Housing economies in urban Africa
Convenors: Isaac Arthur (University of Ghana), Claire Mercer (London School of Economics)
Track: Transformative Practices
Keywords: Housing, Building, Urban Economies
Thursday October 24, 15:30-17:00 & Friday October 25, 9:0-10:30, A3, John Moffat Building
SESSION 17
HOUSING ECONOMIES IN URBAN AFRICA
This panel invites papers that explore housing economies in urban Africa. How do everyday activities related to housing, including building, renting and dwelling, contribute to urban and economic growth? In much of East, West and Central Africa with low state investment in housing and urban infrastructure, accelerating urbanisation within and beyond established cities is driven by the incremental construction of self-built residential houses. While much of the academic and policy discourse around self-build housing in Africa frames it as a problem, this panel asks how the ‘housing economy’ (Smith 2013) based on income from renting and economic activity around house-building generates possibilities for urban economies and urban growth. We invite papers based on original research that explore the potential for housing economies to generate income opportunities and neighbourhood change in large cities or small towns. Potential topics for papers include the links between self-building and rental markets, home-based businesses, informal housing finance, businesses that supply self-builders, house-building and land markets, and practices of self-building, dwelling and domestic consumption.
- Smith, Susan (2013) ‘Crisis and innovation in the housing economy: a tale of three markets’, in M Haliassos (ed) Financial innovation: too much or too little? MIT Press, Cambridge MA, 71-102
Presentations
A dynamic analysis of winners and losers in Africa's urban housing markets
The significance of housing to well-being is widely recognised. However, opportunities to access housing in Africa are uneven. This paper asks how opportunities to access housing are changing in two large and two smaller towns in Africa, and specifically if the gains that past generations secured are available to current generations.
Sustaining Households Livelihood in ‘slum’ relocation: dilemmas explored through the ‘White House’ project in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
A small, impoverished neighborhood, that is known for providing rental space for migrants and daily laborers, went through an urban renewal process in Addis Ketema Sub-city. This paper discusses the measures taken to sustain the home-based economic activities of households in the new development through analysis of interviews and surveys.
Rethinking the Role of Housing in Township Economic Development
There has been a poor connection between housing development and economic growth in the past, leading to unsustainable livelihoods for township residents. Integrating a comprehensive economic perspective into housing (re)development can foster inclusivity, alleviate congestion, and mitigate spatially concentrated poverty.
Housing the Urban Poor in Sub-Saharan Africa: Comparative Analysis of “Compound” and “Swahili” Housing in Ghana and Tanzania
Nowhere in the Global South is the housing crisis in cities intense than in Sub-Saharan Africa. We provide comparative analysis of the drivers of the decline of compound and Swahili housing in urban Ghana and Tanzania which have served as a main housing type for low-income households and examine the implications for urban low-income households.
Exploring initiatives to support housing for low income households in African Cities: A case for re-championing the Swahili House in Eastern Africa
The 6-8 roomed shared Swahili house has housed masses in cities of Eastern Africa and was once, a key input in housing policy in Tanzania. Given its advantages, and the possibility of developing a viable financial model from it, it suits the needs of landlords and tenants in low income categories.
Housing self-building in Dar es Salaam's peripheral territories
This session draws from our previous work and publications on housing self-building in peripheral territories of Dar es Salaam and its significance to social and spatial transformation, urban governance and to the popular economy of this fast growing city.
