Social and environmental aspects of housing developed for ‘slum’ dwellers in Africa

Informal settlements in African cities are characterised by social and environmental problems. To address the living conditions, many African countries have been making attempts to provide housing for poor households in informal settlements, notably through relocation to newly developed housing. In this paper, housing developed for people who formerly lived in informal settlements within Addis Ababa and Johannesburg is considered in terms of their social and environmental dimensions. The two contexts highlight not only the crucial shortcomings of the ‘slum’ clearance and new housing development approach in terms of social capital, but also demonstrate that it comes with opportunities for environmental sustainability. The key takeaway is that improvements in informal settlements must be simultaneously directed at quality of life (in its entirety) and environmental quality.