Urban infrastructure and energy poverty in Maputo, Mozambique

Abstract

This chapter argues for an understanding of energy access with reference to the users’ experiences, moving away from the characterization of energy access as a technical issue. This chapter focuses on the neighbourhood of Chamanculo C, in Maputo, Mozambique. Using quantitative and qualitative methodologies, the case shows that energy access is a complex issue which relates to the role of energy in local economies and social interactions, as well as to the structure of the built environment and the intimate relationship between fuel flows and local livelihoods. Improvement of the access to electricity and gas availability has not automatically displaced charcoal as the main fuel for cooking. We argue for methodologies for the study of urban energy landscapes that engage specifically with the material production of urban space.