A Fine-Grain Multi-Indicator Analysis of the Urban Form of Five Informal Settlements in East Africa
Few studies have investigated the urban morphology of informal settlements at fine-grain level, limiting effective urban planning and policies targeting such areas. This study presents a high-resolution morphological analysis of five informal settlements located in central areas of major cities in E...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-07-01
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| Series: | Urban Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/4/3/31 |
| _version_ | 1797562940195340288 |
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| author | Johan Mottelson Alessandro Venerandi |
| author_facet | Johan Mottelson Alessandro Venerandi |
| author_sort | Johan Mottelson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Few studies have investigated the urban morphology of informal settlements at fine-grain level, limiting effective urban planning and policies targeting such areas. This study presents a high-resolution morphological analysis of five informal settlements located in central areas of major cities in East Africa. The analysis is based on indicators of urban form, statistical comparison, and field interviews on household conditions. The method improves the replicability and increases the spatial granularity compared to previous studies. Outcomes show that all case studies are characterised by organic street layouts. Three settlements form a comparable group with denser urban fabrics (small block size, high coverage ratios, and small private spaces), while the remaining two cases have less compact forms. The field interviews show high rates of tenancy, overcrowding, and inadequate access to water and sanitation in the first group and low rates of these conditions in the second group. We suggest that these differences are partially an outcome of levels of informal land supply. We argue that decreased informal land supply leads to increased competition and higher prices of accommodation, leaving fewer household resources for infrastructure investments and consequent compromised livelihoods. Accordingly, we argue that some modes of informal urban development should be accepted in Sub-Saharan Africa. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:35:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8bfdcb6f535a43d790103f27de8fcbcb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2413-8851 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:35:43Z |
| publishDate | 2020-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Urban Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-8bfdcb6f535a43d790103f27de8fcbcb2023-11-20T06:16:39ZengMDPI AGUrban Science2413-88512020-07-01433110.3390/urbansci4030031A Fine-Grain Multi-Indicator Analysis of the Urban Form of Five Informal Settlements in East AfricaJohan Mottelson0Alessandro Venerandi1Institute of Architecture, Urbanism and Landscape, KADK—The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts—Schools of Architecture, Design and Conservation, Philip de Langes Allé 10, 1435 Copenhagen, DenmarkUMR 7300 ESPACE, University of Cote d’Azur, 98 Bd Herriot-BP 3209, 06200 Nice, FranceFew studies have investigated the urban morphology of informal settlements at fine-grain level, limiting effective urban planning and policies targeting such areas. This study presents a high-resolution morphological analysis of five informal settlements located in central areas of major cities in East Africa. The analysis is based on indicators of urban form, statistical comparison, and field interviews on household conditions. The method improves the replicability and increases the spatial granularity compared to previous studies. Outcomes show that all case studies are characterised by organic street layouts. Three settlements form a comparable group with denser urban fabrics (small block size, high coverage ratios, and small private spaces), while the remaining two cases have less compact forms. The field interviews show high rates of tenancy, overcrowding, and inadequate access to water and sanitation in the first group and low rates of these conditions in the second group. We suggest that these differences are partially an outcome of levels of informal land supply. We argue that decreased informal land supply leads to increased competition and higher prices of accommodation, leaving fewer household resources for infrastructure investments and consequent compromised livelihoods. Accordingly, we argue that some modes of informal urban development should be accepted in Sub-Saharan Africa.https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/4/3/31informal settlementsurban morphologyurban formmixed methodsSub-Saharan AfricaEast Africa |
| spellingShingle | Johan Mottelson Alessandro Venerandi A Fine-Grain Multi-Indicator Analysis of the Urban Form of Five Informal Settlements in East Africa Urban Science informal settlements urban morphology urban form mixed methods Sub-Saharan Africa East Africa |
| title | A Fine-Grain Multi-Indicator Analysis of the Urban Form of Five Informal Settlements in East Africa |
| title_full | A Fine-Grain Multi-Indicator Analysis of the Urban Form of Five Informal Settlements in East Africa |
| title_fullStr | A Fine-Grain Multi-Indicator Analysis of the Urban Form of Five Informal Settlements in East Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Fine-Grain Multi-Indicator Analysis of the Urban Form of Five Informal Settlements in East Africa |
| title_short | A Fine-Grain Multi-Indicator Analysis of the Urban Form of Five Informal Settlements in East Africa |
| title_sort | fine grain multi indicator analysis of the urban form of five informal settlements in east africa |
| topic | informal settlements urban morphology urban form mixed methods Sub-Saharan Africa East Africa |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/4/3/31 |
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