With heat peaks becoming more frequent in African metropolises, urbanization and housing policies, as well as habitat quality, inherited from the 1960s, need to be questioned. This research demonstrates the urgent need to rethink construction methods and standards in Côte d’Ivoire, in order to improve climate resilience in the cities of the region.
Like many African countries, Côte d’Ivoire is experiencing accelerated urbanization. The number of cities with over 100,000 inhabitants rose from eight in 1998 to seventeen by 2021. That same year, 15,428,957 Ivorians lived in cities, accounting for 52.5% of the population, compared with 32% in 1975. Fueled by strong demographic growth, the ongoing urban transition is exposing the limits of urbanization policies. These are marred by a lack of long-term planning, an inadequate investment of resources (for example, in the Housing Mobilisation Account, the Support Fund for Housing or the Urban Land Account) and a raft of environmental challenges (waste management, pollution, global warming, etc.). These weaknesses have a serious impact on the quality of housing for Ivorian citizens. Existing infrastructures are often ill-equipped to cope with current and future climate hazards: rising sea levels, coastal erosion, drastic changes in rainfall patterns, changes in crop cycles, water stress, etc.
Moreover, housing policies still lack a sustainable vision and pay little attention to the needs of the most vulnerable populations, aggravating social and economic inequalities. For example, many urban development initiatives focus on social housing projects in areas with high land values, leaving out inner-city neighborhoods. This neglect contributes to the growth of slums in cities like Abidjan, where many families live in precarious conditions without adequate access to basic infrastructure. In this context, it is clear that integrating social and environmental concerns into housing policies is essential to promote a more equal and resilient society in the face of urban challenges.
Health and housing on the front line of the climate challenge
In reality, the most visible face of climate change ̶ global warming ̶ is showing up in Côte d’Ivoire in the form of higher average temperatures and a more pronounced recurrence of extreme weather events (floods, heatwaves, etc.). According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projections, it is very likely that many of the world’s cities will experience an increase in the incidence and duration of heatwaves (Pachauri et al., 2015), accentuating the urban heat island (UHI) effect. Côte d’Ivoire’s major urban areas, such as Abidjan, Bouaké and Yamoussoukro, are no exception to this. In addition to the effects of global warming, these cities are experiencing increasingly severe heat peaks due to high urban demographics, the industrial nature of building construction, the lack of greenery and the use of heat-absorbing materials. These conditions exacerbate public health problems in African urban areas, where health infrastructure is often inadequate.
In addition to the risk of heatstroke and heat stress, temperature peaks can favor respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, as well as the spread of vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. There is therefore a clear correlation between housing quality and public health policies. This shows the urgent need for Côte d’Ivoire’s authorities to address the issue of climate resilience from the angle of urban housing renewal.
Seizing the opportunities of the African ecosystem
According to Vincent Zoma and Nadaogo Nakanabo (2022), for a long time, housing policies were based on housing logic, with the aim of providing city dwellers with affordable housing and buildable plots of land. These policies were implemented to the detriment of sustainable, environmentally-friendly housing.
This is one of the reasons why, for many years, cement-intensive cinderblock construction was the preferred choice for urban housing in Africa. Rising temperatures in recent years and the resulting discomfort in Côte d’Ivoire show the limits of this unsustainable housing policy, which is ill-suited to the climatic realities of sub-Saharan countries. However, the abundance of resources and diversity of building materials offered by the African ecosystem could serve as a lever for resilience in the face of global warming. Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, the Himalayas, China, South and Central America abound in wonders designed by the people themselves, with materials drawn from the very place of construction.
For example, the adoption of sustainable, locally-sourced building materials (such as fast-growing bamboo combined with naturally abundant clay), holds immense potential for significantly reducing dependence on materials that are often imported and energy-intensive in their production and transportation. In addition, vegetation-based building measures offer significant cooling benefits through evapotranspiration and shading. Planting on roofs and walls can also play an important role in insulating buildings, keeping them cool during the summer season and limiting heat loss in winter (Filho et al., 2017). Finally, the integration of bioclimatic solutions, right from the design stage of buildings, which maximize natural ventilation and shade, can reduce dependence on energy-intensive air conditioning systems.
As Didier Bebada (2021) points out that to strengthen the climatic resilience of African urban metropolises, public housing policies and all parties involved in the construction value chain should consider housing as a cultural heritage. This would help preserve the architectural and ecological identity of African territories and areas. It is also essential to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the African ecosystem by launching programs to (re)educate stakeholders in eco-construction, using local materials such as geoconcrete, or sustainable techniques such as those promoted by the 2022 Nobel Architecture Prize winner, Diedébo Francis Kéré, who uses raw earth to construct sustainable buildings. Applying these solutions will ensure effective adaptation to climate change, as well as greater social and economic justice between all Ivorians.
