Abstract
Inner-city transportation looms large in big cities in the so-called Global South due to rapid population and urban growth. To tackle this challenge, a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system was implemented in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) in 2016. This paper reports on the results of a pilot study on the impacts of the BRT on city development and livelihoods in Dar. Our pilot study, which is part of the collaborative research project LIPSINDAR (Linking Partners for a Sustainable and Inclusive Dar es Salaam), was not designed to provide a comprehensive insight into the problems of urban planning, infrastructure modification and their impact on urban livelihoods. Rather, using the example of Dar es Salaam, the study served as an entry point to highlight challenges and future research demands in the context of urban insecurities and risks in large cities of the Global South. In particular, our study investigated the BRT as an element of critical infrastructure in Dar es Salaam and probed into its impact on residents’ livelihoods, focusing on the influence of service disruptions on everyday routines, and on different stakeholders’ views on the functionality of the BRT. Elaborating on this topic, interviews, street vendor surveys and mappings were used as methods to describe the processes. To examine the results more closely, the outcome was divided into groups of different fields of activity, namely Traffic Management, Local Residents, City Administration, Basic Provision Services and Street Vendors. In summary, the pilot study confirms that the implementation of the BRT system has, in general, served to improve urban livelihoods. Reducing commuting times and enhancing access to basic services found positive results. There is, however, still potential for improvement: the bus network, in particular, needs to be expanded and the vulnerability to natural extreme events, especially flooding, needs to be addressed.
Highlights
We focused on the mentioned disruptions of the overall, and overarching, livelihood routines, and of city logistics, triggered by failures of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
As the aim of the pilot study was to provide a rough overview of situations, locations, events and actions in relation to the BRT, urban planning, and the livelihood contexts, impressions and everyday situations related to the BRT were first collected through site visits and photo documentations
We present the findings of our exploratory pilot study in Dar es Salaam
Summary
Goal 11 for sustainable cities aims to ensure adequate housing for all, to guarantee mobility, to involve citizens in the planning process, to reduce the environmental pollution caused by cities and municipalities and to develop and maintain public green spaces. Some of the most urgent needs for action in sustainable urban development are currently still not sufficiently considered by actors in urban planning and city administration [2]. These include resource and climate protection, the adaptation of cities to climate change, the introduction of more sustainable, quiet, climate-friendly, Sustainability 2021, 13, 1058.
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