Cultural variables differ informal settlement interventions in Accra and Buenos Aires

Abstract

Informal settlement growth in various countries has led to distinctive actions that enhance low-income populations’ accessibility to proper housing and basic services. These actions differ with the diverse contexts of a given country or city. Nevertheless, scholars have underscored the importance of comparative studies to promote knowledge sharing. In response, this paper compares the experiences of Accra in Ghana and Buenos Aires in Argentina by engaging with cultural variables and community-level interventions. In Accra, the findings indicate that settlements have both positive and negative images. By contrast, in Buenos Aires, the public often sees villas as areas to be avoided, given their consistent image characterized by poverty, crime, and drugs since the 1980s. The paper suggests understanding the cultural variables as a crucial analytical component to explain better why the varying structural constraints (governance structures, funding mechanisms, and public policies) are present in shaping informal settlement interventions worldwide.

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