Urban Public Policies and Poverty in the City of Cotonou

Abstract

Traditionally, cities, especially African ones, are often considered dynamic places where services and transactions take place. In Cotonou, the need to have a sustainable and resilient city has led the State towards urban reforms driven by public policies. Paradoxically, the implementation of strategies seems to generate more disadvantaged and excluded social classes. From this perspective, it is appropriate to identify the problem of emerging cities by focusing on the aspects of the reforms which exacerbate the poverty of the masses. The analysis starts from empirical data capture to justify how urban structures and the construction of sustainable cities induce coercive measures that are poorly perceived by the “poor”. To understand reality, the methodological approach taken was based on an appropriation of the methods of constructing urban zoning and a collection of data on the impact of urban reforms on the poverty of city dwellers. The empirical materials collected for this research come from field surveys carried out in two districts declared to be of public utility, Xwlacodji and Fiyégnon 2. In total, two hundred and one (201) actors were approached on the basis of reasoned choice sampling applied to resource actors. The random sampling method is used for interviews with potential users of the developed areas. From the analysis of the data, it follows that the sustainability requirements of cities, the housing situation in the “new Cotonou” and the difficulties of access to basic social services compress survival strategies in Cotonou. This research is an indicative correlation between urban public policies and the exacerbation of poverty in urban areas.