HOW DO WE DIFFERENTIATE TYPES OF INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS?
An Informal Settlement can be defined as a
group of housing units constructed on an illegally occupied land which in most
cases do not conform to building and planning regulations. Often they are
regarded as settlements made up of poor
housing units with degenerate
environmental conditions and mostly labelled as crime enclaves. Going through
this declaration:
"HUMAN SETTLEMENTS, WHICH FOR A
VARIETY OF REASONS DO NOT MEET REQUIREMENTS FOR LEGAL RECOGNITION AND HAVE BEEN
CONSTRUCTED WITHOUT RESPECTING FORMAL PROCEDURES OF LEGAL OWNERSHIP, TRANSFER
OF OWNERSHIP,AS WELL AS CONSTRUCTION AND URBAN PLANNING REGULATIONS), EXIST IN
THEIR RESPECTIVE COUNTRIES AND HAMPER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. WHILE THERE IS
SIGNIFICANT REGIONAL DIVERSITY IN TERMS OF THEIR MANIFESTATION, THESE
SETTLEMENTS ARE MAINLY CHARACTERIZED BY INFORMAL OR INSECURE LAND TENURE,
INADEQUATE ACCESS TO BASIC SERVICES, BOTH SOCIAL AND PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
AND HOUSING FINANCE".
(VIENNA DECLARATION 2004, Pl.)
one can categorically state that it isn't
true in all its entirety because taking a look at some of these settlements in
Africa where i come from, they were originally villages that had one form of
trade or the other at close proximity to
natural resources like, water for fishing and lumbering, and arable lands for
agricultural practices before development policies and activities such as
siting of industries, office complexes and the construction of roads, all
serving as new economic instruments caught up with them; with the sole aim of
utilizing the same resources that the settlements once relied upon and
enjoyed its dividends. As this
continued, more and more resources yet untapped were being discovered within or
around these settlements leaving them
impoverished as access to the once owned resources by these settlement becomes
denied; even though the village heads
sometimes get compensated , it never alleviates the sufferings of its dwellers
neither does the compensation given, enough to improve their environmental
conditions.
Some of the financially capable settlers in
line with this form of new normal, create an alternative source of income for
themselves by going into real estate development; building houses that are
below standards and not governed by building regulations or by-laws just to
accommodate the workers who travel miles and miles away from their places of
abode through thick traffic, sitting in vehicles for long hours. The workers
who go through such an experience daily prefer to rent these houses as they are
seen as an alternative to spending much time and money on the roads. As the
original settlers find new trade in real estate, bigger investors step-in by
acquiring available lands and properties up for sales by owners just to carry
out housing development to meet the ever growing demand of the working
population of these companies around or
within these settlements and their families.
By and large, a city is gradually
incubating and as demands for housing increases, spatial allocation decreases,
rents sky-rocket, exerting more pressure on the original settlers
( mostly unskilled labourers) who in turn
give-in to the pressure of 'push', by moving hinterland to more affordable
spaces where they can have access to new resources. At this juncture, the
government mostly don’t have clear-cut evaluation of the changing system of its
planning programme neither does it have an incline on its adverse effect.
My position is, 'it is erroneous to view
informal settlements and define them either based on legal standards of
ownership, or on construction methods or even on urban planning regulations
without taken into account it’s history of formation and providing blue print
strategy to prevent degeneration in the event of development in or around it'.
There should be a proper relocation strategy put in place in case of an
eviction'.
Differentiating the various informal
settlements could lead to diagnosing and knowing them, moving a further step
towards categorization. This form of strategy would be exposing their needs; and also enable proper
distribution of basic infrastructure when needed.
Differentiating them would not only allow
for categorization or proper distribution of basic infrastructure, it could
also serve as a source of information to understanding the dynamics of each of
the various samples and their patterns of formation.
Differentiating them is a form of mapping
that could become a useful tool for assessment in the future and could also
serve as a mirror into possible formation of new ones: no two slums are
completely identical contrary to this statement:
"I DIDN’T SAY I WOULDN’T GO INTO
GHETTO AREAS (AMERICAN TERM FOR INFORMAL SETTLEMENT), I’VE BEEN IN MANY OF THEM
AND TO SOME EXTENT, I WOULD HAVE TO SAY THIS: IF YOU’VE SEEN ONE CITY SLUM,
YOU’VE SEEN THEM ALL".
SPIRO T. AGNEW – AMERICAN VICE- PRESIDENT
(1918- 1996)
Differentiation would amplify what is
needed by whom and where.
To state that informal settlements are all
identical is like saying that all cars are Mercedes Benz or Ford Autos. They
all have engines, steering wheels and so on but they do not all appear the same
and do not have similar optimum performance, but this is not to say that they
are not all cars. the same goes with the informal settlements, they have
countless similarities but differ in status just as the people living in them
come from multiple ethno-religious backgrounds, coexisting in a harmonious
balance; a feature only unique to informal settlements differ from one another.
Knowing the various forms of informal settlements that exists highlights their potentials
and amplify their synergistic endowment which is one of the main forces driving
the informal economy, mostly located around these settlements providing goods
and services for the formal settlements.
From kibera – Nairobi in Kenya to Ajegunle
– Lagos in Nigeria to Dharavi- Mumbai and Orangi in Asia, these informal
settlements play significant roles in the economy of these nations.
In Neuwirth’s new book, “Stealth of
Nations”, his focus was on informal markets that are so much a part of the
informal settlements or squatter communities.
He went on to say that, more than half of
the workers of the world are now working in the informal economy, which of
course means that maybe we should start rethinking our stand about what the
real economy is.
These markets are quite essential he
highlights, for the growth of these cities and communities, as sixty percent of
the economy of today comes from the informal sector.
They are active and are the centres of
community development and wealth building. Once we can look in the beauty
through its ugly reality, we can then learn ways to approach this new
phenomenon and become better prepared to tackle its anomalies.
Informal settlements are not completely bad
as the case is whenever it springs up in discuss. It just
might be related to a sick patient in need of medical attention from a doctor,
who then in-turn, carrys out diagnosis through history taking, and furthermore
prescribe pills for that form of illness. In the event of a failure on the path
of the medication to cure the illness, a follow up check is then conducted with
further in-depth study on the nature of the patient’s illness, adopting far
more drastic measures to curb its degeneration or spread. Improvement could
start immediately in some cases while on others; it could be a gradual process.
Tapping into the potentials of these
informal settlements by helping its inhabitants recognize the vast
opportunities available to them through self-help initiative and collaborative
efforts, could give these settlers a sense of pride and belonging as they get
involved in decision-making processes of change. Through this collective public
action, they in turn gain legal grounds, and are able to identify with whatever
projects they decide to embark upon.
They feel a strong sense of belonging and
contribute immensely towards gaining grounds in politics just to get recognized
and formally agitate for integration.
Self – help initiative in some of the
informal settlements that i have come across, an example, Egan-Isawo in
Ikorodu, Lagos State, Nigeria and many more of its kind, started the process of
integration through incremental construction approach. First, they identified
with themselves based on ethno-religious, socio-economic grounds with the
construction of churches and mosques and market squares after breaking up into
cluster groups called zones. At present, there are five zones, each with
informal administration and a general informal administrative unit where all
decisions are weighed and taken. Most of the projects realized were done
through contributions, tax per residence and monthly levies on each landlord.
Through these contributions, they did the electrification of the community
after seven years of being in the dark, grading of roads to provide both
vehicular and pedestrian access. My father was one of the founding fathers of
the Egan community development association until his demise in 2006; he was the
first chairman of the development association which till this moment is waxing
stronger. In Egan, dwellers provide their own source of portable drinking water
through the sinking of boreholes and majorly wells as there aren’t any
provision of laid pipes from municipal water corporation.
One of their major successes was the
recognition and inclusion in the Lagos state map which they achieved through
the payment of tenement rate by each landlord and this brought the legalization
of the houses in the settlement.
Most of the lots were purchased through
legal means from the original settlers (villagers) who had lots of Kolanut
trees in Egan and traded in them. Subsequently these villagers moved to
hinterland as they could no longer compete with Egans growth rate and
development in housing and population.
The gesture of inclusion on the state map
by the Lagos state government has in a very positive light ignited the pride of
ownership in the minds and hearts of Egan- Isawo inhabitants and it has further
driven their passion for more development. My mother is currently the
chairperson of the association with more than four successors after my father.
This proves that:
"PROVIDING THE RESIDENTS WITH
“SECURITY OF TENURE” AN ASSURANCE THAT THEY WON’T GET EVICTED".-NEUWIRTH
(“STEALTH OF NATIONS”) could serve as a catalyst towards transforming a slum
into a better neighbourhood.
One of the common attributes of an informal
settlement is the act of sharing, which is readily seen from a close up look at
these settlements; very common within them and essential for their growth. They
achieve this by pulling their resources together as friends or neighbours, social groups, or
religious groups to name a few, in order to provide loans for each other’s
projects like in housing, payment of medical bills and so on through small
contributions known as AJO or ESUSU in Yoruba language and ADASE in Hausa
language which could sometimes go on for months or years. They are able to
achieve a great deal through this means. They often contribute to support one
another in ceremonial activities ranging from naming ceremonies (typical in
Nigeria) to weddings, and coronation just to say the least.
They also decide spaces for get- together,
collective market squares, town-hall meeting-place to ceremonial grounds.
Now,
how can one define this form of informal settlement? Can it be placed in
a general context
and be regarded as a slum in totality? Even
though it is very likely to find more poor people than the rich in it, I would
like to state that at this point it could be politically incorrect to say that
all slums are the same as some of them are on transit into formalizing their
status through adopting strategies that promote better community living
condition. Going by this statement:
"CITY DWELLERS PRODUCING SPACE
TOGETHER, RECLAIMING THE COMMON AND RATHER THAN PARTICIPATE, THEY DECIDE ON THE
DESIGN OF THE SPACE".
–SLUM LAB: AN INITIATIVE THROUGH DIALOGUE BETWEEN RESEARCHERS AND CITY DWELLERS. ALFREDO
BRILLEMBOURG, HUBERT KLUMPNER.
I quite agree that power should be given to
the slum dwellers to seek development with the help of professional
enlightenment and guide.
From all these afore mentioned description
and detailed example, it would be pertinent to suggest that informal
settlement’s differentiation should stem from the following evaluation tools:
Kind of basic infrastructure in existence
Economic significance
What production capabilities exist?
Demographic distribution
Income distribution
Environmental health condition
and finally, through differentiation,
categorization and further upgrade plans could be conducted without much
hassles.
Therefore, the sustainability and
improvement of the lives of the increasingly marginalized informal settlers can
then be achieved.
With social inclusion and integration in
further urban planning policies and strategies, the informal settlements would
move towards formalization in the end, creating resilience against any backdrop
or degeneration.
All these strategic intervention towards
formalization can only be feasible when all stakeholders and key players like
the academia, students of architecture, urban planning and survey, researchers
and city dwellers engage in interactive discuss and through step by step
approach, addressing the gaps that are imminent; thereby making formalization an end result.
The role of the informal settlements must not be underemphasized. they must be
actively engaged and contribute to the whole process through self-organization
which for me largely rest on the shoulders of the academia to show them samples
and models of the end result that self-organization could produce.
It is time to connect the classroom
discuss, projects and research papers to the outside world of daunting
realities. Following this quote:
"IN PAKISTAN, AS IT IS ELSEWHERE IN THE
WORLD INCLUDING MALAWI, ARCHITECTS, PLANNERS, SURVEYORS ARE TAUGHT HOW TO
DESIGN , BUT THEY ARE NOT TAUGHT HOW THEY CAN IMPART THIS KNOWLEDGE TO THE
OTHER PEOPLE ESPECIALLY THE GROUP THAT HAS NEVER BEEN TO SCHOOL. HOWEVER, THESE
PEOPLE HAVE A MANDATE TO GIVE BACK TO SOCIETY. FURTHER, AS THEY GRADUATE FROM
COLLEGE, THEY LEAVE WITH AN ILLUSION THAT THEY WILL BE DESIGNING BIG BUILDING
ANSD EXPENSIVE APARTMENTS FOR RICH PEOPLE. REALITY ON GROUND, STATES THAT, THIS
WILL ONLY BE BUT A DREAM TO SOME OF THESE LEARNED PEOPLE. AT THE SAME TIME THE
GAP THAT THEY CREATE ESPECIALLY ON THE NEED TO PROVIDE TECHNICAL EXPERTISE TO
COMMUNITIES WILLING TO DEVELOP THEIR COMMUNITIES IS USUALLY FILLED BY SOCIAL
EXPERTS FROM NGOS LIKE CCODE. THIS MEANS THEREFORE, THAT OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
HAS TO CHANGE TO REFLECT THIS REALITY ON THE GROUND". -ARIF HASSAN.
It
is therefore important that the responsibilities and partner relation be clearly defined through a
bottom-up approach and all stake-holders should be ready and willing to
participate to achieve the expected end result.
WRITTEN BY CHRISTIANA OMOLARA DOGO
WS 2013/2014 4057837
FOR ACHITECTURE OF INFORMALITY
PROF. KUCINA
DIA, HOCHSCHULE ANHALT
DESSAU GERMANY
REFERENCES:
ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE COMMITTEE ON
HOUSING AND LAND MANAGEMENT
SIXTY- NINTH SESSION GENEVA, 22-23
SEPTEMBER, (2008): 9. ITEMS 6 OF THE PROVISIONAL AGENDA
UNEDITED DRAFT- “IN SEARCH FOR SUSTAINABLE
SOLUTIONS FOR INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS IN THE ECE REGION: CHALLENGES AND POLICY
RESPONSES”. http://www.unece.org/hlm/sessions/69thsession.html. (Accessed
12/26/13).
SPIRO, AGNEW. SLUMS/ CITIES/ GHETTOS:
DICTIONARY. COM QUOTES. http://quotes.dictionary.com/subject/slums. (Accessed 25/12/2013)
ROBERT, NEUWIRTH. STEALTH OF NATIONS: THE
GLOBAL RISE OF THE INFORMAL ECONOMY.1st ed. Pantheon: 2008.
LUKAS, FEIREISS .SLUM-LAB: SUSTAINABLE
LIVING URBAN MODEL/ ISSUE 8 GUEST- EDITED: “AN INITIATIVE THROUGH DIALOGUE
BETWEEN RESEARCHERS AND CITY DWELLERS”. ALFREDO, BRILLEMBOURG. HUBERT,
KLUMPNER. “SMART OPTIONS FOR THE INFORMAL CITY”.(FALL, 2013) 101- 105.
ARIF, HASSAN. “THE ROLE OF ACADEMIA
REGARDING PLANNING BEYOND BOOKS AND CONFERENCE PAPERS”, THE CITY OF KARACHI-
ORANGI PILOT PROJECT IN PAKISTAN: CCODE FINAL REPORT FOR MALAWI CITIES FORUM ON
CITY WIDE SLUM UPGRADING: BUILDING BRIDGES: COMMUNITIES WORKING WITH GOVERNMENT
IN CITY WIDE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT. PREPARED AND SUBMITTED BY VERA,
KAMTUKULE. no.1 (2012): 33. http://www.sdinet.org/.../Final_Report_Malawi_Cities_Forum_January_2012.p.
(Accessed 12/8/2013).
