“Positive” urban futures in sub-Saharan Africa: HIV/AIDS and the need for ABC (A Broader Conceptualization)

This paper takes issue with the narrow conceptualization of HIV/AIDS in urban development planning as primarily (if not exclusively) a behavioural and health issue, with at best an added focus on a few apparent impacts of the epidemic. Apart from oversimplifying a complex reality, the simple message “ABC” (Abstain, Be faithful, use a Condom) is likely to disempower and stigmatize those who are unable to heed its call. Instead, this paper calls for a different kind of ABC, A Broader Conceptualization, based on an understanding of HIV/AIDS as a complex and dynamic development issue. The paper explores factors in the urban environment that are associated with increased vulnerability to HIV infection and the likely implications of the epidemic for urban development, with specific reference to the region that is currently the epicentre of the global epidemic, sub-Saharan Africa. It concludes that “good”, equitable development possibly offers the most effective protection for individuals and urban areas against the spread of HIV and the consequences of the epidemic. At the same time, HIV/AIDS makes the realization of equitable urban development all the more difficult – and thus more urgent.