In Cameroon, the legislative affirmation of decentralization has profoundly reshaped the character of secondary cities. Long viewed through the lens of its academic, agricultural, and administrative functions, the city of Dschang (West Cameroon) is now undergoing a major restructuring of its urban fabric. Driven by the responsibilities delegated to the municipality, the growing number of local stakeholders, and increasing municipal spending, the town is evolving every day. This article examines the actual impact of these socioeconomic initiatives on the town’s transformation by comparing theories on medium-sized cities, municipal management, and the social construction of territory. To understand these changes, we employ a practical method combining direct field observations, document reviews, and diverse surveys of 300 families and 20 key officials. The results highlight an undeniable strengthening of local planning: the successful in-house management of the wastewater treatment system and waste recycling (9,560 metric tons processed) are the most visible examples of this. However, the reality on the ground reveals a serious structural disconnect. While the management of local services is improving, major infrastructure networks (roads, street lighting, and drinking water supply) are facing a capacity crisis due to the demographic pressure from the university population. Geostatistical analysis confirms the existence of a severe socio-spatial divide, in which horizontal urban sprawl—driven by traditional private land-use practices—systematically outpaces municipal planning and pushes vulnerable populations toward rugged slopes exposed to hydrogeomorphological risks. Ultimately, Dschang embodies the paradoxes of Cameroon’s decentralization process as it seeks balance, caught between genuine political and administrative autonomy and a persistent budgetary squeeze. The study thus calls for a rethinking of how local policies are evaluated by incorporating the dynamics of informal resilience as essential compensatory measures for the limitations of conventional planning.

Keywords: Secondary city; Decentralization; Urban metabolism; Land pluralism; sustainable development; Cameroon.