Introduction -- Cities of Sub-Saharan Africa: Failed or Ordinary Cities? -- Interpreting the Sub-Saharan City: Approaches for Urban Development -- Environmental Management and Urbanization: Dar es Salaam as an Illustrative Case -- Adaptive Capacity as a Strategic Element for Reducing Vulnerability to Environmental Changes -- Conclusions: The Distance Between Critical Review and Institutional Commitment.

This book explores whether and how a reinterpretation of Sub-Saharan cities, through the concept of adaptive capacity, could bridge this distance and contribute to a new understanding of the contemporary city. The research contributes to improved knowledge of urban and environmental planning and of the dynamics of development and environmental management in peri-urban areas of Dar es Salaam. This knowledge highlights the limits of certain common generalizations on the character of peri-urban areas. Moreover, the research provides methodological contribution derived from considerations on the strengths and weakness of tools and methods for investigating adaptive capacity and for environmental management, in the city of Dar es Salaam. Finally, it highlights controversial issues and possible research paths related to the relationship between adaptive capacity and urban and environmental planning.