Urbanization and Land-Use Housing Policies: The Case of Abidjan (Ivory Coast) from 1960 to 2010

Abidjan, the Ivorian metropolis, serves as both a reflection and a symbol of urbanization in Ivory Coast, given its unique development history and its preeminent status among the country's other urban centers. From the colonial period through 1980, Abidjan's urbanization was accompanied by a planning policy linked to several successive land-use plans and an ambitious housing policy aimed at providing housing for as many citizens as possible. However, the slowdown in Côte d'Ivoire's economic growth beginning in 1980 forced the government to withdraw from its direct involvement in spatial planning and housing construction. Thus, from 1980 to 2015, the new policies on planning, land use, and housing construction-implemented through public-private partnerships-failed to meet the demand for housing expressed by a population consisting, for the most part, of the most disadvantaged social groups. Faced with a housing crisis, we are witnessing the proliferation of informal settlements and the expansion of an urban landscape marked by disorder.