The Case of Kampala City and its Environs

Problem, objectives, contexts and challenges

The general objective of the study was to analyze the relationships between population, urban development and environment to formulate pro-active policy recommendations for sustainable urbanization. Kampala city in Uganda has experienced rapid population growth having increased from a total of 774,241 in 1991 to 1.2 million in 2002 and at annual growth rate of 5.61%. The growth is largely influenced by rural-urban migration. Population increase in Kampala metropolitan area is responsible for increased demand for employment, land for housing, social services and infrastructure that have stimulated a fast spatial urban development and industrialization. This has greatly contributed to the unsustainable utilization of natural resources within the metro area that is reducing the ecological services from the natural environment of the metro area. Consequently this has exacerbated vulnerability of Kampala’s population and communities to natural disasters. As a multi-disciplinary study, this research evaluated the demographic changes in Kampala and their influence on the environment through urban development focusing on housing, industrialization and economic activities in the metro area.

Where as the schematic representations may imply a linear relationship between population dynamics and urban development, a two-way interaction exists continuously. It is also recognized that there are also other mediating ‘external’ factors, which are not a focus of the research. This conceptual framework offers a basis for an assessment of the linkages and derivation of policy recommendations for sustainable urban development in Uganda. Such an assessment is envisaged to make a significant contribution to knowledge about the effects of population dynamics and urban development to the environment. As the environment deteriorates, so is the increase in poverty due to reliance by the urban poor on natural resources through urban agriculture, natural resource extraction, informal production and trade as coping strategies.

Therefore, the more specific aims of the PRIPODE UG4 research team were to (1) examine the trends of population growth and its impacts on the environment through livelihood strategies ; (2) review the physical expansion and planning evolution of Kampala ; (3) assess the trends of industrialization and its role in generating migrants and unplanned housing ; (4) Assess the levels of water pollution due to industrialization and solid waste management ; and finally (5) examine the extent of wetland degradation through population growth and urban development.