Haiti, land of blue sea and green hills, white fishing boats on the sea, and the hidden huts of peasants in the tall mountains. People strong, midnight black. Proud women whose heads bear burdens, whose backs are very straight. Children naked as nature. Nights full of stars, throbbing with Congo drums. At the capital lovely ladies ambergold, mulatto politicians, warehouses full of champagne, banks full of money. A surge of black peasants who live on the land, and the foam of the cultured elite in Port-au-Prince who live on the peasants.

Port-au-Prince, city of squalid huts, unattractive sheds and shops near the water front, but charming villas on the slopes that rise behind the port.

A presidential palace gleaming white among palm trees with the green hills for a backdrop.
A park where bands play at night. An enormous open-air market.

The preceding passage was taken from Langston Hughesą travelogue entitled, I Wonder as I Wander. Although he wrote this loge over 60 years ago, many of his descriptions have transcended time and are more than accurate in describing the current Haitian reality today.

One way to look at, and understand, urbanization in cities as complicated as Port-au-Prince is through regional comparison. However, in examining Port-au-Prince and its neighboring regional urban centers (Santo Domingo, San Juan etc) it is obvious that they have little in common. Port-au-Prince in no way resembles a Caribbean or Latin American city. There are many reasons for this, including there respective colonizing influences, however, because of their close geographic proximity it is still somewhat surprising. Therefore, I believe, in trying to examine its urban development, one needs to look across the ocean to Sub-Saharan Africa to find a suitable model. The following are 12 characteristics commonly associated with urban life in Sub-Saharan African cities and how Port-au -Prince can be related to the model.