Peri-urban transformation in the Global South: a comparative socio-spatial analytics approach

This research advances our understanding of peri-urban dynamics in the Global South through an innovative comparative socio-spatial analytics approach combining geospatial and qualitative fieldwork-based methods. Drawing on three cases in China, Ghana and India, the comparison is operationalized through two pairs of conceptual lenses developed inductively. We argue that heterogeneous peri-urban morphologies in the Global South, which share several common features, notably fragmentation and bypass, albeit with differing degrees, are shaped by three key processes: (1) market- and speculation-driven property development; (2) state-led development strategies, often expressed through large-scale projects; and (3) fragmented planning and development practices.