ABSTRACT
Douala is the largest city in sub-Saharan Africa without a substantial history of being a political and administrative center. While national capitals have been relocated in Nigeria, Tanzania and Cote D'Ivoire, the largest urban centers in these countries have largely been developed by virtue of their former administrative functions. Douala is unique in that its development trajectory is almost exclusively accounted for by commercial activities. This accords a character to the city that imposes a sense of economic dynamism upon what can often seem a markedly disarticulated social field.
