Suburbs of the Capital : Sana'a between Urban Development and Slum Cancer Reproduction

Abstract

The study discusses a very important phenomenon in urban development studies in Yemen which is the dispersion of suburbs around Sana'a City "the Capital of Yemen". It covers the definition, existence and urban sprawl of suburbs and the roots of existence of slums in ancient civilizations and Yemen. The study also reviews the phenomenon of modern and contemporary urbanization in the world and the emergence of new modern suburb's cities which have become effective development and planning tools in developed countries and most developing countries. However, this urban policy is still absent in the contemporary urban experiment in Yemen. The study displays the economic, social and environmental problems of suburbs around Sana'a City, especially the lack of services, the absence of infrastructure, and the growth of indiscriminate construction. It is clear that the suburbs lack the simplest standards of urban development, and therefore can be added to the list of slums that multiply around the capital away from planning.