Urbanization in Algeria

Toward a More Balanced and Sustainable Urban Network

Bibliographic Data

ID5933973
AuthorsFeyrouz Ahlam Saidi (0000-0002-5165-3373, University of Debrecen, corresponding author), Kwanele Phinzi (0000-0003-1865-7011, University of Debrecen), E Molnár (0000-0001-8157-4222, University of Debrecen)
Year2023
Volume12
Issue3
Pages174
Publication date2023-03-14
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Sciences (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2076-0760 • E-ISSN: 2076-0760
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/socsci12030174
OpenAlexW4324143038
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited24

Before colonization, Algeria was primarily a rural country with a nomadic and semi-nomadic population. However, significant changes occurred during and after the colonial era as modernization efforts were implemented. This paper provides a regional overview of Algeria's pre-and post-millennium urban development based on census population data expressing the quantitative side of urbanization. Our analysis focuses on three aspects: regional structural tendencies of urbanization, sources of urban growth, and the current state of Algeria's urban network. We contextualize our findings by comparing them with the existing literature and the priorities outlined in the country's National Spatial Development Plan 2025. Our research suggests that: (1) First-stage (concentration) and second-stage (suburbanization) urbanization features, as well as internally and externally determined development, characterize Algeria's urban network. (2) A decreasing and regionally differentiated urban growth rate indicating a moderate shift towards non-coastal regions and the above-average dynamics of large cities and smaller towns can be observed. (3) The significance of natural growth as a source of urbanization is higher than the contributions of rural-urban migration and new "de jure" towns. However, these factors are differentiated among the regions, highlighting the secondary role of rural-urban migration in the internal peripheries and the importance of new "de jure" towns in the densely populated and urbanized northern regions. (4) Algeria's urban network is divided into three sharply differentiated zones that have experienced only moderate changes. We regard this shift toward a spatially more balanced urban network as a factor supporting but not guaranteeing sustainable development

Census · Development economics · Economic geography · Economic growth · Economics · Geography · Internal migration · Metropolitan area · Modernization theory · Political science · Population · Population growth · Sociology · Suburbanization · Sustainable development · Urban climate · Urban planning · Urbanization · Demography · Ecology · French Urban and Social Studies · Land Use and Ecosystem Services · Urban Transport and Accessibility

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