Planning the evolution of a city. A case study of Abidjan

Abstract This paper examines the planning of urban evolution within the context of Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire). An integrated approach is adopted in which economic activities, housing and transportation are considered the principal elements. Within this context, particular consideration is given to the following points: the relationships between the city and the country, the functioning of the city overall, and the problems related to the broad spatial structure. Finally, the paper examines the present city plan and discusses the effects that some of the contemporary projects may have on its future evolution. This study focuses on the evolution of the city of Abidjan, but it makes use of some general hypotheses. These concern the complexity of the city and thus the need to consider it as an open system where many interrelated elements evolve within a larger, more general context. In this paper, however, the basic elements have been limited to three – economic activities, housing, an