LAUSR

IntroductionUrbanization and the continued growth of cities, both demographically and spatially, are topics of research studied across a range of disciplines in the urban millennium — a time in history when the majority of people live in cities. However, scholarly research has focused little attention on secondary cities, despite being the most rapidly growing cities in many low-and middle-income countries. Secondary cities, defined by their function rather than population size, are vital nodes for regional commerce and services. As these cities have historically been understudied, they lack geospatial data and the associated analyses important for local planners to understand how to meet current needs and plan for future growth. With this research, openly available geospatial data are evaluated, including both global (i.e., population distribution), local (i.e., municipal data), and data for four service categories (i.e., education, social, health, and food services). This research presents techniques to provide baseline understanding of data needs and accessibility of services in secondary cities with limited geospatial data and expertise.Case descriptionWe examine two secondary cities, Pokhara, Nepal, and Douala, Cameroon. These cities are experiencing unplanned growth, development, and exposure to conditions that contribute to intra-urban inequalities. This research takes a spatial approach—coupling locally-created data sources (i.e., municipality data, field-collected, and non-governmental organizations’ data) with global databases (i.e., world population and satellite images) to demonstrate how spatial data can be integrated and analyzed to enrich our limited understanding of secondary cities and the needs of resident populations. Four categories of services are evaluated and the distance to services from populated areas is calculated.Discussion and evaluationThis research suggests that the distribution of services in both cities does not align with high-need, densely populated areas for certain services, a result of unplanned urban growth. Conversely, populations in areas far from the city center must travel relatively far distances to reach services, indicating lower levels of accessibility.ConclusionThe results of this research serve to identify mapping needs and service accessibility. Projects focusing on geospatial data creation provide information needed for local populations to assess their community and the network of services offered. Additionally, local-decision makers can seek policy options to address unmet needs for community improvements and inequality reduction.