Les transports africains à la croisée des chemins

The beginning of the twenty-first century has witnessed a wave of large-scale infrastructure development across Africa. Railways, ports, airports, and highways are reshaping territories, while regional express rail systems, bus rapid transit (BRT) networks, and soon metro systems are profoundly transforming mobility patterns within metropolitan areas. Nevertheless, although these transformations are tangible, they cannot hide the continued presence of "clando taxis," motorcycle taxis, and countless minibuses, commonly grouped under the broad and ambiguous category of the informal sector. Through their own ongoing adaptations, these modes of transport continue to provide essential mobility solutions, complementing or offering alternatives to newly introduced conventional transport services. The relationship between new infrastructures and pre-existing transport systems therefore emerges as a critical issue, both for the future viability of these major projects and for the prospective analyses needed to anticipate the transformations they may generate within territories, societies, and local and national economies. Conceptualizing this articulation constitutes a major challenge for policymakers, transport professionals, and researchers alike. This volume addresses these issues by bringing together case studies that shed light on the trajectories of the various components of transport systems and on their integration into national, local, and urban territorial dynamics.