Urban Growth and Spatial Restructuring: The Dynamics of Development in the Brazzaville Suburbs, the Case of Madibou (District No. 8)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47941/ijpid.3839Keywords:
Urban Growth, Spatial Restructuring, Urban Periphery, Land Structuring, Socio-Spatial VulnerabilityAbstract
Purpose: This study analyzes the dynamics of urban growth and spatial restructuring in Madibou District 8, on the outskirts of Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo). It aims to understand how urban expansion influences territorial structuring through the morphological, land-use, and socio-spatial transformations observed in an area subject to intense demographic and land-use pressure.
Methodology: A descriptive and analytical approach based on a mixed-methods methodology was employed. Primary data were collected through household surveys, interviews with institutional stakeholders, direct observations, and GPS surveys. Secondary data include multi-date satellite imagery, urban planning documents, regulatory texts, and demographic statistics. The analysis relies on morphological, land-use, and socio-spatial indicators, processed using statistical tools and geographic information systems (GIS), to assess the dynamics of expansion and structuring in the periphery.
Findings: The study reveals a 32.15% increase in urbanized area between 2010 and 2026, corresponding to an average land consumption of 78.8 ha/year and a land use rate of 64.43%. This growth results in extensive urbanization and intra-urban densification, but remains dominated by informality (30% informal land occupation) and low land-title regularization (35%). Socio-spatial vulnerability is high: limited access to basic services (27%), increased exposure to risk zones (55%), infrastructure deficits, and territorial fragmentation.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: The spatial restructuring of Madibou results from the interaction between urban growth, land pressure, informality, and governance limitations. It sheds light on the mechanisms shaping African urban peripheries and underscores the urgency of strengthening planning, land regularization, basic infrastructure, and the management of constrained spaces to promote sustainable and controlled urban development.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Giovanny Merg Mbali, Rolland Moussitou Moukouengo, Dios Prévu Ngalouo, Paul Gurriel Ndolo
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