Spatial Orders in Informal Settlements

Abstract

Spontaneous settlements are a feature of urban areas across the world, and the global south in particular. Over the years, studies of these settlements have been framed around upgrading. Premised on the idea that spontaneous settlements were (and are) an undesirable part of the urban fabric. Often described by what they lack (land tenure, space, water, sanitation and adequate shelter), spontaneous settlements appear as a problem to be fixed. Upgrading schemes were thus geared towards ‘regularising’ them, so as to ensure they could fit into the formal desired characteristics of urban spaces. Upgrading largely concentrates on the built fabric, often neglecting the complex social structures that exist and even less about the intricate public/private linkages within these settlements. Interfaces are a physical manifestation of the parochial social order which forms a transitional zone between the public and private territories.To unpack the spatial negotiations, present in spontaneous settlements, this paper studies the relationship between the built and social environment of the Kasokoso neighbourhood in Uganda. From a study of five dwellings, the study seeks to answer what defines private or parochial (semi-private) spatial orders, and what is deemed as spaces within the public realm? Are these permanent divisions, or are they temporal, varying between day and night? The paper highlights the important aspects of the physical environment including dwelling location, private to public space thresholds, and arrangement of shared open spaces that are interwoven with the social environment of the settlement.To generate these findings, the study combined observation, interviews, on-site sketching, and field notes to arrive at a comprehensive spatial and social analysis of activities in a spontaneous settlement. Drawing on this data, spatial domains around the five representative dwelling units were mapped and categorised under the social order structure (private, parochial, and public) with supplementary information recorded from narratives by actors within the study area describing their everyday activities.

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