Informal Economy in Informal Settlements

An Informal Economy in Informal Settlements Case Study of Urban Moshi, Tanzania

Freya CandelC-re-a.i.d. Tanzania / KUL Cades program

www.c-re-aid.org

[email protected]

Abstract. Informal settlements are the main form of housing units in Moshi, Tanzania. These settlements are located mainly close to the city centre and have been allowed by the government for years. Unfortunately, they get little attention from the government and international agencies. The living conditions are poor and infrastructure virtually non-existent. These informal settlements became part of aninformal economy when the demand for temporary housing(renting housing) grew fast. Young people look for “a better life” in the city and need a cheap place to stay. The owner pays little or no attention to the condition of these houses since the rent is very low and the effort too big. Small interventions of improvement by residents are made, but little is possible since this will lead to conflicts with the owners. Which interventions would benefit the residents and not only the owners? How could it be possible to improve housing conditions and by thus upgrade these informal settlements? On the basis of fieldwork and literature, an image of the situation issketched as also a possible approach for this project.

Keywords. Informal Settlements; Architecture; Tanzania; Rental housing; Informal economy.

What is Architecture?

Architecture as being studied, but also architecture asbeing most practiced in the 21st century is "elite and higharchitecture" (Buchli, 2002). Architecture is commonly seenas a luxury. It is presented as historical, culturalsites and places of worship, or as modern high risegovernmental buildings and high tech - high fashionbuildings. This most profitable side of architecture ispracticed among the majority of student architecture and

architects. "Every architect wants to build his own church" (Unknown).That is in contrast when considering that most peoplelive in "common" dwellings. This larger grouping ofbuildings used to be called "primitive" or "traditional",but has in the last 50 years been referred to as"vernacular" or "indigenous" architecture. As Blierrecognizes; "the term vernacular architecture embraces a range ofarchitectural forms outside the West that long have been overlooked inWestern scholarly study " (2006).

Introduction I´ve been living and working as an architect in Tanzaniasince four years. With my organization C-re-a.i.d.(Change, Research, Architecture, Innovation, Design) Itry to upgrade living conditions from people "limited bytheir infrastructure". Together with a partnerorganization, C-re-a.i.d. selects projects for peopleconsidered poor. When a project is selected, a briefoutline and project price are placed on the website.Students architecture, engineering, interior design andproduct design, are able to apply for one of theseprojects that they will conduct per team of two students.The project price is estimated by C-re-a.i.d. and thestudents are responsible for fundraising this amount.

During the summer months, the students come to Tanzaniato proceed with the project. They start with the design,followed by the construction of their project. This allincluding their own project and budget management. C-re-a.i.d. believes that students have a fresh, open-mindedpoint of view and the ability to think " outside thebox", their ambition and idealism is put to good use tomotivate and encourage local communities and furthermore,to stimulate endogenous development.

C-re-aids’ program offers students internationalexperience in a developing country; students areconfronted with architecture in a basic form and learn tobe creative with a minimum of resources. They learn newmethods of building and have an unforgettable experience.The program can be part of the university courseaccreditation or placement requirements, researchdevelopment and assists in expanding internationalrelationships. C-re-a.i.d. promotes the use ofarchitecture on a small scale, including affordablehousing, fast solutions and spontaneous interventions.

The projects conducted find place in different areas ofNorthern Tanzania, from a Maasai village to the slopes ofKilimanjaro. C-re-a.i.d has been dealing with projectsin rural areas and one of the conditions for a project tobe feasible for the organization is that the local familyowns a property whereupon will be worked on. This ensuresus the benefits of the project will go to the localfamily. Building in rural areas is reasonably easy sincewe only had to deal with community leaders and not withthe municipality in the area, which gives the freedomfully to concentrate on the family and their needs. Afterthe completion of six successful projects in the last twoyears, C-re-a.i.d. is challenged with a new project to beconducted in 2014. The new project is located in theurban area of Moshi and will be dealing with poor livingconditions of the settlements in the informal part of thecity centre. Map of Moshi

MAP OF MOSHI

At the first site visit I found very small dwellingsmade out of the lowest quality of mud-bricks, finishedwith iron roof sheets often held by rocks on the sheetsinstead of on a wooden roof structure. Figure 2

FIGURE 2

The same dwellings are found in rural areas although theliving condition in the city might be even poorer than inthe rural areas. The dwellings are located very close toeach other. Infrastructure as water and electricity arenon-existent, hygiene is poor; a bathroom is sharedbetween ten to twenty families. Also, security is atangible issue in the urban areas. Very fast it was clearwhat was going to be the biggest challenge and difficultyworking in this area. Not only are we dealing with "thecity" and by that involved in several procedures with themunicipality, but also are these settlements part of aninformal economy that has been active for many years. Thelargest part of these settlements are rented out topeople who come to the city in search for "a better life"(Hansen & Vaa, 2004). This is the cheapest accommodationto be found close to the city center of Moshi and onedwelling (room) is rented out for 10 000 TSH/month1. Whatwould be an approach to upgrade these rental settlementsin order to improve the living conditions of theinhabitants? In this paper, I will explore thepossibilities of a project to develop these settlementswithout benefitting only the owner but especially theresidents of these houses.

I will refer to the built environment of the urbaninformal settlement as "dwellings", since the term"houses" could imply an affection for the environmentthey live in, that was not found with these inhabitants.

Urban Moshi In Tanzania, the largest part of the built environment isinformal2. This because of the incredible rapid grow ofthese settlements and the result of poor planning of thegovernment. The government keeps a high tolerance forthese settlements and in contrast to many otherdeveloping countries evictions and demolitions are veryrare, which made it possible for these settlements tobecome part of an informal economy (Mrema, 2013). In someoccasions, the owners of the settlements live themselvesin these dwellings. This provides them a good overview oftheir renters and creates space for a looser approach.1 10 000 Tanzania Shilling = 5 euro2 About 60% of the houses in urban areas are unplanned. (development, 2000)

Rent can be paid late, and the owner will implementsefforts where he can. In most cases the owner is neverseen and sends somebody to collect the rent monthly.These are the situations most difficult to deal withsince the owner has no interest in being involved. Thegovernment is in this area rather present by providingownership and land titles and "has neglected theimportance of rental housing, especially when the tenantsare in a more vulnerable position than informal urbanpoor homeowners" (Darshini & Gogoi, 2011).

The reason why these settlements are very popular foryoung people to live in, is the attraction to the city.Young people and families move from rural areas to thecity in order to find work and by this "a better life".In contrast with people living in rural areas, they areproud and search for groups to belong to in the city(Boeck, 2012). I believe this self confidence is theresult from a real "hope for a better future". The cityis only a temporary stop and once earned money the ideais to go back to the hometown in rural areas and builttheir own house3. A common misunderstanding is thatthese young people living in informal settlements aredesiring ownership of a house in the city. Most of theresettlement projects are based on this understandingwhich often leads to a project "failure". The peopleliving in these informal settlements are constantly insearch for variation and possibilities which thesesettlements provide as being part of a much largernetwork of social informalities. "Opportunities oflivelihood especially in terms of casual and unskilledlabor" are waiting around the corner (Darshini & Gogoi,2011).

A contrast with the rural areas could be the motivationor strong will of the people living in the city. Peopleliving in rural areas are more likely to have a passiveattitude which reflects in less maintained dwellings.

In rural areas, it´s more common for people to losemotivation and self esteem which reflects in their poorlymaintained house. The aspirations of the people living inthe city lead to a drive and initiating attitude and theytry to make the best out of their living conditions.Further in this paper I will analyze the interventions

3 In reality many of them keep on living this "temporary" lifestyle fortheir whole lives.

made by residents of the informal settlements in aninformal economy.

Analysis of project outlinesThe request for this project came from our partnerorganization, Rotary club Moshi after they had visitedthe area "Njoro" for a project with a community school.They were struck by the poor conditions of the dwellingssurrounding the school. One of the reasons this housingarea caught their attention is because these dwellingsare located not more than two meters from the facade ofthe school. This occurs often in informal settlementsbecause of the lack of planning and whenever somethingnew is built, all space "available" will be used. Figure 3, 4

FIGURE 3 FIGURE 4

The rotary club proposed this project to C-re-a.i.d. inorder to upgrade a large amount of these settlements.During the project research, we´ve observed that thesedwellings consist out of one room of about two by threemeters. They are constructed out of the lowest quality ofmud bricks or out of a combination of wooden branchesfilled with mud. The roof is made with iron corrugatedsheets that are fixed on a wooden structure, but moreoften supported by the walls and held by rocks. Figure 2The dwelling has one window located next to the door;both window and door are made out of low quality timberboards. Sometimes the window is reinforced by steel bars.There is no leveled floor and the inside walls crumble atthe least friction. The majority of the inhabitants cookinside the room since there is no shade outside on the

open space. Sanitation is located outside as a separatedwelling and is shared among several families. Verylittle attention has been given to the construction ofthese sanitations that lead to lack of privacy and veryunhygienic situations. Figure 5

FIGURE 5

The outside spaces around and between the houses aremostly used by the women for laundry and the children toplay around. Figure 6

FIGURE 6

It is not uncommon that entire families up to six orseven people live inside one dwelling. There is nopossibility to keep animals like chicken or goats in thecity since the lack of space and security. An issue formany inhabitants of the city is the fear of thieves,although it is known for these communities to have a verystrong social control system with often low crime rates(U.N., 2003). This fear results in permanently closeddoors and windows. A room that lives so many people,

wherein is cooked and where there is no ventilation,leads to unhealthy conditions. For example: when onefamily member is infected with a disease liketuberculosis, this can easy spread to the other familymembers. In addition, a room where it is always dark andwarm is the perfect breeding place for mosquitoes.Leftovers from food on the floor attracts rats and othervermin, which contributes to the unhealthy and unhygienicsituation4. In principle, there could be several ways toimprove these settlements. The extra challenge is to makeimprovements for the living qualities which do notinvolve upgrading the building itself since this wouldbenefit only the owner of the building. This can thenlead to an increase of rent for the dwelling that wouldensure more harm than good is done for the currentresidents5. This project will have to be approached in adifferent way.

Inspiration With the projects in the rural areas, there is thefreedom to rebuild a house or make strong adaptations toit. As a general idea for the projects, materials usedin the local building style are upgraded and get a "newlife". Materials that are considered to be "poor" get anew appreciation and are used in the new building. Ideasfrom certain observations are recycled and applied tocreate new ideas. Figure 7,8,9,10

FIGURE 7 FIGURE 8

4 A rumor goes that when you don´t wash your hands after dinner and go to bed with dirty hands the rats will come at night to eat your fingers.5 The residents of these settlements can´t afford a higher rent price.

FIGURE 9 FIGURE 10

This concept could be extended in the designs of theimprovement of the informal settlements of the city. Thedifference is, when designing a house for a local familyin a rural area there is space and freedom to rebuild thedwelling. This gives more possibilities to create apersonal design. Trying to meet the needs of the family,there is looked at the family structure and aspirations.Since the people living in the city occupy their dwellingonly temporarily, it is difficult to meet all their needsand to obtain an individual design. The individuality ofa settlement is an aspect that will need special care inthe design of the improvement of the settlements in thecity. Through the designs in the rural areas, it isrecognized that this personal approach can transform a"dwelling" into a "home". The challenge is to achievethis in a situation where it is not possible to improvethe structure of the dwelling. Earlier in the paper ismentioned how residents make the best out of their livingconditions because of a positive attitude. "Thecreativity that is undertaken by the inhabitants of theinformal city in the field of technological solutions andcultural identity, is not to be underestimated. Forexample, it is amazing how within "poverty anddesperation" an expression of identity and hope get aplace through the decoration of their house. I believethis is an expression of individual identity within acollective poverty" (Folkers, 2010) Translation by FreyaCandel).

These interventions currently carried out by residentscould be an inspiration for any project undertaken inthese settlements. Prospection led to several experiencesin terms of creative possibilities within the dwellings.

Curtains are hung in front of the door for privacy.The door can be opened (ventilation) withoutbeing able to watch inside. Figure 11

FIGURE 11

Sheets on the inside of the walls avoid thecrumbling earth of bricks to create dust inside thedwelling. Creating a lighter and cleanerenvironment. (Figure 12)

FIGURE 12

Posters and other personal objects hung on the wallas a personalization. Figure 12

Clothes are packed in bags or hung on the walls toavoid rats eating them.

Floor is covered with plastic carpet. This makes itpossible to clean with water and to walk barefootwhich improves the hygiene. Figure 13

FIGURE 13

Well maintained plants are kept in front of thehouse; they bring color, personality and aesthetic.Figure 1

FIGURE 14

The ground in front of their house is kept clean.This shows their pride towards the "outside world".Figure 15

FIGURE 15

Plastic bags are bonded together as one big pieceand hung to create shadow between the houses. Figure15

Approach to the ProjectBig resettlement projects influenced by ideas of an"ideal" city occur in all parts of the world where thegovernment or large organizations want to intervene inthe informal settlements or "slums". It is not uncommonfor these projects to fail. It also occurs that thebuilding is used in a different way than the architectoriginally indented. Joan Mac Donald identifies that itis not possible to relocate people all in once intovertical formal buildings. Local people do not feel athome in such "housing" and they are not interested to bepart of the formal city. Affordable housing is aworldwide issue and the only way to deal with the risingdemand is to concentrate on informal settlements. "We donot need fewer slums, we need more" (Donald, 2013). Aswhat C-re-a.i.d. stands for , Donald believes in shortterm projects that improve the current dwellings ofpeople in informal settlements.

To approach this project, that could hopefully grow outto a large scale development of renting dwellings, thefirst idea was to start with one dwelling as a prototypethat is flexible in its design to meet personal needs.The structure of the dwelling cannot be touched soimprovements will have to lay in small, low budgetinterventions. Is it possible to approach this project by

one dwelling at a time or is it necessary to look at thewhole community? This raises the question if the dwellingitself is the most important infrastructure occupyingtheir daily lives, especially when it concerns rentalhousing. To effectively make a change within thisinformal economy of informal settlements, I believe aform of self-gentrification is needed whereby not onlyindividuals but a community are the drivers of change(Herzfeld, 2013). Currently, every inhabitant sweepsthe ground in front of their house, which demonstrateshow the people "control the space and fill it with theirown presence" (Nielsen, 2011). With this project, C-re-a.i.d. wants to magnify this presence and empower theinhabitants to control their built physical environment.A first driver of change in the neighborhood could be theimprovement of the sanitation. This is an infrastructurethat does not "belong" to anybody but is used byeverybody. By improving the sanitation a particularstandard is set and by that is stressing the importanceof attention to the built environment. Every dwellingwherein people live is very small and the open spacebetween the dwellings is currently not fully used becauseof the lack of shade. The second step in the projectcould be improving and exploding these open spaces inorder to enlarge their dwelling. This could ensure thatpeople start cooking outside and by thus spend less timeinside the dwelling. With a light, temporary structuremade out of cheap or recycled materials this option iseasy to implement anywhere. Once shade is created theseopen spaces will start leading their "own lives". Thethird step is the improvement of the dwelling itself. Asobserved in the intervention the inhabitants make, thereare creative ways in which improvements can be made. Theaction could be taken to recognize, upgrade and spreadthese ideas. By seeing the white sheets hanging in oneroom as "wall covering", this idea could be multiplied.When telling another family living a few blocks awayabout this idea, they had hung sheets themselves only afew days later. Whenever we hear somebody complain aboutrats, we suggest them to take a cat, as we had seen thisworked very well for another family. New ideas or"recycled" ideas can be used to tackle issues as the lackof hygiene, rain/sun proof, aesthetics and responds topersonal needs. When these aspects get attention, the

possibility to improve living conditions of theinhabitants become realistic.

ConclusionArchitecture as the process of ideas, design and practicehas always been present in cultures of people.Unfortunately, the majority of architects concentrate on"improving the improved" and strive to achieve anultimate luxurious design that is noticed by fellowarchitects (Donald, 2013). Students architecture oftenget a one sided view on what architecture can mean andoffer.

In developing countries, very high percentage of thepeople live in poor conditions where their dwelling isreduced to a purely practical infrastructure of "a roofabove their head". Within these informal settlements, Ibelieve we should switch our concentration from "loweringthat percentage" to "improving the conditions". As theseimprovements need a high attention for the currentsituation where the people live in, their culture andpersonal needs, it could be the role of an architect torecognize particular creativities and translate them intousable designs implementable by a whole community. Thereis not always a need to built a new house, to "finish" ahouse and to achieve the status of "completed". Peoplekeep on working on their house which implies the idea of"constantly looking for a better life" (Nielsen, 2011).

The built environment is flexible in order to changeaccording to their inhabitants, their family structureand needs. I would like to conclude this paper bypointing out that tackling the issue where it is to befound often has more impact than moving the issue away.

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