Street Addressing and the Management of cities (Directions in Development) (Spanish Edition)

the long version

The most spectacular change in Sub-Saharan Africa over the last few decades has been the dramatic demographic shift from rural areas to cities. As a result, more than 50% of the city streets in the region have no names or addresses, and the problem is particularly acute in the poorest neighborhoods. With no system of coordinates and no baseline information, how do you find your way around a growing city? How do you dispatch ambulances, firefighters, and law enforcement personnel, send mail, or locate breakdowns in water, electricity, and telephone systems? This book reviews the role of addressing within the array of urban management tools and explores the links between addressing and civic identity, urban information systems, support to municipal services, tax systems, land management and tenure issues, slum upgrading, support to concessionary services, and economic development. It outlines current and future applications, highlights practices in many African countries, and offers a methodological guide for implementing street addressing initiatives which is widely applicable in other parts of the world