The challenges of livelihoods reconstruction in the context of informal settlement upgrading

Abstract

Community involvement is recognized as a core condition for success in informal settlements upgrading. However, the wider ramifications of this requirement are not well understood. Mostly, community involvement has been equated with a narrow interpretation of participation, largely focusing on the elicitation of dwellers’ preferences at the planning stages. We argue that this approach overlooks the actual needs for livelihoods reconstruction in the course of upgrading. To better conceptualize these requirements, we propose to analyse the time–space configuration of practices, which we frame as constituting Oscillating Domestic Spaces. The concept illustrates the contingent nature of daily activities to meet livelihoods needs and how people navigate these conditions. Challenges associated with reconstructing new domestic spaces are illustrated using the Kenyan Slum Upgrading (Kensup) initiative in Nairobi, Kenya. The findings suggest that an inadequate understanding and consideration of livelihoods reconstruction reduced legitimacy of the initiative, resulted in rapid deterioration of physical amenities and relegated most of the alleged ‘beneficiaries’ deeper into poverty. We suggest that, for successful settlements upgrading, livelihoods reconstruction should be a core process in the planning, implementation and post-implementation stages.

A stakeholder analysis of government policy intervention in the Ghanaian slum communities

“…Another upgrading program by the Cities Alliance aiming at improving the lives of 100 million slums by 2020 has been noted (Cities Alliance, 2012). Some of the programs have not achieved the intended outcomes due to lack of poor coordination, corruption, complexities of evaluation techniques, weak financial mechanisms and weak performances of formal institutions (Cherunya et al, 2020;Iweka and Adebayo, 2015). For instance, Cherunya et al (2020) evidenced that most causes of failure in slum upgrading programs, such as the lack of proper coordination, corruption and weak financial mechanisms have led slum residents to secure livelihoods under precarious circumstances.…”

“…Some of the programs have not achieved the intended outcomes due to lack of poor coordination, corruption, complexities of evaluation techniques, weak financial mechanisms and weak performances of formal institutions (Cherunya et al, 2020;Iweka and Adebayo, 2015). For instance, Cherunya et al (2020) evidenced that most causes of failure in slum upgrading programs, such as the lack of proper coordination, corruption and weak financial mechanisms have led slum residents to secure livelihoods under precarious circumstances. The unsuccessful programs have added to the immensity of slum challenges necessitating concerted efforts from municipal authorities, national governments, civil society actors and the international community (Global Report on Human Settlements, 2003).…”

“…Universally, more than 1 billion people live in slums, which is estimated to double to 2 billion by 2030 and 3 billion by 2050, if the current trends of population growth persist ( UN Habitat, 2010;United Nations, 2015). uncoordinated planning and inappropriate planning ideologies (Afroj, 2020;Cherunya et al, 2020;Matamanda, 2020). Furthermore, while this may not be enough to address the full range concerns of slums and informal settlements, research has evidenced that governments' intervention for slum upgrading has enhanced tens of billions of low-income households (Satterthwaite, 2012).…”

“…Second, this research finding is different from earlier slum research of Takyi et al, (2020), who found that the activities of the slum dwellers in context were associated with environmental problems, whereas this study advanced the understanding of government commitment to slums from a developing country's perspective. Third, this study has extended slum research (Cherunya, 2020;Minnery, 2013;Muchadenyika, 2015) on slum upgrading and prevention of new settlements within literature by using national policies data that focus on government perspectives as a key industry stakeholder. Finally, this study has addressed the lack of understanding of Ghana Government priorities towards slums management among other slums nations in the world.…”

Kajian Strategi Penanganan Kawasan Kumuh di Kabupaten Bangka Tengah

“…Beberapa hal lain yang menjadi perhatian penulis adalah, belum menyentuhnya aspek pelaksanaan strategi terkait aspek non fisik permukiman kumuh, seperti bagaimana teknis pemberdayaan yang sebaiknya dilakukan, bagaimana membantu masyarakat kumuh untuk dapat meningkatkan kemampuan dan keahliannya. Beberapa literatur seperti (Babaei et al, 2012), (Cherunya et al, 2021), (Sullivan & Ward, 2012)…”