Integrating informality | The growth of informal settlements
The urban population of sub-Saharan Africa is rapidly expanding — a trend set to continue over the next century.
A substantial proportion of this growth has been within informal settlements, or slums. Although, by the very nature of their informality, finding precise data on these settlements is difficult, the World Bank estimates 55% of the urban population of sub-Saharan Africa currently live in informal settlements. These settlements continue to grow as Africa urbanises and present a challenge for policymakers and civil society as they are often areas with poor quality sanitation and housing, as well as lack of access to electricity and clean water resulting in higher rates of crime and infectious disease. However, they are also home to resilient communities and economic networks which need to be taken into account in any successful attempts at development.

Picture: Julia Jane Persson | Cape Town, South Africa
Perhaps the oldest response to informal settlements are clearance or removal strategies, in which houses are simply destroyed and the residents moved on, as was common in early 20th century Europe and has been seen more recently in Asia. Often, this means removing the physical slums without addressing the underlying social issues and slum clearances have had limited success, particularly if the population is not provided with adequate social housing to move into. The alternative to this type of solution is slum upgrading, a concept generally attributed to John F.C. Turner in his 1972 book ‘Freedom to Build’ where he argued that by providing basic infrastructure — water, sanitation and roads — residents would be able to develop their areas themselves.
The goal is to empower communities to steer their own development in tandem with local governmental and non-governmental institutions. This approach has been more commonly adopted in recent years, particularly in Latin American countries. It has tended to produce better results, although sustained political will is required to overcome challenges of tenure insecurity and poor local infrastructure, and initiatives work best when accompanied by broader efforts to alleviate poverty.
Political will must also be backed by financial resources, however most African governments remain fiscally stretched and sluggish global economic growth is unlikely to improve this situation. Somewhat ironically, the size of the informal economies rooted in informal settlements inhibits governments’ abilities to levy taxes. According to the African Development Bank the informal economy accounts for 55% of GDP and 80% of the workforce in sub-Saharan Africa. Cash-based unregistered small traders and firms generally do not pay tax. With the limitations placed on government by poor financial resources and often poor management of the financial resources which are there, it is difficult to pursue an effective centralised plan for urban renewal. Successful plans for renewal of informal settlements instead require strong participation from community organisations and integration into informal communities and economies.

To quote Pedro Ortiz, a senior World Bank urban planner:
“When you have 70% informality, 5% growth (you double your size in 14 years) and very little formal Government (or no Government at all) our advanced planning system does not work. No point trying to impose it. At best it will be useless and serve to decorate shelves in Government offices. At worst it will disrupt and delay development. We have to invent a new dialogue and incorporate the informal sector to the development process instead”
The need, both social and economic, to incorporate informal communities into urban plans rather than simply bulldoze them is now largely consensus within academic and NGO circles, however implementation of this theory in policy still seems a way off. The solutions required by this approach are often complex in order to deal with the multi-faceted challenges presented by redevelopment of informal communities.
The need, both social and economic, to incorporate informal communities into urban plans rather than simply bulldoze them is now largely consensus within academic and NGO circles, however implementation of this theory in policy still seems a way off.
Kibera, a well-known slum in Nairobi, is currently undergoing a large scale renewal project. Old informal dwellings have been demolished and residents have been moved out into new built homes, however these new homes themselves have proved unsatisfactory to some residents who complain of cramped conditions and water shortages which make these homes little better than slums. In some cases, those who have been moved into new homes have simply rented them out and moved back into Kibera. This is far from a rare case. Whilst the efforts in Kibera have run into problems, often urban plans for major African cities simply ignore these communities altogether, focusing instead on unfeasible ‘Dubai style’ projects rather than addressing the needs of the large growing populations.
If government orchestrated development often runs in to challenges, what then for non-governmental actors? We believe that in order to address the African housing crises and the needs of the populations for informal communities, organisations from all areas of society, including private businesses, need to engage in fostering the kind of community led development that is now regarded as best practice.
Originally published at AsaDuru.
