Urban Expansion Processes of Kampala in Uganda: Perspectives on contrasts with cities of developed countries Panel Contribution to the PERN Cyberseminar on Urban Spatial Expansion by

As noted by Charles Redman and Nancy Jones in the background paper, rapid urbanization brings opportunities to new urban developments. But urbanization also comes with serious loss of arable land, degradation of ecosystems as well as social and environmental changes to the urban populations. The current urbanization process in developing countries is indicative of a process that needs considerable attention not only as a basis for transformation of societies in the developing countries but also for sustainable development. As cities grow and expand it is expected that economic growth and development will progress and act as a driver for social transformation and improvement of not only in urban areas but the greater rural hinterland served by the urbanized region. Experiences in developing countries show a disjuncture between urbanization and the envisaged socio-economic transformation. Increased and persistent urban poverty, environmental sanitation issues, urban food issues, housing, transportation and pollution problems are prevalent in cities of developing countries with the most vulnerable being areas of recent urban expansion and settlements of the urban poor.