Rethinking Urban Public Space Theory in African Cities: Evidence from Yoruba and Hausa Urban Traditions

Mainstream public space theory in urban planning has been disproportionately derived from European urban traditions, with limited engagement with the distinctly different public space cultures and spatial practices embedded in African urban societies. This study critically rethinks urban public space theory through a detailed empirical engagement with Yoruba and Hausa urban traditions, making an original theoretical contribution to planning theory's engagement with non-Western urbanism. Drawing on postcolonial urbanism, African studies, and critical planning theory, the research employs a multi-site ethnographic methodology in Ibadan, representing Yoruba urban public space traditions, and Kano, representing Hausa urban traditions. Data collection over four years involved participant observation in identified public spaces, 100 in-depth interviews with long-term space users, architectural historians, traditional leaders, and urban planners, and spatial documentation of public space typologies, uses, and social norms across time. Comparative analysis identifies the organizing principles, spatial morphology, and governance norms of public space in each tradition, and examines how colonial and post-independence planning have interacted with indigenous public space cultures. Original theoretical contributions include an African Urban Public Space Theory that integrates cultural, spiritual, and political dimensions of public space absent from mainstream planning theory. The study generates implications for public space design, management, and governance in Nigerian cities that are culturally grounded rather than derivative of imported European models. Keywords: Public space theory, African urbanism, Yoruba, Hausa, Post-colonial planning.