Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Research Briefing
  • Published:

Street-level mapping of urban slums and wealth inequality in sub-Saharan Africa

Nature Cities volume 2, pages 1022–1023 (2025)Cite this article

Subjects

We reveal the hidden geography of poverty in African cities by combining survey data, geospatial data and machine-learning algorithms to develop high-resolution maps of slums that show where services are lacking and inequality is rising. These insights should help to guide investment and interventions.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Mapping slums and wealth inequalities in urban areas in sub-Saharan Africa.

References

  1. Butcher, S., Acuto, M. & Trundle, A. Leaving no urban citizens behind: an urban equality framework for deploying the sustainable development goals. One Earth 4, 1548–1556 (2021). A perspective that presents a practical framework for advancing urban equality through the Sustainable Development Goals.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. da Silva, A. A., da Silva, I. F. K. & Westerholt, R. Mapping the margins: a systematic scoping review of the impact of digital mapping on public participation in informal settlements. Habitat International 147, 103040 (2024). A review that examines how digital mapping indirectly supports public participation in informal settlements.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Yu, L. et al. FROM-GLC Plus: towards near real-time and multi-resolution land cover mapping. GIScience Remote Sens. 59, 1026–1047 (2022). A paper that presents a machine-learning-based platform for near-real-time, multi-resolution global-land-cover mapping from the 1980s to the present.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This is a summary of: Li, C. et al. Mapping urban slums and their inequality in sub-Saharan Africa. Nat. Cities https://doi.org/10.1038/s44284-025-00276-0 (2025).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Street-level mapping of urban slums and wealth inequality in sub-Saharan Africa. Nat Cities 2, 1022–1023 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44284-025-00291-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Version of record:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44284-025-00291-1

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing