When the City Encroaches on the Coastline

Presentation of a research project as part of the "Jeudis de la Maison Suger", a residents' research seminar.

This session will feature Lamine Ousmane Cassé, who will examine, through the example of Dakar, the emerging dynamics that are transforming coastal areas in response to urbanization. His talk will shed light on the tensions between urban growth, environmental protection, and spatial justice in Senegal’s coastal regions.

"Over the past several decades, the coastal areas of the Dakar region, Senegal’s capital city, have undergone profound transformations driven by rapid urbanization, coastal development, and the increasing commodification of land. Drawing on research conducted primarily in Malika and Wakhinane Nimzatt, I examine changing land-use patterns and emerging processes of appropriation along the coastline. These areas, once characterized by agricultural, natural, and community-based functions, are increasingly being reshaped by real estate developments, infrastructure projects, and various urban planning initiatives within a context of intense pressure on land resources. Combining field observations, survey research, and spatial analysis, my work investigates the power relations that structure access to land, as well as the processes of speculation, dispossession, and conflict that accompany these transformations. The research also highlights the environmental and social consequences of coastal redevelopment, including land artificialization, the decline of natural spaces, and growing inequalities in access to land. More broadly, it seeks to understand how the valorization of coastal areas is redefining the relationships between urbanization, the environment, and spatial justice."

Lamine Ousmane Cassé is a professor and researcher in geography at Gaston Berger University in Saint-Louis, Senegal. His research focuses on land speculation and peri-urbanization processes in West African coastal cities, with a particular emphasis on issues of climate vulnerability and socio-spatial inequalities. He is also interested in the residential trajectories of disaster victims and modes of urban production. He has participated in research projects and urban planning workshops in West and Central Africa. He also serves as an external expert for ANAQ-Sup, evaluating training programs at Senegalese universities.