“Insightful, grounded, and essential reading for anyone concerned with the political realities of urban development on the continent.”―Richard Obinna Iroanya, University of Namibia Rapid population growth, poor infrastructure, and inadequate housing markets, all combined with haphazard urban planning, have created unprecedented levels of poverty and inequality in Africa's metropolitan areas. In this context, the contributors to Poverty and Inequality in African Cities investigate the challenges facing those who move away from rural areas to the continent's cities in search of stable employment and a better way of life―only to be confronted with overcrowding, poor sanitation, unequal access to resources, and a lack of basic necessities such as water and electricity. Without more effective urban planning, they argue, a domino effect of worsening poverty and social exclusion is inevitable. CONTENTS: CONCEPTUAL EXPLICATIONS. Governance and Politics of Urbanization and Urban Poor in Africa: A Historical Context―the Editors. Pauperization of Africa's Urban Population: Reflections on the Causes of Poverty and Inequality in African Metropolitan Cities―the Editors. Historical Antecedents and Trends of Urban Poverty and Inequality―C. Seleka. Globalization and Marketing of Consumption Patterns: Upscaling Inequality of a Distorted Agenda in Urban Towns―P. Serugo. Measuring Poverty in Africa: Human Development and Citizens' Experiences of Lived Poverty in Resource-Rich Economies―X.A. Ndlovu and H. Siachiwena. Spatial Economic Analysis: Addressing Urban Poverty and Inequality Through Innovative Local Economic Development Strategies―E. Yankson. Trends and Future Directions of the Urban Landscape in Africa―P. Moleka. Alternative Measures and Data Sources of Poverty for Effective Policymaking―M. Ogolla. CASE STUDIES. Investigating Multidimensional Well-Being Among the Homeless: A Cape Town Metropolitan Perspective―T. Sass. Double Pandemic: Implications of Covid-19 on Urban Poverty in South Africa―Z. Ntshongwana et al. Rural-Urban Migration Enigma in South Africa: Key Trends and Issues―D.N. Mlambo. Urban Poverty and Inequality in an African Urban Center: A Study of Makoko Area of Lagos State, Nigeria―C.O. Ugwuibe and P.C. Ezinna. Legislative Framework Addressing the Nexus of Poverty and Inequality in South African Urban Centers―R. M. Mohlakoana. The Paradox of Prosperity: A Comparative Analysis of Nigeria and South Africa―O.K. Sanni. Causes of Child Poverty in Bulawayo Metropolitan: A Case of Cowdray Park and Old Pumula Suburbs―S. Banda. Understanding Poverty and Inequality in Africa: Some Contextual and Methodological Explications―the Editors.