Analysis Reducing Slum Settlement by Road Improvement (A Case Study: Jawa Lama Village Village, Lhokseumawe, Aceh-Indonesia)

a slum will cause many problems for many cities. The urbanization factor is one of the causes of slums due to the limited urban housing area. In general, there are seven slum indicators that can determine the quality of residential areas, one of which is physical infrastructure. Infrastructure conditions are interrelated with residential development. This study analyzes seven indicators of slums in Jawa Lama Village, Lhokseumawe, Aceh-Indonesia. In this study, the research team used data surveys with field tracking and field documentation from city roads. Documented data includes field photos and regional mapping that shows the location of the study. Data that has been collected can be used to determine urban facilities and infrastructure that are very influential for slums in the study area

An Evaluation of Spatial Network Modeling To Aid Sanitation Planning In Informal Settlements Using Crowd-Sourced Data

Limited water and sanitation infrastructure in rapidly urbanising informal settlements can present significant health and environmental risks to the populations of developing nations. Where formal piped networks are not available, road-based sewage treatmenttransportation options have been cited as a viable alternative. However, little research has been undertaken to evaluate the long-term operational costs of such systems. In this paper we present an evaluation of network modelling, as a novel method to evaluate the costs of road-based sewage treatment-transport options. Such analysis is made possible using crowdsourced, open geospatial data sets that allow us to examine costs based on different spatio-topological network configurations. It is envisaged that engineers could use such a tool as part of the sanitation planning process, to evaluate sanitation network implementation options. This study provides an evaluation of the methods using a case study from the Kibera settlement in Kenya

Towards evaluating the map literacy of planners in 2D maps and 3D models in South Africa

South Africa is faced with numerous socioeconomic problems, such as poverty and resource depletion. Sustainable planning is of great importance to ensure that the necessary resources are available for future generations. However, research has suggested that South African planners do not have the necessary level of map literacy and that new geovisualizations may be required. The goal of this paper is to present preliminary results of comparative experiments to evaluate map literacy of planners in 2D maps and 3D models in South Africa. In these experiments, participants performed equally well when exposed to 2D maps and 3D models. These preliminary results were used to inform the conceptual design of an experiment to evaluate map literacy of users with 2D maps and 3D models. The new experiment was developed using a mixed factorial design and aims to address the challenges identified in the preliminary results. The implementation and execution of the new experiment design will contribute to understanding the strengths and limitations of 3D geovisualization for planning in South Africa. Results will inform guidelines for the appropriate use of these non-traditional technologies for development planning.http://www.geo.uzh.ch/~arzu/publications/rautenbach-etal-2014-AfricaGEO.pd

Network modelling for road-based Faecal Sludge Management

Improvements in the collection and treatment of sewage are critical to reduce health and environmental hazards in rapidly-urbanising informal settlements. Where sewerage infrastructure is not available, road-based Fecal Sludge Management options are often the only alternative. However, the costs of fecal sludge transportation are often a barrier to their implementation and operation and thus it is desirable to optimise travel time from source to treatment to reduce costs. This paper presents a novel technique, employing spatial network analysis, to optimise the spatio-topological configuration of a road-based fecal sludge transportation network on the basis of travel time. Using crowd-sourced spatial data for the Kibera settlement and the surrounding city, Nairobi, a proof-of-concept network model was created simulating the transport of waste from the 158 public toilets within Kibera. The toilets are serviced by vacuum pump trucks which move fecal sludge to a transfer station from where a tanker transports waste to a treatment plant. The model was used to evaluate the efficiency of different network configurations, based on transportation time. The results show that the location of the transfer station is a critical factor in network optimisation, demonstrating the utility of network analysis as part of the sanitation planning process

ELECTRICITY INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING: EVALUATING SOLAR POTENTIAL ASSESSMENTS FOR INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS USING GRASS AND FREELY AVAILABLE DATA

Informal settlements, also known as slums or shanty towns, are characterised by rapid and unstructured expansion, poorly constructed buildings, and in some cases, they are on disputed land. Such settlements often lack basic services, such as electricity. As a result, informal settlement dwellers turn to hazardous alternative sources of energy, such as illegal electricity connections and paraffin. Solar power is a clean and safe alternative. However, informal settlements are often located on undesirable land on the urban fringe where the topography may hinder the use of solar energy. The high density of dwellings could also be a hindrance. Therefore, the solar potential needs to be assessed before any implementations are planned. Solar potential assessment functionality is generally available in geographic information system (GIS) products. The nature, cost and accessibility of datasets required for the assessment vary significantly. In this paper, we evaluate the results of solar potential assessments using GRASS (Geographic Resources Analysis Support System) for a number of different datasets. The assessments were done for two informal settlements in the City of Tshwane (South Africa): Alaska, which is nestled on a hill; and Phomolong, a densely populated settlement with a rather flat topography. The results show that solar potential assessments with open source GIS software and freely available data are feasible. This eliminates the need for lengthy and bureaucratic procurement processes and reduces the financial costs of assessing solar potential for informal settlements

Informal settlements

Since the beginning of the new millennium the world’s population has increased exponentially fast. The majority of this growth has been accommodated for by urbanization of the developing world. This in turn has lead to a wide spread of informal settlements. Thus, areas of urban slums, that have risen illegally on the marginal lands within and at the periphery of the formal city. Informal settlements vary greatly in size, age and composition, between countries as well as within their cities. The one aspect that they share is that of unacceptable/ inhumane living conditions. In 2001 almost one billion people of the world’s total urban population were living in slums and if no major actions are taken this will have increased to two billion by 2030. Informal settlements are evaluated in relation to their surrounding landscape of poor sanitation, insecure housing, hazardous grounds etc. However modern day slum-upgrading programs mainly focus on improving their infrastructure, such as roads and houses, and in doing so ignoring the potential of public space as an important community value. Finding value in our surrounding landscape as well as working with the public spaces is a key factor in landscape architecture and could therefore be a helpful tool when upgrading these areas. This thesis aims to investigate the question, if landscape architecture exists within the setting of informal settlements; as a concept of the importance of common space and as a profession, by looking at four different projects where landscape architects have been involved and taken on the role as mediator between government, private investors, NGOs and local communities of developing countries.Sedan början av det nya årtusendet har världens befolkning ökat osannolikt snabbt. Den största delen av denna ökning har skett genom urbanisering av världens utvecklingsländer. Detta i sin tur har lett till en bred spridning av informella bosättningar. Informella bosättningar är urbana slumområden, som uppkommer olagligt på den formella stadens överblivna marker. De varierar i storlek, ålder och sammansättning, såväl mellan länder som inom deras städer. Dock har de gemensamt att levnadsvillkoren inom dessa bosättningar är oacceptabla. År 2001 levde nästan en miljard människor av världens totala urbana befolkning i slumområden, och om inga större åtgärder vidtas kommer detta att ha ökat till två miljarder år 2030. Informella bosättningar utvärderas i förhållande till deras omgivande landskap i form av dåliga sanitära förhållanden, dåligt konstruerade hus, hälsofarlig mark och så vidare. Emellertid så fokuserar moderna slum-uppgraderings projekt främst på att förbättra infrastrukturen så som vägar och hus utan att uppmärksamma det offentliga rummet som en viktig aspekt för att binda samman det lokala samhället. Att se potentialen i vårt kringliggande landskap och att utveckla offentliga miljöer är en huvudpunkt inom landskapsarkitektur och skulle därför kunna vara ett användbart verktyg för slum-uppgraderingsprojekt. Denna avhandling syftar till att undersöka frågan, om landskapsarkitektur existerar inom informella bosättningar som ett koncept berörande vikten av allmänna ytor och som ett yrke, genom att analysera fyra olika lumuppgraderingsprojekt utförda i utvecklingsländer. I dessa projekt har landskapsarkitekter varit inblandade och tagit på sig rollen som medlare mellan regering, privata investerare, icke-statliga organisationer och den lokala befolkningen

Low-Cost Mapping and Publishing Methods for Landscape Architectural Analysis and Design in Slum-Upgrading Projects

The research project “Grassroots GIS” focuses on the development of low-cost mapping and publishing methods for slums and slum-upgrading projects in Manila. In this project smartphones, collaborative mapping and 3D visualization applications are systematically employed to support landscape architectural analysis and design work in the context of urban poverty and urban informal settlements. In this paper we focus on the description of the developed methods and present preliminary results of this work-in-progress

An evaluation of alternatives to conventional addressing in two informal settlements of South Africa

Dissertation (MSc (Geoinformatics))--University of Pretoria, 2021.An address is used to provide identifiable information to describe a physical object’s location unambiguously. Addresses are vital, not just for navigation but also for service delivery and city management. Conventional addresses are dependent on relative features, such as roads, and are structured in a manner that is easily recognisable by people. They also have significant meaning for a person’s sense of belonging. With the growth of the population in South African cities, as well as in-migration, urban settlements continue to expand and become denser. These cities need to implement effective ways of assigning addresses to settlements, as existing addresses are not always assigned to dwellings in newer or informal areas. Due to rapid urbanisation, there is an increased demand for services and infrastructure brought on by the sudden growth. Therefore, address assignment in these rapidly growing settlements is not always effectively implemented due to the inability to manage the sudden increase in dwellings. The aim of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of alternative addresses in two informal settlements in South Africa. What3Words, Mapcode and datum-based addresses were selected as alternatives because they are examples of addresses assigned based on location only; they are not relative to other features, such as roads or administrative areas. Alternative addresses were assigned to each dwelling in two informal settlements located in Mamelodi and Khayelitsha, respectively. The assigned addresses were evaluated based on a set of evaluation criteria, aimed to provide insight into the effectiveness of alternative addresses in lieu of conventional addresses in informal settlements. The results of the evaluation of these addresses can guide local government planning efforts regarding what would be the most effective choices for address assignment in informal settlements.Geography, Geoinformatics and MeteorologyMSc (Geoinformatics)Unrestricte

Scrap Cities. Strategies and tools for the development of Freetown's slums

Secondo i dati pubblicati da UN-Habitat nel 2013 l’Africa Subsahariana risulta la macro-regione del mondo in cui si riscontrano, al contempo, i tassi di crescita urbana più elevati, la più alta concentrazione di residenti negli slum e gli standard di vita più precari. La dimensione inconsueta del fenomeno e la debolezza economica e amministrativa di molti paesi della regione rendono vani i tentativi di offrire soluzioni tradizionali: interventi di social-housing, trasferimento forzato o incentivato dei residenti, ricostruzione su larga scala si sono quasi sempre dimostrati fallimentari e socialmente distruttivi. Gli stessi tentativi di slum upgrading si sono spesso scontrati con difficoltà sostanziali nel coinvolgimento delle istituzioni, attori fondamentali in tali processi. In questo articolato quadro si colloca il presente lavoro di ricerca, focalizzato sulla realtà urbana contemporanea dell’Africa Occidentale e, più nello specifico, sul caso studio della città di Freetown, capitale della Sierra Leone che già nel proprio nome testimonia le peculiarità straordinarie della propria storia. L’analisi si basa su un inquadramento generale relativo alle realtà urbane in Africa occidentale, descritte attraverso la loro evoluzione storica, il complesso sistema socioeconomico che le caratterizza, il ruolo prevalente che assumono gli slum e i quartieri informali in tali città nonché un’introduzione ai più diffusi approcci politici al fenomeno. La realtà attuale della città di Freetown, capitale della Sierra Leone fondata nel XVIII secolo sulla base di teorie filantropiche, è interpretata focalizzando temi strategici quali i preoccupanti livelli di crescita demografica e consumo di suolo, gli insufficienti tentativi di pianificazione e le conseguenti carenze infrastrutturali che hanno condotto ad una fortissima diffusione dell’informalità. Gli specifici approfondimenti sviluppati sugli slum di Freetown hanno condotto alla redazione di analisi insediative e tipologiche: a valle di una mappatura a scala territoriale, che si propone di individuare i principali slum e la loro collocazione nel tessuto urbano, vengono descritte le principali caratteristiche insediative di tali quartieri con particolare riferimento al contesto orografico ed idrogeologico su cui sussistono. Tali analisi si completano attraverso puntuali abachi analitici, corredati da semplici schizzi e schemi grafici, che tentano di individuare i diversi frammenti che compongono gli slum di Freetown, sia alla scala degli elementi urbani (strade, vuoti urbani, trame insediative) sia alla scala degli elementi architettonici e costruttivi. Gli abachi e le analisi sviluppate hanno l’obiettivo di individuare strategie e strumenti che possano contribuire ad un miglioramento degli slum di Freetown basandosi su pratiche e metodologie già diffuse in tali insediamenti. Il modello individuato non prevede interventi strategici su scala urbana ma si basa su piccole azioni di carattere informale, organizzate dalle comunità dei residenti stessi e completamente autorealizzate. L’insieme di tali strategie e azioni punta alla costruzione di un micropiano condiviso fra i residenti dello slum che non necessiti di riconoscimenti ufficiali né di eccessive regolamentazioni; esso si caratterizza come un codice essenzialmente orale finalizzato ad ottimizzare e a diffondere “buone pratiche” già presenti e conosciute per conseguire piccoli ma efficaci miglioramenti nella gestione delle principali criticità. Scrap Cities può significare città di scarto, come in effetti spesso sono considerati gli slum, ma richiama al contempo il valore legato alle potenzialità del riuso e del riciclaggio; in questo senso le tante Scrap Cities contemporanee risultano straordinari laboratori di creatività, inventiva e modelli socioeconomici tanto alternativi quanto efficienti.The research focuses on the role of slums and informal settlements in contemporary West African cities, one of the world regions which counts the greatest number of slum dwellers and the poorest access to basic services. The title “Scrap Cities” refers to the common perception of slums as sub-products of urbanization that should be removed as soon as possible and at the same time evocates the smart inventiveness of the slum dwellers, capable to rethink public spaces and to recycle all kinds of materials creating original urban patchworks. Most of West African metropolises were founded by colonial empires, becoming a physical symbol of oppression and segregation. In the post-independence era of the early sixties, the phenomenon of rural-urban migration started to spread and brought gradually to a demographic explosion of the new capitals, with growth rates of more than 5% per year. This caused a widespread diffusion of informality in the housing sector In a certain way we can consider slums as the main expression of a purely African “urban way of life”, based on strong social bonds, informal economy, self-organized communities and self-built environment. An approach to upgrading and development programs that focuses on the environment without involving slum dwellers may cause the demolition of those fragile social bonds, which matter more than a safer environment for the daily life of the residents. The research focuses on the case study of Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown, a city founded by British philanthropists in 1789 as home for freed African slaves. Slums of Freetown have been mapped and analyzed in their main formal elements, creating handbooks to describe all the different typologies of public spaces and housing frames found in the settlements and collecting all the building technologies, materials and solutions commonly adopted by the dwellers. Those records led to an approach which refuses the imposition of strategic development plans made by foreign architects or planners and which also sees a marginal participation of the settlers. The proposed model of improvement tries to set up the conditions for a community-driven micro-planning of the slums, aimed to strengthen self-organization and improve the environmental safety and housing quality without passing through legalization processes or municipality actions. The proposed strategies and actions may appear too small and inadequate to face one of the biggest challenges of contemporary world. The belief is that the only way to hit the target of a slum improvement preserving at the same time social bonds and sense of community requires the involvement of its own architects and builders: the slum dwellers