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... (original) (raw)
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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...
EVALUATING THE LEVEL OF PHYSICAL TRANSFORMATION OF HOUSES IN GATED COMMUNITIES IN GHANA
The upsurge of real estate housing within Accra has resulted in all manner of gated communities springing up across the city scape. These seek to provide housing services to the desperate urban dweller. The quality of their services has however been brought to question due to lack of a proper regulatory body to oversee their work. Recent studies indicate the emergence of physical transformations. This research sought to investigate the conditions and reasons underlying these housing transformations. A case study approach, with a mix of both qualitative and quantitative methods were adopted in determining the conditions of the houses. The relative important index was also used in ranking the various factors that led to these physical transformations. The study revealed that 41% of the houses have undergone transformations with external works, fenetra-tions, and mechanical and engineering services being most parts affected. Major reasons given for transformation were poor ventilation and lighting. The study recommends amongst others that the government should institute a special regulatory body backed by law with regular assessment from the occupants in order to check the performance of real estate developers.
Design strategy and informal transformations in urban housing
Dweller-initiated transformations are mostly chided for their apparent locational spontaneity that is often at variance with functional and aesthetic objectives in formal housing design. This presumes speculator-driven motives as sole reasons for the phenomenon, and yet others, including the social and physical functional objectives also underlie the processes. The paper uses empirical findings from Nairobi housing estates— Buru-Buru; a middle-income estate and Kaloleni; a Council rental estate—to illustrate physical qualities in informal transformations of formal housing. Using measurements and illustrative material, the results show a (sub)-conscious rationale that generates tenements while also retaining the desired socio-spatial qualities of the middle-income neighbourhood. It is posited that a design strategy that is responsive to the varied objectives of economy, social and physical spatial demands of housing should inform concepts in housing design. This is aimed at enhancing environmental qualities of formal housing that emerge when faced with unilateral transformations.
Housing transformation is a major livelihood strategy among low-income households in formal and informal settlements. Domestic spaces are produced for social unit. This study illustrates the analysis of domestic spaces in a low-income settlement and their impact on the way of life of the inhabitants. The factors that affect the physical organization of spaces and its quality are evaluated with respect to the survival strategy of the low-income dwellers. The space organization of the dwelling units in low-income settlements illustrates different structures and forms that may not fit the conventional understanding of modern urban housing. The space organization of such dwelling reflects the users need and space requirements and the incremental developments are experienced with mutual understanding of the neighbors. In this respect, the physical characteristics a low-income settlement in Dhaka are investigated; namely Ershad Nagar resettlement camp. Besides the housing and neighborhood characteristics, the economic, social and cultural status of people living in those areas is examined. The study shows that for some reasons the domestic spaces of the low-income housing are being transformed in course of time since their establishment. And the transformation of domestic spaces reflects the overall housing transformation of the settlement.
Civil Engineering and Architecture, 2022
Understanding the role of socio-cultural factors in dwellings has become important in the current trends of urbanization and modernization. This can be explored through primary studies and from previous studies done by researchers. When pursuing a primary study also, understanding the studies done by previous researchers becomes a necessity. Hence, this research paper would be beneficial for the researchers to do analysis of the previous studies. A methodology model was developed for the analysis of secondary data involving socio-culture and dwellings. Previous researches were identified and selected based on certain inclusion and exclusion criteria for this paper. The limitations were the time frame chosen for selection of literature from January 2010 to May 2021 and the search websites chosen were Google Scholar and EBSCO websites. The methodology comprised of five stages. The first stage identified and selected the previous researches for the study, based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The second stage listed the theories, methods, tools and techniques from the books of pioneers. The third stage comprised of two parts; the first part checked the applicability of the theory stated by the pioneer Amos Rapoport that, the socio-cultural factors were the main factors in the formation of dwellings on to the transformation of different aspects of dwellings. The second part applied the listed theories, methods, tools and techniques from second stage, on the selected previous researches and categorized accordingly. The fourth stage categorized the reasons for the theory of Amos Rapoport being proved true at certain instances or false at certain other instances. The lacunas in the focus of the research topic discussed in the selected secondary data were also identified for further exploration. The fifth stage identified the different avenues available for researchers and also formulated a reference palette of the theories, methods, tools and techniques. This paper would be an additional secondary data for researches in the discipline of architecture, socio-cultural studies and anthropology. It would create an awareness to the architects, designers, urban planners and policy makers on the importance of the role of socio-cultural factors when designing dwellings and framing policies for the future developments.
Civil Engineering and Architecture, 2023
This paper analyses the informal processes of production of dwelling spaces, specifically the process of acquiring and developing a piece of land. It aims to capture inherent dynamics governing the rationality of the process by drawing on a case study of Mamboleo “B” informal residential urban neighbourhood in the rapidly urbanizing city of Dar es Salaam. The process by which the landowners transform the dwelling spaces informally transcends socio-economic, cultural, and legal factors that demand inherent spatial dynamics to be explained from an urban transformation perspective. This leads to an inquiry into spatial dynamics, which results from unpredictability and mutation of the process and its impact on space. Further, the actors, the innovative informal practices and the urban form resulting from dwelling transformation commensurate with the prevailing socio-cultural condition are sought to inform conventional planning discourse adequately. A mixed-method was employed where the data collection tools included questionnaires, interviews, document analysis, map-reading and physical observations. This study involved snowball and purposive sampling techniques in selecting the respondents, with the first being used to determine the individual dwelling owners and the private sector practitioners while the latter choosing the public sector urban planning officials. Cultural - Historical Activity Theory was used to guide the analysis of the activities to gain their significance in the production of urban dwelling spaces. The study established that the dynamic structures are crucial to the survival of the informal dwellers as they were observed to provide a fertile ground for the survival of the informal processes of production of space together with their associated spaces. The dynamic structures characterized by negotiations, sharing, variations, incrementalism, spontaneity, and adaptability have contributed to affordable land within city boundaries, collective living and shared spaces, use of land as economic assets, and incremental constructions adaptable to users’ changing needs. The flexibility and adaptability of resulting spaces and dwellings were observed to support the socio-economic realities facing most urban dwellers, particularly people experiencing poverty, and hence their survival in urban areas. This study concludes that understanding the dynamics and rules governing spatial changes in informal urban spaces is critical to achieving complex urban spaces and successful spatial interventions in informal urban areas.
Evolution of urban housing strategies and dweller-initiated transformations in Nairobi
In her century of existence, Nairobi has served as a laboratory of various housing strategies targeting the indigenous Africans and the poor. Discriminated based on racial segregation during colonisation, the poor have also been the object of post-colonial economic marginalisation. Consequently informal settlements and dweller-initiated transformations of formal housing has become their only mode of urban domicile. The paper looks at the later model and isolates the strategic policy and design choices that have guided the dwellers’ drive to transform the provided houses. The investigation uses an historical review of related literature in existing housing estates in city’s Eastlands’ District. Further, a case study of Kaloleni Rental Estate from the district was undertaken. The resultant dwellings point to informalisation leading to deterioration through use of ‘temporary’ materials and unplanned space uses in these formal schemes. The strategies based on modernist templates which ignored consultation, local cultural spatial paradigms and basic functional needs are faulted for the proliferation of these undue transformations that compromise the living environments. Further, the continued lack of tenant security in transforming dwellings has aided in the continual physical and social deterioration of neighbourhoods. The recommendations include a phased design guided densification model, socially inclusive through the incorporation of the existing dwellership and their participation.
Housing Clusters for Densification within an Upgrading Strategy. The Case of Kampala, Uganda.
Housing Clusters for Densification within an Upgrading Strategy. The Case of Kampala, Uganda., 2008
The process of urbanisation in the urban centres of most sub-Saharan African countries has been brought about by numerous factors, including rural to urban migration, natural increase in population, and in-migration. In Uganda due to these factors the capital city Kampala is growing rapidly. The present research examines past and present urban planning and housing trends in Uganda. The theoretical framework for housing at appropriate residential densities, good spatial qualities and usage, and the role of planning is analysed. Appropriate houses and house types are discussed and recommendations given about housing design and housing policy. In Kampala planned housing has not been able to accommodate the growing urban population, since it is small in number or simply unaffordable. The low-income households can neither afford to build their houses in the “permanent” materials recommended by the building regulations, nor can they afford to seek professional guidance to help them to plan there houses and sites favourably. Most of houses for the low-income households have been self constructed. These are usually detached one-storey houses which have contributed to low densities. Even though a few documents have mentioned the problem of urban sprawl, low-density housing and inappropriate houses in the informal settlements, building professionals have not come up with appropriate house types that can help solve these problems. Most “low-cost” housing design proposals developed in the past are merely smaller prototypes of higher income housing designs. New land is encroached upon at a fast rate because of the fact that residential development is basically horizontal. The sprawling nature of the predominantly horizontal development of housing leads to longer distances to job opportunities and is expensive due to increased lengths of services and infrastructure. This can be otherwise avoided by building at higher residential densities. The low-income households have been badly hit by this situation since the medium- and high-income households can provide for themselves some of the basic services and infrastructure. If urban sprawl is to be checked new house types which increase residential densities but maintain good spatial qualities within the housing clusters need to be developed. These new house types should consider the existing patterns of relationship and identification for different groups of households. My Licentiate thesis aimed at identifying the different house types within the informal settlements of Kampala. The different house types that were identified have been the foundation from which new housing proposals have been developed in the present thesis. This thesis deepens the analysis of factors behind urban sprawl and develops new cluster types to be implemented within the framework of upgrading with an enabling strategy. This research aims at developing new house types that can be appropriate for low-income households. These are house types that can reflect both poor people’s present-day needs and political realism. The thesis shows that house types can reduce infrastructure and transport costs, at the same time as preventing encroachment on agricultural land. Key words: Low-Income Housing, Home-Based Enterprises, House Types, Residential Density, Urban Sprawl, Space Use, Spatial Qualities, Systematic Sketching, Role of Professionals, Uganda