The Relationship Between Infrastructure And Urbanization In The Countries Around Lake Victori

Infrastructure is the key to ensure smooth urbanization and sustainable urban development.Currently,the rapid urbanization in African countries and the continuous concentration of population in cities has created a greater demand for the originally backward infrastructure.However,the mismatch between infrastructure and urbanization development in African countries has further led to a series of urban problems.Currently,the contradiction between large-scale urbanization and severe infrastructure deficit has put tremendous pressure on African cities in Lake Victoria Rim countries to achieve sustainable development goals.This paper discusses the relationship between infrastructure and urbanisation in the five countries of the Lake Rim,Tanzania,Uganda,Kenya,Burundi and Rwanda,to clarify the impact of various infrastructure supplies on urbanization in different countries,with the aim of promoting infrastructure investment to drive urbanisation,and then balance the relationship between various infrastructure construction and urbanization development needs.This paper first establishes a coupled coordination model to determine the degree of coordination between infrastructure and urbanization based on data of infrastructure and urbanization in Lake Victoria Rim countries from 2000-2019.On this basis,a VAR model is introduced to deeply explore the interaction relationship between the two,to quantify the extent to which different types of infrastructure contribute to urbanization.A VAR model is to clarify the relationship between infrastructure input-economic development-urbanization,and to explore the role of economic growth in the relationship between infrastructure and urbanization.Finally,suggestions are provided for the coordinated development of infrastructure and urbanization in the five countries around the Rim based on the achievement of the sustainable development goals of the relevant infrastructure in the Rim countries.The results of the study show that(1)the coupling index of infrastructure scale and urbanization level in the Lake Rim region are above 0.9,but the combined level is below 0.2,and all five countries are at a lower development stage.The infrastructure and urbanization development of the five countries in the Rim Lake are not coordinated and are still in a dysfunctional recession stage as of 2019.By 2019,the barrier degree is more than 10% except for the medical facilities in Burundi.(2)Sanitation and medical care are common obstacles to the harmonious development of urbanization and infrastructure development of urbanization and infrastructure in the Lake Rim countries and the obstructive effect is increasing year by year.(3)There is a causal relationship between infrastructure and urbanization.Different infrastructures have different degrees of influence on urbanization in different countries,among which sanitation and water facilities are the common factors affecting the urbanization development of the five countries in the Lake Rim,so the key investment areas in the Lake Rim countries should focus on sanitation and water facilities.In the future,Rwanda and Kenya’s water facilities,Burundi’s sanitation and water facilities will have a positive contribution to urbanization and the contribution rate is increasing,while Tanzania’s sanitation and water facilities will have a negative impact on urbanization for a short period of time and then turn into a long-term positive impact and the contribution rate is gradually increasing.(4)Some infrastructures have a significant role in boosting economic growth.Among them,communication facilities are the common infrastructure affecting the economic level of the five countries,with positive effects and increasing contribution rates for Uganda,Kenya and Rwanda,but negative effects for Tanzania and Burundi;while health care and education have larger contribution rates for the two countries.(5)The role of economic development factors in the relationship between urbanization and infrastructure is not significant,especially the effect of economic influence on urbanization is not significant.The economies of the five Lake Rim countries mainly depend on investment and assistance from the international community,and it is difficult for their own economies to promote urbanization development in a short period of time.At present,there is still a big gap for the achievement of sustainable development goals related to infrastructure in the Lake Rim countries,and countries should actively invest in relevant infrastructure and gradually improve the diversification of investment subjects,so as to promote sustainable urban development.