Low-income Settlements Research Articles

Meeting Sustainable Development Goals Through Infrastructure Development to Stimulate Economic Growth in Kampong Settlements

Objective: This study investigates how infrastructure development can stimulate economic growth in Kampung settlements and contribute to achieving the SDGs. Theoretical Framework: This study explores informal housing development by low-income communities along urban rivers. These dwellings meet basic needs and foster a community-oriented environment, with both men and women contributing to household incomes through informal sector work despite economic challenges. Method: A quantitative descriptive approach was employed, utilizing in-depth interviews, direct observations, and document reviews. Interviews captured community members' experiences and perspectives, while participatory efforts established a shared vision with local communities. Results and Discussion: The KOTAKU program has boosted economic progress in Yogyakarta’s Kampung settlements, especially among middle- and low-income residents. Transforming garbage dumps into access roads supports the local economy and river cleaning, while communal waste processing improves environmental quality and addresses the needs of people with disabilities, the elderly, and children. Research Implications: The study highlights how active community participation in infrastructure development—from surveys to maintenance—improves living conditions and sustainability in low-income Kampung settlements. Originality/Value: This research links field research with community participation, emphasizing the empowerment of Yogyakarta’s riverside kampung communities through sustainable infrastructure development, which enhances economic opportunities, environmental quality, and quality of life.

Diagnosis, treatment, and management of Mpox in urban Informal Settlements in Southwestern Nigeria: an ethnographic approach

BackgroundGlobal re-emergence of the zoonotic viral disease, Mpox (Monkeypox) has drawn global attention, leading to its declaration as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by World Health Organisation (WHO) in July 2022. Nigeria is a spotlight identified for the viral disease outbreak, with attention drawn on its transmission to non-endemic nations. With the country’s healthcare challenges, care seeking practices particularly amongst low-income urban informal settlement populations are diverse – presenting challenges to both case identification and management during an outbreak. In this study, we examine the social, economic, and behavioural context of Mpox therapeutics.MethodsThis was an ethnographic study conducted between September 2022 and March 2023, with the purposive selection of urban informal settlements and interlocutors in Oyo, Ogun and Lagos States. We interviewed a total of 28 interlocutors who were either confirmed or suspected cases of Mpox or parents of children who are confirmed or suspected Mpox cases identified by the public health workers. Data were elicited through In-depth interviews and observations technique on the interlocutor’s local knowledge and their lived experiences on the therapeutics of Mpox. Analysis of the transcript was done inductively using thematic analysis process.FindingsThe study revealed awareness and vague knowledge of Mpox. Furthermore, the behavioural practices on how ailments are understood and managed revealed a commonality in their social actions in terms of local diagnosis and management. Mpox was perceived to be a mild disease, and this had implications on the local characteristics of the PHEIC in the endemic regions.ConclusionOur paper contributes to a more nuanced understanding of not only the health care access barriers, but the complex geographical, economic, and sociocultural factors that shape how and when people seek care for Mpox within the context of urban informal settlements. This further draws attention to behavioral dispositions to the nomenclature of what is perceived as PHEIC. Thus, the global health and security paradigm should give room to local context, expertise, and global politics in shaping epidemic responses.

The Effect of Formal Shopping Centers in Townships on Street Vending in South African Townships

Most governments discourage informal trading, labeling it as contradictory to development. In this regard, informal trading is considered one of the leading causes of street congestion, crime, dirt, and threatening public order. Residents in low-income and informal settlements use street vending as a livelihood method due to scarce work opportunities in the formal sector of South Africa’s economy. This paper examines the effect of formal shopping centers in townships on street vending in South African townships. The study used a qualitative approach and collected data from secondary sources and a questionnaire. The study concluded that shopping centers have a positive impact on street vending. Street vendors and shopping centers complement each other.

Watt’s fair in Mumbai: intermediaries’ impact on energy justice in informal settlements

Abstract India’s ongoing energy transitions are a systemic response to addressing critical challenges associated with climate change. Importantly, it leverages decarbonization as a strategic pivot to simultaneously mitigate and adapt to climate risks. The decarbonization agenda is largely skewed towards mitigation, struggling with adaptation alignments. Energy justice is a core dimension of adaptation intervention and it is important to explore how energy justice is or can be conceptualized and delivered as the decarbonization agenda is underway. Existing research suggests that, in the cities of the Global South, active involvement of intermediaries becomes a pivotal anchor and pathway to access infrastructure services, especially in low-income and informal settlements. Importantly, advocacy efforts by intermediaries also tackle existing injustices that restrict these settlements from accessing essential infrastructure services. Intermediaries become especially important in cities like Mumbai, where 41% of the people live in informal settlements (slums). Using Mumbai as a case study, this paper explores two questions in the context of intermediaries, energy access, and energy justice. First, how do intermediaries engage with infrastructure and governance structures to enable access to electricity in informal settlements? Second, does this ‘intermediation’ deliver just outcomes? Empirical fieldwork reveals that intermediaries serve as a quasi-political counterbalance by engaging in ‘politics from the bottom’ to articulate justice concerns, mobilize stakeholders, and produce knowledge that feeds back into the intermediation process. We argue that this is important if we need to ensure that energy transitions do not create systemic inequities and that the benefits of the ongoing transition are widespread and just.

Policing and Citizen Trust in Kenya: How Community Policing Shapes Local Trust-Building and Collaboration

Abstract In contexts of high insecurity and mistrust in the police, how and why do local residents still choose to collaborate with the police, and what is the role of community policing in such considerations? Research on policing in Africa has emphasized the structural and macropolitical barriers to effective police reform, including institutionalized cultures of impunity and corruption. Less attention, however, has been paid to the contextual and relational dynamics that shape police-community collaboration. We argue that a relational perspective, which centres local residents’ interactions with police and community policing structures, provides novel insights into the challenges of policing reforms. This perspective also demonstrates how contingent and incremental trust can be built in very challenging circumstances. We study these dynamics in Karagita and Kaptembwo, two low-income urban settlements in Nakuru County, Kenya, that have experienced violent crime and repeated electoral violence. Despite considerable challenges of crime, police misconduct, and political interference in these settlements, our findings point to how positive everyday interaction and community policing structures can contribute to incremental improvements in police-community relationships. In contrast to existing work on African policing that primarily highlights the challenges of police reform, this study offers insights into when reform has the potential to be effective.

Impactos Socioambientais em Assentamentos Urbanos Informais

Aim – Analyze, critically, the environmental licensing process of informal urban settlements, seeking to improve the instrument in a context of climate change. Methodology - This is a qualitative approach in which the documentary research method was used in environmental licensing processes of informal urban land subdivisions in the Federal District. Originality/relevance - There is a scarcity of studies investigating licensing in informal urban settlements. Considering that environmental licensing is required for activities that may cause socio-environmental damage and aims to mitigate or compensate for such damage, research that empirically evaluates the application of the instrument should be encouraged. Results - In general, environmental licensing in informal urban settlements has not been efficient, mitigation measures are not complied with, monitoring is unsatisfactory, there is a lack of indicators to measure urban environmental quality, and there is a lack of analysis of technological alternatives that consider climate projections and nature-based solutions. Theoretical/methodological contributions: Research on environmental licensing processes for informal urban settlements for low-income (ARIS) and high-income populations (ARINE) has contributed to complement the global literature, focused on investigating the mining and energy sectors. Comparative research on informal urban land subdivision in other socioeconomic contexts is recommended. Social and environmental contributions - Low-income settlements in ARIS are more vulnerable to socio-environmental risks and climate change than settlements in ARINE, requiring greater attention from managers to reduce this vulnerability.

An Investigation into the Models for Financing Renewable Energy Production in Low-Income Settlements in Gauteng, South Africa: A Review

South Africa faces a lack of reliable, modern electricity, essential for economic and social development. Many communities in Gauteng, particularly rural, informal settlements, are not connected to the national grid, leaving 39 percent of the province's residents in darkness and relying on paraffin and gas to survive the cold winters. In addition, these two components increase the number of dead fires in unofficial regulation and the price of electricity camps, increasing the load on the poor. In this study, we surveyed existing literature on the affordable funding model of renewable energy sources, collected primary data in structured industry interviews and stakeholders. This research focused on this survey, focusing on domestic recurring models and analysing the appropriate financing model and financial exhibition source project funding, green finance, public, private partnership, Government subsidies and private investors also instruct foreign investors. Financial procurement model is mixed. In this study, we have developed a framework that allows representatives to link to the outlook of financiers and decision -making, using a mixed methodology approach, and allows you to allow reliable and useful research results. This gap represents a significant obstacle to renewable energy financing. Furthermore, the results indicate that innovative financing channels are needed to promote renewable energy development in Gauteng and South Africa, as traditional financing methods have had little effect in stimulating renewable energy development. Furthermore, the results show that green energy investors consider renewable energy sources to be very risky, even when supported by government policies. Therefore, the study proposes a financing model that brings together funders into small financial consortia to fund local renewable energy projects using a blended financing model. Such a model would spread risk across multiple investors, thereby reducing the potential risks of investments while achieving the goals and benefiting from tax credits and other incentives for investing in renewable energy.

Poverty, childcare responsibilities, and stigma hinder adolescent mothers from returning to school in a low-income urban informal settlement in Kenya.

While a few studies have examined barriers to school re-entry among adolescent mothers, studies focusing on the experiences of girls in low-income informal settlements are scarce. We examined the factors that hindered parenting girls living in a resource-constrained urban setting from re-enrolling in school. We conducted the study in Korogocho, a low-income urban informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya. Barriers to school re-entry were documented through inductive thematic analysis of 32 in-depth interviews with pregnant and parenting adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 years (N = 22), parents/guardians (N = 10), and 10 key informant interviews with teachers (N = 4), and community leaders (N = 6). Interviewed girls blamed their being out of school on their childcare responsibilities, poverty, stigmatizing and discriminatory attitudes from students and teachers, and withdrawal of parental support. While parents, teachers, and community leaders agreed that poverty and lack of childcare support hindered parenting girls from returning to school, they contended that robust support systems encompassing childcare and financial support, and less hostile school environments constituted facilitators of school re-entry among parenting adolescents. While the 2020 National Guidelines for School Re-entry in Kenya seek to deter the exclusion of adolescent mothers from education thereby ensuring retention, transition and completion at all basic education levels, the findings underscore the need for programs that ensure that pregnant and parenting adolescents have the requisite financial, material, and childcare support to facilitate their retention or re-enrollment in school in line with the Guidelines. School administrators and the Ministry of Education should develop and implement interventions that make the school environment less hostile for parenting girls.

Differentiated and conflicting incentives across the sanitation value chain: the case of Sanergy in Nairobi

ABSTRACT The challenge of achieving safely managed sanitation in low-income settlements in the context of rapid urban expansion in Nairobi is significant. National and county government plans for sanitation focus primarily on extending large-scale sewer systems, but in recent years, there has been increasing activity on non-sewered sanitation, particularly container-based sanitation (CBS) to potentially extend safely managed sanitation. Market-based CBS providers received extensive investment and promised to rapidly scale service delivery. Yet, progress has faltered, and scaling up is proving to be problematic. We apply a service characteristics analysis to examine the case of Sanergy, a CBS provider. Data are drawn from documents and stakeholder interviews. We demonstrate that misaligned incentives between stakeholders explain why extensive scaling up has (so far) failed to materialise. In particular, the creation of a self-sustaining faecal waste circular economy has proved to be elusive and highlights the need for the state to engage actively in sanitation provision as a public good.

Assessing the vulnerability of selected coastal informal settlements to floods in the Old Brahmaputra River floodplain, Bangladesh

Urban informal communities in floodplains are particularly vulnerable to flooding and are often overlooked in the disaster response and development strategy. Therefore, determining the vulnerability of such communities is crucial for enhancing resilience and facilitating effective disaster preparedness. This study assesses the vulnerability of three low-income informal urban settlements in the Old Brahmaputra River floodplains of Bangladesh. A total of 15 indicators against three major sub-components of vulnerability (social, physical, and economic) are selected to calculate the index using the analytical hierarchy process and simple average method. Findings revealed moderate vulnerability in all selected communities. ANOVA revealed a significant difference in vulnerability indices among these selected settlements. It was further observed that, unlike community characteristics, the vulnerability levels tend to be influenced by the choice of analytical approach. Based on the study findings, the concerned organizations can implement measures like improving means of risk communication, providing basic amenities, and promoting social capital, which can be utilized to enhance the adaptive capacities of informal settlements.

Associations of Intrahousehold Allocation of Animal Source Food With Mother and Child Nutrition Outcomes in Low-Income Informal Settlements of Nairobi, Kenya

Associations of Intrahousehold Allocation of Animal Source Food With Mother and Child Nutrition Outcomes in Low-Income Informal Settlements of Nairobi, Kenya

Impact of rural-urban migration in low-income settlements in Bangladesh: A case study on Baganbari slum

Rural-urban migration is one of the most familiar terms in the present world, especially in developing countries. The people of Bangladesh have a strong tendency to migrate towards the megacities. The migrants are required to cope with many uncertainties, risks, and challenges. This paper is aimed to find out the impact of RUM especially on the life standards of the migrants. Here qualitative approach has been followed, and the Baganbari slum of Mirpur region has been selected as the representative of the slums of Bangladesh. Demographic characteristics of the respondents were presented here in order to categorize the migrants. Based on survey questionnaires, 20 household heads of the slum were part of the survey. Three key informant interviews, five FGDs, and two case studies were also used to collect data. During FGD and KII, the respondents were asked about their monthly income, hometown, religion, age, monthly income, and others. Also, the respondents mentioned about some causes of their migration. The study shows the brutalities of slum life and reflects the limitations of slum life as well. According to the findings of the study, the government should take a special look at the proper education and skill development facilities of the slum children.

Indoor air pollution and hypertension disease burden among women using low-grade fuels

Exposures to indoor air pollution from the combustion of Low-grade Fuels (LgFs) is a leading risk factor for global disease burden. Emerging evidence suggest a potential role of PM2.5 exposures in Blood Pressure (BP) elevation. This study assessed the effects of Indoor Air Pollution (IAP) from the use of LgFs on hypertension disease burden among women in low-income settlements. We measured the kitchen concentrations and personal exposures to PM2.5 for users of LgFs compared with users of LPG in the city of Aba, Nigeria. The study also assessed hypertension markers for 328 adult women in the population. Association between PM2.5 exposures and BP was modelled with hierarchical multiple regression, adjusting for major covariates. The indoor PM2.5 concentrations for users of LgFs ranged from 47.5 to 800.0 μg/m3 while that for LPG users ranged from 33.0 to 112.5 μg/m3. The mean personal exposures were 152.3 μg/m3 and 58.3 μg/m3 for users of LgFs and LPG, respectively. The age-standardized hypertension prevalence in the population was 24.4 % and 15.6 % for users of LgFs and LPG, respectively. Exposures to PM2.5 moderately predicted SBP among users of LgFs but not among LPG users; the increase in 1 μg/m3 of PM2.5 exposure resulted to 0.44 mmHg increase in SBP among users LgFs. Long-term exposures to IAP from the use of low-grade fuels is associated with increased SBP and greater risks of systemic hypertension. These findings reinforce the need for public policies towards improving access to, and affordability of LPG as an alternative household fuel.

Breathing space in a compact city: Impacts of urban re-densification on Mumbai's low-income housing environment

Redevelopment of low-income settlements by re-densifying cities is a common approach in the Global South to improve living conditions and tackle the housing shortage. However, the effectiveness of the housing design in redevelopment schemes remains to be questioned. This study evaluates a proposed design of a slum redevelopment project in Mumbai, India, by comparing the environmental performance of three design schemes: the existing low-income housing, the redevelopment scheme proposed by the local government and a hypothetical design (modified scheme) that aligns with positive environmental outcomes identified in the current literature. The environmental factors such as the natural airflow, incident solar radiation and daylighting parameters were assessed by computational simulations and validated by a wind tunnel experiment. These factors were associated with direct and indirect density metrics of the three design schemes to inform better policymaking for slum redevelopment projects that seek to re-densify housing for the urban poor. The results indicated that the design performance of the redeveloped scheme is less preferable due to the unclean indoor air and inadequate daylighting conditions requiring large-scale demolition of the existing buildings. The modified plan requires minimal demolishment and demonstrates relatively better environmental performance. The study revealed that indirect density measures - building geometry factors and urban form parameters - are essential in affecting the ecological performance of housing. Considering these factors in design standards and policymaking for high-density redevelopment schemes can enable the “Goldilocks density” that significantly improves the quality of living while densifying the cities.

Women’s search for public space and leisure in Agra: cots, courtyards, and riverbank

ABSTRACT Historians have often highlighted the centrality of bazaars and the streets in urban public life in India as a space for politics and mobilisation. Historically, these bazaars and streets have been the domain of men, while spaces created by dominant urban planning logics like sequestered parks and enclosed marketplaces are marked by exclusion across various axes. Where do women then find opportunities for leisure, solidarity, chance encounter, or discursive politics? The paper explores this question through a case study of a low-income riverside settlement in Agra using ethnographic field work conducted in 2019. This included observations, interviews, and group discussions with residents, community leaders, and police officials, and a systematic review of local and national news reports. The paper finds that for women, public spaces like riverbanks, streets, and large parks are characterised by a ‘mahaul’ (translated here as affective environment) that is risky and ‘kharab’ (immoral or corrupt) due to their sticky affective association with harassment, transgression, romance, and the risk of elopements. Instead, women find opportunities for leisure and sociality by coming together on cots in shared courtyards or rooftops within their neighbourhood – these form their ‘enclosed outside’ where they find opportunities for sociality, leisure (which exists simultaneously with work), and discussion. By centring women’s experiences, vocabularies, and everyday relationship with public spaces, and underscoring the register of ‘affect’ in these experiences, this paper makes an important contribution to the growing literature on gendering right to the city and the feminist argument for women’s right to leisure spaces. The paper also centres the importance of local built elements like shared courtyards within a neighbourhood especially for women, with implications for urban planning and design.

Male involvement in maternal and child nutrition in low-income informal settlements, Nairobi, Kenya

BackgroundMaternal and child nutrition is a significant public health concern because adequate nutrition is essential for the health, development, and well-being of mothers and children. Men can play a critical role in improving maternal and child health, including through their involvement in the nutrition of the mother and child. However, little has been studied on male involvement in maternal and child nutrition; therefore, this qualitative exploratory study focused on the level of male involvement and factors influencing male involvement in maternal and child nutrition in low-income urban informal settings.MethodsQualitative data collection methods were triangulated in the exploratory study to inform the study objectives. In-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted with 30 men and 20 women based on the inclusion criteria that they have children aged between 6 and 23 months. An additional 10 key informant interviews with stakeholders in nutrition within the study setting were also carried out. Data from the qualitative interviews were captured in audio files with informed consent and permission to record from the study participants. The interviews were transcribed and translated into English transcripts for coding and analysis. Themes were derived from the five levels of the socio-ecological model of human behavior, namely, (i) individual factors; (ii) interpersonal factors; (iii) community factors; (iv) institutional factors guided the analysis.ResultsFindings from the study revealed that personal beliefs and values, the nature of work, mistrust and stigma and discrimination, and the association clinic visits with HIV testing, were some of the factors that influenced male involvement in maternal and child nutrition.ConclusionIt is important to recognize the potential value of research on the role of men in maternal and child nutrition and to identify ways to overcome the barriers to their involvement. By better understanding the factors that influence male involvement in maternal and child nutrition and the impact of this involvement on maternal and child nutrition, it may be possible to develop more effective interventions to promote the nutritional well-being of mothers and children.

Sanitation in urban areas may limit the spread of antimicrobial resistance via flies.

Synanthropic filth flies are common where sanitation is poor and fecal wastes are accessible to them. These flies have been proposed as mechanical vectors for the localized transport of fecal microbes including antimicrobial resistant (AMR) organisms and associated antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), increasing exposure risks. We evaluated whether an onsite sanitation intervention in Maputo, Mozambique reduced the concentration of enteric bacteria and the frequency of detection of ARGs carried by flies collected in household compounds of low-income neighborhoods. Additionally, we assessed the phenotypic resistance profile of Enterobacteriaceae isolates recovered from flies during the pre-intervention phase. After fly enumeration at study compounds, quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to quantify an enteric 16S rRNA gene (i.e., specific to a cluster of phylotypes corresponding to 5% of the human fecal microflora), 28 ARGs, and Kirby Bauer Disk Diffusion of Enterobacteriaceae isolates was utilized to assess resistance to eleven clinically relevant antibiotics. The intervention was associated with a 1.5 log10 reduction (95% confidence interval: -0.73, -2.3) in the concentration of the enteric 16S gene and a 31% reduction (adjusted prevalence ratio = 0.69, [0.52, 0.92]) in the mean number of ARGs per fly compared to a control group with poor sanitation. This protective effect was consistent across the six ARG classes that we detected. Enterobacteriaceae isolates-only from the pre-intervention phase-were resistant to a mean of 3.4 antibiotics out of the eleven assessed. Improving onsite sanitation infrastructure in low-income informal settlements may help reduce fly-mediated transmission of enteric bacteria and the ARGs carried by them.

Social-ecological-resilience enablers among youth residing in the air polluted Highveld Priority Area of South Africa

ABSTRACT Young people living in low-income settlements face numerous challenges ranging from violence to polluted environments. However, many of them find ways in which to overcome these challenges for their own growth and development. These ‘ways’ are known as resilience-enablers. We studied the resilience enablers of 240 adolescents living in the highly air polluted area in South Africa. Using the draw-and-write technique, this qualitative study entailed asking school-attending adolescents (n = 240; average age: 14.1) to make a drawing that illustrated what supported their resilience, before writing a short narrative to explain their drawing. Using a codebook-informed thematic analysis, we identified two dominant patterns in the data: most young people relied on themselves to cope well with their challenging environment; a minority also drew on social, institutional and environmental supports. Our findings are alarming because they imply that little is being done to co-facilitate the resilience of young people in polluted low-income settlements.

Policy-reality gaps in Africa’s walking cities: Contextualizing institutional perspectives and residents’ lived experiences in Accra

ABSTRACT This paper confronts the current policy landscape and lived experiences of walking in African cities through the lens of policies, plans, institutional, and residents’ narratives. The paper builds on qualitative evidence drawn from content analysis and semi-structured interviews with local-level stakeholders across policy sectors concerned directly or indirectly with walking and walkability in the city. Perspectives from local government institutions are first reviewed to ascertain considerations for accessibility, safety, and pleasurability dimensions of walking and, second, contrasted with the lived walking experiences of residents of low-income settlements in Accra. Results indicate limited attention to pleasurability dimensions in both policy and municipal plans and significant incongruities with residents’ lived realities of walking. This parallel between the frameworks and plans underpinning the construction of the walking environment and the lived experiences of those affected by such decisions seeks to nuance debates about policy-reality (dis)junctures in African urbanism.

Assessment of the Problems Associated with the use of Public Latrine System in Ife-North Local Government, Osun State, Nigeria

Public toilets are an essential means of sanitation in some developed countries and have been the only possible alternative for many people living in low-income, heavily populated, and informal settlements. The aim of this study was to assess the problems associated with the use of public latrine system in Ife-north local government, Osun State. The data used for the study were obtained through well-structured questionnaires. A total of 181 questionnaires were distributed and 150 questionnaires were retrieved, while 31 questionnaires were missing. The respondents were selected randomly for the study. The descriptive statistics showed that male respondents were the major participants in this study. 80% of the respondents in the study area had access to public toilet. The respondents identified Sit latrine as the major type of latrine system available in the area. This study revealed that majority (40.66%) of the households used the latrine every day and the latrine was being maintained properly by the community. The result of this study showed that 86.66% of the respondents were reported to have contacted diseases as a result of public latrine use. This study has shown that poor maintenance of practice exposed the users of latrine to various diseases. This study recommended that Community leaders must ensure that users have been sensitized on the correct use, appropriate maintenance, hand washing and other basic hygiene practices Keywords: Public toilets, sanitation, developed countries