The contemporary mozambican urbanization: its characteristics dimension and challenges

Abstract

In the perspective of urban geography, this article deals with the contemporary Mozambican urbanization. The objective is to first present some dominant characteristics of the Mozambican urbanization, then, to outline the dimension of that urbanization and, finally, to be liable to the major challenges that this contemporary urbanization has to establish, providing and maintaining urban development in a markedly poor and underdeveloped country. Fieldwork and documentation consulted allows inferring that contemporary urbanization is more and more extensive. The march of this extensivity is accomplished by the updated valorization of the peripheral areas. The poorest populations migrate to places far from the center. Concomitantly, it increases the problems of urban mobility, of the lack of urban services and infrastructures. Resulting repulsion of the countryside and the attraction of urban space, which frames the recent transformation of the economy. It brings out also that the most dominant features are the following: the urban duality, rurality in urban, informal and urban population growth.

Keywords:
Mozambican urbanization; Urban duality; Rurality in urban; Informality