John Turner's theory of intra-urban mobility and the African reality: examples from East and West Africa

Tijdschr Econ Soc Geogr. 1981;72(5):258-65. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9663.1981.tb01272.x.

Abstract

"The purpose of this paper is to discover whether Turner's Latin American model of intra-urban mobility also applies to Sub-Saharan Africa. Because of the scarcity of literature on mobility within African cities, it is not entirely possible to arrive at definitive conclusions. Nevertheless, the often temporary nature of rural-to-urban migration, the operation of ethnic networks in the city, the role of the extended family in the integration of migrants and the specific patterns of landownership in the peripheral zones around African cities strongly suggest that the Latin American model is of little value for explaining the African reality."

MeSH terms

  • Africa
  • Africa South of the Sahara
  • Africa, Eastern
  • Africa, Southern
  • Africa, Western
  • Demography
  • Developing Countries
  • Emigration and Immigration
  • Ethnicity
  • Evaluation Studies as Topic*
  • Geography
  • Models, Theoretical*
  • Population
  • Population Dynamics*
  • Research
  • Residence Characteristics
  • Social Change
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Transients and Migrants*