Urban mobility in Dakar: urban development between exclusion and inclusion

Today, my PhD journey finally comes to an end. It has been a wild ride! Four years and eight months between Dakar and Cologne, one curatorial project, and countless hours of writing and editing later, my book is finally available to read! You can download it as open access or purchase a print copy from transcript Verlag.

My investigation focused on urban mobility in the Senegalese capital Dakar exploring the tension between inclusion and exclusion. Using the example of the Train Express Régional, I demonstrate how selective and colonial spatial logics continue to influence transport policies and urban development projects in West Africa, thereby restricting marginalised residents’ access to the city. I focused particularly on the participatory and artistic intervention practices of the forum theatre group ‘Kaddu Yaraax’: in their public street theatre performances, they highlight these forms of exclusion and, together with those affected, explore alternative, more inclusive forms of urban participation.

Please note that the book is written in German and some parts are in French and Wolof. For my English-speaking friends out there: Two articles dealing with central aspects of my research will soon be published.

Big thanks to my family, my supervisors, my research participants and collaborators. Without you this research would not have been possible.

Citation suggestion:
Meienberg, Simon. 2026. Urbane Mobilität in Dakar. Stadtentwicklung zwischen Ausgrenzung und Teilhabe. Urban Studies. Bielefeld: Transcript.