With a population over one million, Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, faces serious challenges around provision of services, housing and infrastructure, all exacerbated by climate change. Already, a large share of the Freetown population lives in informal settlements and as many as 70 per cent of the city’s residents are employed on an informal basis.
In 2015, the Sierra Leone Urban Research Centre (SLURC) was established to engage with urban challenges in Sierra Leone through research, capacity building and advocacy activities in areas such as health, land, housing and mobility. SLURC has become a platform for dialogue among urban stakeholders to negotiate the future of the city.
Urban Transformations in Sierra Leone aims to share SLURC’s journey so far, articulating the key findings generated by its various research projects, while also reflecting on the partnerships it has enabled. By bringing together research from different sectors, the book makes a significant contribution to knowledge on Freetown, and demonstrates the potential of transdisciplinary work.
Praise for Urban Transformations in Sierra Leone
‘A deeply embedded text that consolidates learning from Freetown for all cities. Read not just for how a critical city of the global south is taking on social, environmental and developmental justice challenges but on the possibilities of multi-sited, egalitarian partnerships that have been held with care over years of co-produced work, collective knowledge making, and locally rooted practice. A treasure of a text!’
Gautam Bhan, Indian Institute for Human Settlements, India
‘Sierra Leone’s story is incomplete without acknowledging the fortuitous emergence of SLURC as a catalysing force for urban transformation. By prioritising collaboration in different forms, this book showcases how engagements between and among academic, practice, civic and public institutions can foster a better future for communities.’
Taibat Lawanson, University of Lagos, Nigeria
‘This book is timely in telling a story about SLURC and partners who are committed to fostering knowledge co-production that offers unique perspective on co-learning, environmental justice, urban resilience, urban health to mention but a few … a living knowledge piece that points us to the future possibilities and extension of knowledge frontiers in Sierra Leone’s urbanisation journey.’
Shuaib Lwasa, International Institute of Social Studies, The Netherlands
‘The authors contribute comprehensively to our understanding of urban development in Freetown, especially its informal settlements. However, its account of the co-production of knowledge is foundational to the work, elevating it beyond case study and offering reflection and models of good practice.’
Kenneth Lynch, University of Gloucestershire, UK
Tabela de Conteúdo
List of figures
List of tables
List of abbreviations
List of contributors
Preface
Foreword
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Joseph M Macarthy, Braima Koroma, Andrea Rigon, Alexandre Apsan Frediani, Andrea Klingel
Part I: Setting the scene
1 Knowledge co-production and equitable partnership in Urban Africa
Andrea Rigon and Alexandre Apsan Frediani
2 An introduction to the city of Freetown
Alexandre Apsan Frediani
2.1 Editorial position on the use of the terms ‘slums’ and ‘informal settlements’
Andrea Rigon, Joseph M Macarthy, Braima Koroma, Alexandre Apsan Frediani and Andrea Klingel
2.2 Informal settlement profiles: Cockle Bay, Dworzark, Portee-Rokupa and Moyiba
Braima Koroma, Joseph M Macarthy, Andrea Rigon, Alexandre Apsan Frediani and Andrea Klingel
3 The story of SLURC
Joseph M Macarthy, Braima Koroma, Andrea Rigon and Alexandre Apsan Frediani
Part II: Knowledge Contributions
4 Urban livelihoods
Andrea Rigon, Braima Koroma and Julian Walker
5 Understanding Freetown’s urban health priorities and challenges: six years of health research at SLURC 2016-2022
Annie Wilkinson, Abu Conteh and Joseph M Macarthy
6 Freetown’s development trajectory from a sustainable mobility perspective
Daniel Oviedo, Clémence Cavoli, Alexandria Z W Chong, Yasmina Yusuf, Braima Koroma and Joseph M Macarthy
7 The strategic importance of knowledge production on assistive technology, disability and informality: The r ATA survey in Thompson Bay and Dworzark Hawanatu Bangura, Braima Koroma, Ignacia Ossul Vermehren and Julian Walker
8 Resilient or just city-making? Exploring the political space to tackle risk traps in Freetown
Adriana Allen, Braima Koroma, Emmanuel Osuteye and Rita Lambert
9 Community-led planning in Freetown
Beatrice De Carli, Alexandre Apsan Frediani, Braima Koroma and Joseph M Macarthy
10 Exploring the role of empowerment in urban humanitarian responses in Freetown
Joseph M Macarthy, Alexandre Apsan Frediani and Milimer Morgado
Part III: Learning and action
11 Research-based trainings
Andrea Rigon, Joseph M Macarthy, Braima Koroma and Alexandre Apsan Frediani
12 Crafting environmental justice through co-learning
Rita Lambert, Pascale Hofmann, Julia Wesely, Adriana Allen and Amadu Labor
13 Freetown through a citizens’ media lens: participatory photography for inclusive neighbourhood planning and beyond Alexander Macfarlane and Alexander Stone
14 The development and running of the massive open online course in development and planning in African cities
Andrea Rigon, Joseph M Macarthy, Joanna Stroud and Alexander Stone
15 The role of community action area planning in expanding the participatory capabilities of the urban poor
Joseph M Macarthy and Alexandre Apsan Frediani
16 City and community learning platforms: institutionalising knowledge spaces towards inclusive informal settlement upgrading Camila Cociña, Stephanie Butcher, Joseph M Macarthy, Braima Koroma, Alexandre Apsan Frediani and Andrea Klingel
Part IV: Learning through SLURC
17 SLURC’s work in the global context
Michael Walls
18 Urban transformations and SLURC: learning, understanding, and impact
Blessing Uchenna Mberu
19 Knowledge exchange as activism
Nancy Odendaal
20 My journey working with SLURC: experiences and impact
Francis Anthony Reffell
21 Learning experiences from SLURC
Yirah O Conteh
22 The Four Cities initiatives: ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts’ – a funder’s perspective
Irene Vance
23 SLURC: a reflection from the national government perspective
Alphajoh Cham
Appendix: Protocols for research partnerships Index
Sobre o autor
Andrea Klingel is the Director of Operations at the Sierra Leone Urban Research Centre (SLURC).
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