Walking in Africa cities. - In a general context of population growth and family poverty playing significant roles in large African cities, transportation is a problem when one has to go anywhere outside one's district. Due to the longer distances, motoring is increasingly necessary, yet, due to the insufficient solvency of city inhabitants and to the lack of suitable public transportation systems, moving in cities relies mainly on walking. The case of Dakar shows the broad differences existing in the access to the city by “exclusive walkers” and by motorised vehicle users, by developed district residents and undeveloped district inhabitants. The many lacks of facilities and the gaps in district accessibility reinforce the negative impact of low incomes on mobility, and cause a forced withdrawal into districts, leading to increased urban poverty. In urban policy definitions, taking walking into account should be more clearly stated in order to meet the daily difficulties of a large fraction of city dwellers, in addition to required improvement to be made to the operation of public transportation.
