Dwindling of the Tanzanian Housing Sector: Role of the Swahili Language (original) (raw)

URBAN HOUSING FOR THE POOR IN TANZANIA: POLICY, LAW AND THE REALITY

Conference presentation at the University of Antwerp, 2017

There have been many attempts aimed at ensuring that the urban poor have access to quality housing, in terms of access to basic services, infrastructure, materials used and secure land tenure. Such attempts are manifested in different programmes and initiatives which have been pursued by the Government of Tanzania over the years; these include, for example, the Urban Housing Programme, the Sites and Services and Squatter Upgrading Programme, projects by the National Housing Corporation and Schemes of Regularization. It is to be noted that all developments in urban areas in Tanzania must be in accordance with relevant planning laws. As such, housing for the poor in urban areas should be looked at in the context of urban land use planning law and policy. Thus, while the Government is taking some initiatives to address the question of housing, the poor are also required to observe the relevant regulatory regime when setting up their residential houses. By using Dar es Salaam as a case study, the article gives a critical analysis of selected urban planning policy and legislation as well as Government practices and initiatives. The article has established that while at policy level the state seems to commit itself to ensuring that the urban poor have access to decent housing, there are scanty supportive legislative provisions. Furthermore, the selected initiatives and practices do not, actually, work in favour of the urban poor. The article recommends that the Government should formulated and implement a clear policy on housing for the urban poor as well as amending relevant planning legislation. 2

House and Dwelling, Family and Household: Towards Defining Housing Units in West African Cities

Third World Planning Review, 1994

As housing becomes a subject of international study, English language concepts translated into local languages and cultures may lose their precise meaning and easily confuse policy-makers The words 'house', 'dwelling', 'family' and 'household' are particularly important in housing policy and may be used almost interchangeably This paper sets out to explore the use of these words in housing studies with particular reference to parts of West Africa Using examples from Ghanaian and Nigerian languages, some of the problems inherent in using the terms in an undefined way are demonstrated No attempt is made to suggest universally valid definitions but suggested new concepts may help to minimise misunderstanding *This paper was written while Drs Korboe and Onyeacholem were students at CARDO and Mr Amole was a visitor to CARDO under a British Council-sponsored academic link.

Access to Land, Building Materials & Finance for Rental Housing Production in Dodoma Capital City, Tanzania

IJSSRR, 2024

This paper presents study findings concerning rental housing delivery systems in accommodating low-income urban residents in Tanzania. Generally, the study intended to establish the operational and workable policy options for promoting affordable rental houses for the sake of narrowing the urban housing shortage gap that has been increasing over time. The study involved 100 property developers, eighteen (18) key informants, six (6) brokers and fifteen (15) tenants who were purposely selected in the study. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected through interviews with property developers, focus group discussions with key informant and local leaders. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 20 was employed in inferential and descriptive analysis. In line with this, a Chi square technique was employed for describing the association between the variables whilst descriptive analysis was employed to describe the distribution of scores among the variables. The study has shown that 68% of property developers obtain land through informal land market while the rest 32% obtain it from a formal market. Moreover, property developers have reported that savings is the dominant source of rental housing finance mechanism in the study area which counts for 65% of the housing finance mechanisms. Other sources are remittances (16%), pensions (8%), loans (7%) and borrowing from relatives (4%). The study has revealed that the Pearson chi-square value and significance value, confirm that, there is a significant association between affordability and category of land market (x^2-Value= 65.696, P < 0.001). Furthermore, the study has evidenced that individual property developers are dominating rental housing market in the absence of policies, regulations, standards and plans which could take into consideration the access to rental housing for the low-income urban residents. The study recommends to the central and local government that there should be an urgent strategy to establish an enabling housing policy in order to promote affordable rental housing as an option for low-income urban residents in Tanzania.

A Home in the City: Women's Struggle to Secure Adequate Housing in Urban Tanzania

Fordham International Law Journal, 2011

This Report presents the findings of this research effort. Part I sets out the history of Tanzania's informal settlements, including an overview of the evolution that led to the current housing crisis. Part I then reviews Tanzania's obligations under international and domestic law regarding the right to adequate housing and intersecting issues.Part II documents women's struggle to obtain adequate housing in urban Tanzania. This Part first identifies the multiple barriers women face in securing and retaining housing in Tanzanian cities, including discriminatory laws and practices, deeply entrenched patriarchal attitudes, and HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination. Part II then explores how the experience of living without adequate housing disparately impacts women's lives. Specifically, because women spend a disproportionate amount of time in informal settlements, they experience more acutely the lack of basic services that is characteristic of these poor urban areas. Moreover, female residents of informal settlements face increased exposure to gender-based violence and health risks, among other hazards.Finally, Part III examines the way forward. It begins by providing a brief overview of several Tanzanian initiatives aimed at improving informal settlements. It then offers recommendations aimed at the full realization of women's right to adequate housing.

Housing Themselves Transformations, Modernisation and Spatial Qualities in Informal Settlements in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. DEPARTMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE DIVISION OF URBAN STUDIES Housing Themselves Transformations, Modernisation and Spatial Qualities in Informal Settlements in Dar es Salaam, Tanz...

2003

Statement of the problem ……………………………………… 1.3 Objectives of the study…………………………………………. 1.4 Significance of the study………………………………………… 1.5 Relevance of this study within the field of Built Environment Analysis ………………….……………………… 1.6 Research methodology………………………………………… 1.7 Organisation of the thesis……………………………………… 2 URBANISATION AND HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN DAR ES SALAAM …..……………………………………………… 2.1 Urbanisation and housing transformation………………………. 2.2 Growth of Dar es Salaam and its influence on house types……… 2.3 The Swahili house type and its transformation…………………... 2.3.1 Characteristics of a Swahili house…………………………. 2.4 Informal settlement dynamics and policy implications: The influence on house types……..…………………………….. 2.4.1 Overview of informal settlements…………………………. 2.4.2 Characteristics of informal settlements…………………….. 2.4.3 Densification of informal settlements……………………… 2.5 Hanna Nassif settlement, the case study area……………………. 2.5.1 Background information to the settlement………………… 2.5.2 Land use and settlement densification……………………... 2.5.3 Characteristics of housing and buildings…………………… 2.5.4 Infrastructure conditions…………………………………... 3 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK…………………………………… 3.1 What is a theory? ……………………………………………….. 3.2 Traditional versus modern houses and building materials in the transformation process….…………………………………….… 3.3 Theory of determinants of house form………………………..… 10 DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS ……………………………………… 10.1 Transformation as a house supply strategy………………………. 10.2 Role of actors in the transformation process…………………….. 10.2.1 The role of mafundi……………………………………….. 10.2.2 The role of house owners and tenants……………………... 10.2.3 The role of the government………………………………... 10.3 Does transformation lead to appropriate house design? ………… 10.4 The contradiction between modern and traditional building materials………………………………………………………... 10.5 Security and housing transformation……………………………. 10.6 House types classification theory………………………………... 10.7 Flexibility, participation and enabling theories for the transformation process……….…………………………………. 10.8 The rationale of housing adjustment theories, improve or move………………….………………………………………… 10.9 Transformation for modernisation……………………………… 10.9.1 What is a modern house…………………………………… 10.9.2 Rooms for renting………………………………………….

Modernization of Houses in Informal Settlements through Housing Transformation in Tanzania

2018

This paper addresses modernization of houses in informal settlements through housing transformation. It addresses on how people view modernization and how transformation is linked to modernization. A case study and qualitative research strategies were used. Interviews and observations were also used as data collection tools. Face to face interviews were done and responses were recorded and transcribed in order to listen and record feelings and aspirations of people in relation to modernization of houses. Empirical investigations have shown that residents have attempted to modernize their houses in terms of the use of “modern” building materials. The term modernization as perceived by many residents in the studied area means houses constructed with concrete blocks and corrugated iron sheets as compared to houses constructed with mud and poles. Therefore the houses are modern in the context of the studied area. Such houses when compared with say apartment blocks in Dar es Salaam in hi...

Housing Practice and Urban Production at the formal-informal interface: the case of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania

Anais to XVIII Enampur , 2019

Resumo: This paper challenges policy discourse prioritizing formalization and regularization of housing and urban settlements and proposes that policy-driven transformation grounded on actually existing local systems and practices is more likely to facilitate inclusive urban production processes and cities. We frame urban production as occurring within locally established formal-informal interfaces in order to investigate on the ground practices associated to provision, permanence and adaptation to fast change. Focus is in the Makumbusho-Tandale wards of the Kinondoni district, in the city of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, East Africa's largest and most populous country, and where informality is a defining feature. In Dar es Salaam, about seventy percent of urban production occurs in unplanned areas. We present the initial elements of a typology of housing and urban production and practice in the area that draws from grounded analysis, and put forward an agenda for future research.

Livelihood Opportunities Through Informal Housing in the New Capital City of Dodoma, Tanzania MOYENS DE SUBSISTANCE GRACE A L'HABITAT INFORMEL DU JOURNAL Cross-Cultural Communication

2011

Between March 2008 and March 2009 we conducted a desk study and field work on informal and low cost housing endeavours undertaken by building artisans in the new capital city of Dodoma in Tanzania. The study focused on the livelihood opportunities that can be derived from the informal housing building sub-sector as semiskilled artisans' grapple with the realities of unmet housing needs of the designated capital city of Tanzania. The argument is that there is a market for construction of low-cost housing in informal settlements in the new capital city even though these settlements are beset with problems of lack of legal tenure, poor infrastructure and sanitation. It is further argued that informal construction work offers possibilities for employment and income earning for semiskilled artisans. It was felt that a detailed study of informal housing building would provide a better understanding of the key factors and trends affecting the livelihood opportunities of people in the s...