Informal Areas Research Articles

Influence of Gender on Recreational Participation. A Critical Literature Review

Purpose: Recreation is an intentional activity geared towards accomplishment of self and social gains including refurbishment and collective connectivity. The overall objective of this study was to examine influence of gender on recreational participation. A critical literature review
 Methodology: The paper used a desk study review methodology where relevant empirical literature was reviewed to identify main themes and to extract knowledge gaps.
 Findings: Music followed by singing and dancing while the least popular indoor recreational activity was aerobics and snooker/pool. The most popular outdoor recreational activity was walking while the least popular outdoor recreational activity for women was swimming and playing cards. Frequency of participation in both indoor and outdoor recreational activities by women was influenced by the age. Frequency of participation in both indoor and outdoor recreational activities was not influenced by the family size or the number of children. Frequency of participation in the indoor and outdoor recreational activities by women was not influenced by their monthly income. The family size was not a determining factor for participation in both indoor and outdoor recreational activities
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: This study recommended that the county government should set aside land for developing various recreational facilities within the informal settlement areas to be accessed by all residents to mitigate time constraints; for example, construction of swimming pools since swimming is reported as the least popular outdoor activity.

MHealth platform improved health worker's compliance to WHO’s IMNCI guideline in Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract Poor access to quality health services, especially in urban slums, is a global challenge. Given similar challenges in Nairobi's Kibra informal settlement area, we collaborated with the Langata/Kibra sub-county health management team to conduct a pilot program for improving the quality of child health services delivered by health care providers (HCPs). The pilot introduced a digital mHealth platform to HCPs working in Kibra informal settlement area in Nairobi. This mHealth platform was compliant to WHO's recommended guideline for integrated management of newborn and child illnesses (IMNCI) and was designed to help sick child assessment, diagnosis and management by HCPs. We aimed to determine if using this digital platform, coupled with supportive supervision and community outreach, would lead to improve compliance to the IMNCI guideline for assessment, diagnosis and treatment of sick children. We conducted baseline (February 2019) assessment, trained selected HCPs on the mHealth platform on handheld android tablets, conducted end line (March 2020) and measured any change in HCP's compliance to IMNCI guidelines. Total 89 HCPs were the mHealth platform users during end line assessment. When asked about the choice of antibiotic for treating childhood pneumonia, we found proportion of HCPs who preferred Amoxycillin dispersible tablet, the recommended treatment for childhood pneumonia, increased from 3% at baseline to 38% at end line. Proportion of HCPs who were aware that antibiotics should NOT be used for the management of simple diarrhea increased from 14% (at baseline) to 50% (at end line). At end line, more than 90% HCPs were found compliant in their practice to IMNCI guidelines for sick child assessment, diagnosis and management. These results demonstrate the use of the IMNCI compliant mHealth platforms as a potential important effective way to improve capacity and compliance among HCPs who are serving communities like Kibra informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya. Key messages • WHO recommended IMNCI compliant mHealth platform enables health care providers to offer quality child health care. • Using mHealth platform to ensure WHO’s IMNCI guideline implementation by health care providers might have potential impact on saving sick children’s lives from preventable deaths.

Factors influencing flood damage mitigation among micro and small businesses in Kampala, Uganda

With the trends of increasing flood risk due to climate change and rapid urbanisation in many parts of the world, property level mitigation efforts have become more relevant in flood risk management. However, the flood mitigation behaviour of business owners is an understudied aspect of risk reduction. This article employs the Protection Motivation Theory framework to identify critical factors that determine the flood damage mitigation behaviour of micro, small and medium enterprises in three neighbourhoods of Kampala, Uganda. We conducted a sample survey of micro to medium-sized business owners in two informal areas and one formal area in Kampala. Our analysis established that businesses of all sizes adopted structural measures and that micro-enterprises (0–4 employees) were more likely to implement non-structural measures than small businesses. Financial losses, risk aversion, and perceptions of flood likelihood all showed positive relationships with flood damage mitigation actions. Many businesses indicated that relocation is an inefficient and costly measure, though one that is easily self-implementable. Information-seeking behaviour and receiving flood-related information stimulated businesses to mitigate, though few businesses have regular access to helpful information regarding flood mitigation measures, especially concerning non-structural measures. These insights provide a basis for crafting business resilience-building policy and strategies considering increasing climate change-induced flash-flood risk in Kampala and other similar contexts.

Integration of container-based sanitation service provision in cities: influence of gender, religion and culture.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the challenges and opportunities in container based sanitation service provision in cities. Container based sanitation is an innovative technology where waste is collected and captured in sealable containers transported and treated use and/or safe disposal. CBS and non-CBS users’ perspectives were sought, to gain understanding on their experiences and perception about CBS services integration. Users were unpacked into three groups: households using CBS as pay per use, those running CBS as business and household with CBS installed in their residential. The study also sought to establish whether CBS suited sanitation needs of the users’ in line with social factors surrounding latrine adoption and User toilet Preference .Further, the study sought to establish the CBS stakeholders perspectives; support and perception of CBS as a sanitation option for the high density low income settlements The study adopted descriptive survey research design that enabled collection and analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data. The study was conducted among household members of Mukuru Kwa Njenga. Semi-structured questionnaires were used as primary collection tools, collection technique included observation, questionnaires and interviews. Additionally, ten in-depth interviews were conducted, with community chairmen, public utility representative, service providers and a government official. Quantitative data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20.0, qualitative data was thematically presented and reported in a verbatim prose. The study established that CBS service provision was rated as most preferred sanitation technology by 92% and 60% among CBS and non CBS household sampled. In addition CBS though most dominant option among the residents of Mukuru kwa Njenga, there some aspects of this innovative technology that needed to be upgraded including: Reevaluation on the CBS cost, structural improvement customized on the users sanitation preferences in line with socio-factors underpinning latrine usage, increased stakeholders involvement. The results from this study can be applied by container based service providers operating in low-income high density settlement for upscaling of CBS service provision ,this could be achieved through integration of CBS users preferences in the CBS technology upgrade. Additionally the results are also relevant to sanitation stakeholders including public and private institutions for strengthening of partnerships with an aim of creating an enabling platform for CBS operation for the betterment of CBS services especially in the informal area, where CBS has been demonstrated as viable.

Combined Districting and Main Line Routing—A Method to Implement a Basic Drinking Water Supply Infrastructure in Informal Settlements

The upgrading of large informal settlement areas takes place in sections for technical, economic and social reasons. On one hand, planning is faced with the challenge of taking individual structural and social conditions into account when dividing up the districts. On the other hand, the routing of the mains of a pipe-based infrastructure (water supply) must be selected in the context of the entire area under consideration and integrated into a superordinate network layout. In this paper, a method that combines these contrasting approaches is presented. Potential district boundaries are identified based on existing infrastructure and development patterns, as well as considering the routing requirements of a piped drinking water supply. Thereby, social factors can be considered in the decision-making process. Subsequently, an area subdivision is performed by a recursive partitioning algorithm. The choice and combination of different compactness measures influence the shape of the districts and, thus, the spatial organization. The geodetic height is integrated into the algorithm via an admissibility condition, so that the subsequent development of a district can take place via one pressure zone. By means of variations in the input parameters of the zoning, different planning levels can be generated, which finally lead successively to the upgrading of an informal settlement area.

Recreation and Alcohol Consumption in Sub-Saharan Africa: Addressing Gender and Age Differences in Urban Areas-Praia, Cabo Verde.

Background: Reducing alcohol consumption and improving urban planning in African cities are public health priorities. The aim of this study was to explore gender and age differences in recreational activity participation and its link with self-reported alcohol consumption in three urban areas of Praia. Methods: A questionnaire was applied to a probabilistic sample of 1912 adults, with a median age of 35.0 (IQR: 26.0–48.8) years, living in informal, transition, and formal areas of the capital of Cabo Verde. Results: More than 80% of the participants reported rarely or never participating in recreational activities. Going daily or weekly to the café was the most reported recreational activity, regardless of the urban area. Participation in recreational activities was higher in men than women, decreasing with age in both cases. Alcohol consumption was significantly higher in men than women (72.4% versus 47.4%, p < 0.001). Multiple logistic regression models showed that going at least once to the bar/nightclub (for men and women) and going to the café (for women) were associated with alcohol consumption. Furthermore, age (for women), in a protective way, and having children (for men) appeared to be associated with alcohol consumption. Conclusions: This study provides new data on the recreational environment in Praia and can contribute to the development of local and national public health policies and interventions in line with several SDGs to reduce alcohol consumption, enhance healthy leisure/recreation practices, and promote better living conditions for its inhabitants.

Mapping urban physical distancing constraints, sub-Saharan Africa: a case study from Kenya.

With the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, public health measures such as physical distancing were recommended to reduce transmission of the virus causing the disease. However, the same approach in all areas, regardless of context, may lead to measures being of limited effectiveness and having unforeseen negative consequences, such as loss of livelihoods and food insecurity. A prerequisite to planning and implementing effective, context-appropriate measures to slow community transmission is an understanding of any constraints, such as the locations where physical distancing would not be possible. Focusing on sub-Saharan Africa, we outline and discuss challenges that are faced by residents of urban informal settlements in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We describe how new geospatial data sets can be integrated to provide more detailed information about local constraints on physical distancing and can inform planning of alternative ways to reduce transmission of COVID-19 between people. We include a case study for Nairobi County, Kenya, with mapped outputs which illustrate the intra-urban variation in the feasibility of physical distancing and the expected difficulty for residents of many informal settlement areas. Our examples demonstrate the potential of new geospatial data sets to provide insights and support to policy-making for public health measures, including COVID-19.

Comprehensive characterization of halogenated flame retardants and organophosphate esters in settled dust from informal e-waste and end-of-life vehicle processing sites in Vietnam: Occurrence, source estimation, and risk assessment

Information about the co-occurrence of halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) and organophosphate esters (OPEs) in the environment of informal waste processing areas is still limited, especially in emerging and developing countries. In this study, OPEs and HFRs including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs), and chlorinated flame retardants (CFRs) were determined in settled dust from Vietnamese e-waste recycling (WR) and vehicle processing (VP) workshops. Pollutant concentrations decreased in the order: OPEs (median 1500; range 230–410,000 ng/g) ≈ PBDEs (1200; 58–250,000) > NBFRs (140; not detected – 250,000) > CFRs (13; 0.39–2200). HFR and OPE levels in the WR workshops for e-waste and obsolete plastic were significantly higher than in the VP workshops. Decabromodiphenyl ether and decabromodiphenyl ethane are major HFRs, accounting for 60 ± 26% and 25 ± 29% of total HFRs, respectively. Triphenyl phosphate, tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate, and tris(1,3-dichloroisopropyl) phosphate dominated the OPE profiles, accounting for 30 ± 25%, 25 ± 16%, and 24 ± 18% of total OPEs, respectively. The OPE profiles differed between WR and VP dust samples, implying different usage patterns of these substances in polymer materials for electric/electronic appliance and automotive industries. Human health risk related to dust-bound HFRs and OPEs in the study areas was low.

The Missing Millions in Maps: Exploring Causes of Uncertainties in Global Gridded Population Datasets

Gridded population datasets model the population at a relatively high spatial and temporal granularity by reallocating official population data from irregular administrative units to regular grids (e.g., 1 km grid cells). Such population data are vital for understanding human–environmental relationships and responding to many socioeconomic and environmental problems. We analyzed one very broadly used gridded population layer (GHS-POP) to assess its capacity to capture the distribution of population counts in several urban areas, spread across the major world regions. This analysis was performed to assess its suitability for global population modelling. We acquired the most detailed local population data available for several cities and compared this with the GHS-POP layer. Results showed diverse error rates and degrees depending on the geographic context. In general, cities in High-Income (HIC) and Upper-Middle-Income Countries (UMIC) had fewer model errors as compared to cities in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC). On a global average, 75% of all urban spaces were wrongly estimated. Generally, in central mixed or non-residential areas, the population was overestimated, while in high-density residential areas (e.g., informal areas and high-rise areas), the population was underestimated. Moreover, high model uncertainties were found in low-density or sparsely populated outskirts of cities. These geographic patterns of errors should be well understood when using population models as an input for urban growth models, as they introduce geographic biases.

The HIV Epidemic in South Africa: Key Findings from 2017 National Population-Based Survey.

South Africa has the largest number of people living with HIV worldwide. South Africa has implemented five population-based HIV prevalence surveys since 2002 aimed at understanding the dynamics and the trends of the epidemic. This paper presents key findings from the fifth HIV prevalence, incidence, and behaviour survey conducted in 2017 following policy, programme, and epidemic change since the prior survey was conducted in 2012. A cross-sectional population-based household survey collected behavioural and biomedical data on all members of the eligible households. A total of 39,132 respondents from 11,776 households were eligible to participate, of whom 93.6% agreed to be interviewed, and 61.1% provided blood specimens. The provided blood specimens were used to determine HIV status, HIV incidence, viral load, exposure to antiretroviral treatment, and HIV drug resistance. Overall HIV incidence among persons aged 2 years and above was 0.48% which translates to an estimated 231,000 new infections in 2017. HIV prevalence was 14.0% translating to 7.9 million people living with HIV. Antiretroviral (ARV) exposure was 62.3%, with the lowest exposure among those aged 15 to 24 years (39.9%) with 10% lower ARV coverage among males compared to females. Viral suppression among those on treatment was high (87.3%), whilst HIV population viral load suppression was much lower (62.3%). In terms of risk behaviours, 13.6% of youth reported having had an early sexual debut (first sex before the age of 15 years), with more males reporting having done so (19.5%) than females (7.6%). Age-disparate relationships, defined as having a sexual partner 5+ years different from oneself,) among adolescents were more common among females (35.8%) than males (1.5%). Self-reported multiple sexual partnerships (MSPs), defined as having more than one sexual partner in the previous 12 months, were more commonly reported by males (25.5%) than females (9.0%). Condom use at last sexual encounter was highest among males than females. Three quarters (75.2%) of people reported they had ever been tested for HIV, with more females (79.3%) having had done so than males (70.9%). Two-thirds of respondents (66.8%) self-reported having tested for HIV in the past 12 months. Finally, 61.6% of males in the survey self-reported as having been circumcised, with circumcision being more common among youth aged 15–24 years (70.2%), Black Africans (68.9%), and those living in both rural informal (tribal) areas (65%) and urban areas (61.9%). Slightly more (51.2%) male circumcisions were reported to have occurred in a medical setting than in traditional settings (44.8%), with more young males aged 15–24 (62.6%) and men aged 25–49 (51.5%) reporting to have done so compared to most men aged 50 and older (57.1%) who reported that they had undergone circumcision in a traditional setting. The results of this survey show that strides have been made in controlling the HIV epidemic, especially in the reduction of HIV incidence, HIV testing, and treatment. Although condom use at last sex act remains unchanged, there continue to be some challenges with the lack of significant behaviour change as people, especially youth, continue to engage in risky behaviour and delay treatment initiation. Therefore, there is a need to develop or scale up targeted intervention programmes to increase HIV testing further and put more people living with HIV on treatment as well as prevent risky behaviours that put young people at risk of HIV infection.

Urban informal settlements classification via a transformer-based spatial-temporal fusion network using multimodal remote sensing and time-series human activity data

Urban informal settlements (UIS) are high-density population areas with low urban infrastructure standards. UIS classification, which automates identifying UIS, is of great significance for various urban computing tasks. Fast and accurate extraction of UIS has the following difficulties. First, from a high-resolution perspective, the buildings in informal settlement areas are low-floor and dense, with complex spatial relationships. Second, informal settlements’ remote sensing observation characteristics are highly inconspicuous, caused by the shooting angle and imaging environment. Therefore, it is inadequate to classify UIS using only a single remote sensing image modality. Multimodality data with multiple temporal and spatial characteristics provide a prospective opportunity for the more accurate mapping of UIS. Still, there is a lack of relevant works on UIS classification at present. In this paper, we proposed a hybrid Transformer-based spatio-temporal fusion network, namely, STNet, which integrates a proposed PDNet, ResMixer, and Transformer-based spatio-temporal fusing layer to classify UIS using very-high-resolution (VHR) remote sensing images and time-series Tencent population density (TPD) data. Experiments were conducted in Shenzhen City, confirming the superior performance of the proposed STNet and the fusing of spatio-temporal multimodal remote sensing and time-series TPD data. The proposed STNet reached an overall accuracy (OA) of 88.58% and Kappa of 0.7716, with increases of around 1% to 12% and around 0.03 to 0.25 in OA and Kappa, respectively, compared to other models.

Willingness to pay for community based health insurance scheme and factors associated with it among households in rural community of South West Shoa Zone, Ethiopia

BackgroundOut-of-pocket payments are the major significant barrier in achieving universal health coverage, particularly in developing countries' rural communities. In 2011, the Ethiopian government launched a pilot community-based health insurance (CBHI) scheme with the goal of increasing access to modern health care services and providing financial security to households in the informal sector and rural areas. The main objective of this study is to estimate willingness to pay (WTP) for CBHI scheme and factors that influence it among rural households in the South West Shoa Zone.MethodsA household-level cross-sectional study was conducted to examine the WTP for the CBHI scheme and factors associated with it in rural communities of South West Shoa Zone. The study used a sample of 400 rural households. Systematic random sampling was employed during household selection, and double-bounded contingent valuation method was used to estimate WTP for the CBHI scheme.ResultsAbout 65 percent of the households are willing to pay for CBHI scheme. Moreover, the study found that the households were willing to pay 255.55 Birr per year on average. The result of the study also revealed that amount of bid, household income, family size, household head's education, household health status, membership to community-based health insurance scheme, membership in any association, and awareness about the scheme are factors that are significantly associated with WTP for the scheme.ConclusionsHouseholds are willing to pay a higher price than the policy price. Therefore, setting a new premium that reflects households' willingness to pay is highly valuable to policymakers. Social capital and awareness about CBHI scheme play an important role in influencing WTP. Thus, the study suggests that local communities need to strengthen their social cohesion and solidarity. It is also necessary to create awareness about the CBHI’s benefits.

Enhancing Livability in Informal Areas: A Participatory Approach to Improve Urban Microclimate in Outdoor Spaces

Urban informalities have shown global unprecedented growth rates in the past 50 years, currently housing around two thirds of Cairenes. As outdoor activities are fundamental to urban life, improving environmental performance of this urban product is essential. This paper investigates microclimate in Cairo’s informal areas and how to improve it through low-tech interventions. It aims to identify relevant heat stress counterstrategies, and how they can be promoted among and accepted by residents. Building on previous work regarding an Outdoor Spaces Environmental Performance Assessment OSEPA tool, the researchers identified needed intervention areas within Imbaba informal district. Through an extensive participatory process, the team developed tailored solutions that help improve the urban microclimate using low tech and low-cost interventions. The field work identified vital prerequisites and revealed the necessity of engaging various stakeholders to ensure ownership and applicability. The analysis concludes with an Outdoor Spaces Environmental Performance Improvement OSEPI model for developing solutions to improve urban microclimate within spaces of informal areas and a toolbox for relevant interventions. This serves both as an input in informal areas upgrading projects and designing low to middle-income neighbourhoods. Thus, ensuring environmental justice and counteracting current practices that predominantly ignore environmental issues especially increased heat stress.

Teachers’ perceptions of children’s access to toilets in urban ECDE institutions, and the psychosocial consequences

ABSTRACT Access to clean and functional toilet is quintessential in meeting children's physiological and psychosocial needs in a learning environment. However, little is known on experiences of children's access to quality toilets while in preschool institutions within urban settings of sub-Saharan Africa countries. This paper draws from a study that explored experiences of vulnerable children in early childhood development education (ECDE) institutions in underserved and informal urban settings of Kenya and South Africa. 11 urban ECDE centres were purposively selected and 17 teachers were recruited as key informants. Data was collected using an adapted infrastructural checklist, observation and conversational interviews. Findings indicated that a majority of toilets in ECDE centres were inadequate, inappropriate, poorly maintained, or had structural weaknesses which affected children's experiences of access and use of the facilities. Scheduled toilet visits as a control measure and toilet avoidance potentially exposed them to psychosocial and health risks. Insights into children's toilet facilities, managing their access in institutions located within informal and low resourced areas, and investment policies that target preschool children’ sanitary facilities are given. Suggestions are made for interventions for children's positive toilet experiences in poor urban areas.

Views From the Margins: Exploring How Vulnerability Contributes to Shaping Men’s Identities in Informal Urban South Africa

Globally, the proliferation of informal settlements continues unabated, challenging us to understand life in these risk-prone urban ‘hotspots’. Although women and children are vulnerable to risks in these marginalised environments, young men are more often considered generators of risk while their own susceptibilities are disregarded. Addressing this oversight, this study, undertaken in informal areas of Cape Town, South Africa, using a range of qualitative methods, investigated the vulnerabilities of young Xhosa men. The findings reveal conflicted masculine identities, shaped by the complex environments young men encounter in navigating life on the margins. Demonstrating the tensions shaping their identities and behaviour, the nature of their vulnerabilities is shown to be constructed over time in response to the changing landscapes young men encounter. It also reveals how they develop individualised defence mechanisms and coping strategies to survive in these environments, contesting the hegemonic forms of masculinity they are more often labelled with.

Collective Action Towards Risk Management in Informal Urban Areas in Medellín: COVID-19 Lessons for Reducing Vulnerability and Inequality

Recent experiences of socio-environmental disasters in Latin America have demonstrated the ineffectiveness of the state as a social actor in the organisation, coordination and implementation of adequate public policies to face these emergencies. This affects the most vulnerable urban areas, leading to unequal levels of impact from crises and disasters within cities. As a response, local collective actions, led by citizens, have emerged to manage risks. In Medellín, Colombia, in the context of the current COVID-19 crisis, our research identified a diverse repertoire of collective actions within informal, vulnerable communities, including collaboration towards improving food security, sanitation, pedagogy for self-care and prevention, and financial aid. Although these actions have had limited scope within the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they demonstrate the need to promote a more proactive interaction between society and the state, based on a series of agreed interventions, promoting the exchange of knowledge and articulation of actions in the production and improvement of informal urban areas. This research explores how these collective actions have developed through a set of semi-structured interviews with community leaders and key actors in Medellín, with a view to identifying lessons for state-community dynamics in relation to disaster risk management and achieving a more integrated approach to improving habitat conditions within vulnerable urban areas. This work demonstrates that vulnerable communities in informal urban settlements can actively address their exposure to risk through locally-oriented, bottom-up collective actions. However, key linkages with institutional frameworks are needed to strengthen state-community dynamics and facilitate sustainable, inclusive and equitable development in cities.

The interrelationships of sustainable livelihood capital assets deprivations and asset based social policy interventions: The case of Addis Ababa informal settlement areas, Ethiopia

The purpose of the research is to analyze the pattern of interrelationships in deprivations of sustainable livelihood capital assets, sub-groups deprivation variations in light of the theoretical and empirical frameworks, and suggest recommendations for Asset Based Social policy (ABS). The research reviews the approaches of informal settlement interventions vis-a-vise livelihood capital assets, how livelihood capital assets deprivations affect each other, the relationships of assets and functioning of capability, and the institution role on access and control of assets by vulnerable sub-groups. The case study area was from two informal settlements of Addis Ketema sub-city Wereda 07 (the inner-city slum) and kolfe keranyo sub-city Wereda 03 (peri-urban). The research applied an explanatory mixed-method sequential design consisting of quantitative research based on a house-to-house random sampling survey, followed by the qualitative method of individual case study and key-informants interview. The research refined strategic issues/ indicators that require ABS interventions from the many aspects of deprivations relationships and argued in line with the theoretical and empirical frameworks. The research implicated strengthening institutions to make livelihood capital assets closer to vulnerable sub-groups, especially in peri-urban, empowering community associations bargain for poor rights, reinforce capability functioning for livelihood capital asset accumulation. ABS is crucial for addressing the strategic issue of livelihood capital assets deprivations, tackling institutional and legal constraints, effective functioning of assets and capability, address risk, safety, and vulnerability in informal settlements. The ABS policy improves the wellbeing of poor and vulnerable sub-groups through asset accession, asset valorization, and asset consolidation.

Incomplete Urbanization and the Trans-Local Rural-Urban Gradient in China: From a Perspective of New Economics of Labor Migration

The urbanization in China is “incomplete” and the migration of non-hukou migrants is circular, wherein rural migrants often keep their rural land in the home village as a social safety net. The informal housing market is one of the main housing providers for migrant workers. Existing studies see informal housing as the migrants’ passive choice under the discriminatory hukou system, while underplaying the migrants’ familial multi-site tenure strategies between village homes and city places. As suggested by New Economics of Labor Migration (NELM), attachment to a place of origin (such as keeping hometown lands), while choosing informal housing at the destination, is a familial utility maximization strategy that can control risks when migrating between locations. Informal housing areas, therefore, become a trans-local rural-urban gradient and semi-urban landscape. We use the 2017 Migrant Dynamics Monitoring Survey data and the binary logistic regression to examine (a) whether hometown landowning is a significant predictor of the migrants’ choosing of a temporary stay in informal settlements in urban destinations, and (b) which kind of hometown land arrangement (farmland or homestead holding or both of them) is the strongest indicator of the higher probability of staying in informal settlements in urban destinations? The data analysis reveals that homestead in hometown is a more prominent pulling factor than farmland to “glue” rural migrants together within an integrated rural land “insurance regime” between the migrant-sending and -receiving places. The land-use and informal housing governance (including urban village demolition) ignore the trans-local nature of the migratory networks and semi-urbanizing dynamics. The traditional analysis of the rural-urban gradient with many landscapes should consider the functional and tenurial linkage between the locations at different points along with the complex migration activities.

A Machine Learning Model for Improving Building Detection in Informal Areas: A Case Study of Greater Cairo

Building detection in Ashwa’iyyat is a fundamental yet challenging problem, mainly because it requires the correct recovery of building footprints from images with high-object density and scene complexity.A classification model was proposed to integrate spectral, height and textural features. It was developed for the automatic detection of the rectangular, irregular structure and quite small size buildings or buildings which are close to each other but not adjoined. It is intended to improve the precision with which buildings are classified using scikit learn Python libraries and QGIS. WorldView-2 and Spot-5 imagery were combined using three image fusion techniques. The Grey-Level Co-occurrence Matrix was applied to determine which attributes are important in detecting and extracting buildings. The Normalized Digital Surface Model was also generated with 0.5-m resolution.The results demonstrated that when textural features of colour images were introduced as classifier input, the overall accuracy was improved in most cases. The results show that the proposed model was more accurate and efficient than the state-of-the-art methods and can be used effectively to extract the boundaries of small size buildings. The use of a classifier ensample is recommended for the extraction of buildings.

Street network and home-based business patterns in Cairo’s informal areas

Identifying the economic potential of informal urban areas is a topic of increasing interest for policymakers and practitioners in less developed countries, yet little is known of how informal street design influences the type and count of business opportunities. By adapting a space syntax framework, this study aims to quantitatively verify the association between the street design of informal areas in Cairo and patterns of home-based businesses in areas where small business prevalence is high. This paper contributes to the literature by developing a methodology which is fit for testing hypotheses, allows to control for the influence of unobserved factors, and which extracts the spatial rules, trends or logics of business patterns. The results show that street accessibility is an important factor in encouraging (or discouraging) the settlement of home-based businesses. Home-based businesses are spatially distributed along the local primary streets, which provide flows of potential customers. Our findings contribute to a better knowledge base for understanding how different types of economic activities and the spatial properties of the built environment relate to each other, how street design may impact on the emergence of small and micro-enterprises, what kind of business may suit isolated laneways, how informal business activities can be anticipated and managed, and how land use regulations can be improved.