URBAN PLANNING AND PROBLEMATIC OF PUBLIC SPACES CONSTRUCTION IN THE CITY OF DSCHANG FROM 1960 TO 2014: ANALYSIS OF THE CASE OF GREEN SPACES

Abstract

After independence, the authorities of the young Cameroonian state had equipped most cities in the country with many documents for planning and management of urban space. This is the case of the city of Dschang in west Cameroon which, inspired by the colonial plans of town planning and development of the city, produced two important development documents respectively in 1963 and 1982. These Planning documents focused on the construction of public space including green spaces, amenity and aesthetics. However, despite the importance of the latter, it was till the creation of the University of Dschang in 1993 and then the influx of students from the year 2000, the city registered more than 50,000 inhabitants in 2010. This led to the emergence of a new urban dynamic with more consideration of green spaces by the actors of city construction. An ecological dynamic which takes into account the perspective of the old city development plans, has helped guide the development of the city. The analysis of Dschang city planning documents, the observation of urban space dynamics (with a remarkable contribution of aerial photographs), interviews with 300 households and resource persons show that the public spaces of the Dschang city are spreading more and more into green spaces. This participates more in increasing the tourist and cultural vocation of the city while building new landscapes.