6 research outputs found
Low-cost housing: A cost management model for process integration and evaluation
Effective cost management is a vital requisite for successful Low-cost housing
projects (LHPs) management and delivery. Whilst several attempts have been
made to develop appropriate structured models for cost management practice,
many of these models are fragmented and do not capture a holistic representation
of the system components or their interrelationships in LHP settings. Moreover,
these models are predominantly descriptive by nature – only identifying the
components of cost management and not how they can be implemented within
LHP settings. This research adopts an explicit sequential mixed research design
to develop a bespoke LHP cost management model for process integration and
evaluation in Nigeria. This identifies the structures and interrelationships needed
to conceptualise and implement cost management practice effectively. Research
findings highlight eight important techniques. These include target costing,
approximate estimating, site meetings, Earned Value Analysis, on-site resource
control, cash flow analysis, cost reporting and cost aggregation. However, it also
needs to be acknowledged that it is important also to have: a well-developed
client brief; detailed project designs and accompanying specifications; effective
project planning and supervision; and competent teams (client and contractor) to
discharge responsibilities. The importance of early contractor involvement was
also seen as a core lever for success throughout the pre-design, design, and
construction stages of LHP. The resulting model standardises cost management
practice to provide a systematic ‘blueprint’ beneficial to project managers, cost
managers and project management teams in evaluating and managing CMS
processes more effectively in LHP settings. It is expected that the project
department in Housing agencies adopts this model as a requirement for cost
management practice in LHPs in Nigeria
The terrain of urbanisation process and policy frameworks: A critical analysis of the Kampala experience
Kampala is urbanising in an unplanned manner, but without a clear picture
of the underlying dynamics. The city is characterised by lack of proper zoning
of economic activities and construction of physical infrastructure without regard to
subsequent spatial quality and environmental conservation. Consequently, there are
sharp differences in residential standards where expensive housing and luxury flats
co-exist with shanty towns and informal settlements, with about 60% of the city’s
population living in unplanned informal settlements and often faced with challenges
of unemployment. The unprecedented increase in the urban population in
Kampala and the prospects for further increases in the near future have economic
and social implications concerning employment, housing, education and health,
among others. Understanding the nature of the dynamics of the growth or decline
of cities like Kampala helps planners to support the processes that lead to harmonious
urban development and to deal with the negative consequences of urban
growth. This paper reflects the urbanisation dynamics explaining Kampala’s urbanisation
process with the view to analysing the implications for an alternative urban policy framework. It argues that the conditions that have allowed the situation to
exist have serious policy implications which require the need for an integrated policy
framework that can be used to effectively prevent or halt Kampala’s unplanned
urbanisation while promoting planned urbanisation. Induced by the migration and
lack of information, understanding urban dynamics is crucial to the development of
urban policies that can effectively ensure that further urban changes occur in a systematic
and satisfactory manner. The current urban process in developing countries
like Uganda is associated with poverty, environmental degradation and population
demands that outstrip service capacity