URBANIZATION AND HOUSING IN AFRICA :ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES4TH SWISS-AFRICAN BUSINESS EXCHANGE16-17 MARCH 2011 IN GENEVA
Prof. Jean-Claude BolayDirector of CooperationEPFL(Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Switzerland)
World Urbanization In 2008, the world reaches an invisible but momentous milestone:
For the first time in history, more than half its human population, 3.3 billion people, will be living in urban areas. By 2030, this is expected to swell to almost five billion.
While the world’s urban population grew very rapidly (from 220 million to 2.8 billion) over the 20th century, the next few decades will see an unprecedented scale of urban growth in the developing world.
This will be particularly notable in Africa and Asia where the urban population will double between 2000 and 2030.
By 2030, the towns and cities of the developing world will make up 81 per cent of urban humanity.
Urban Africa In 2009 Africa’s total population for the first time
exceeded one billion, of which 395 million (or almost 40 per cent) lived in urban areas.
Africa should prepare for a total population increase of about 60 per cent between 2010 and 2050, reaching the two billion mark, with the urban population tripling to 1.23 billion during this period.
Poverty is now growing faster in urban than in rural areas.
According to UN-HABITAT, in Sub-Saharan Africa, 72 per cent of urban residents are slum dwellers, without adequate access to safe water, sanitation, transport and health services.
Housing in Africa The main housing issues in Africa are linked
with 2 trends : 1) urbanization, and 2) poverty To resolve these questions needs to face the
slum issues, with the following attributes : Lack of basic services, lack of access to sanitation
facilities and water being the most important feature Substandard housing or illegal and inadequate
building structures: buildings constructed not observing building standards
Overcrowding and high density Unhealthy living conditions and hazardous
locations (natural risks and environmental issues) Insecure tenure; irregular or informal
settlements Poverty and social exclusion – Income or capability
3000 0 3000 Kilometers
N
EW
S
Prevalence of Slum Population in African Countries
% of Slum Population in Urban Areas
No Data1 - 2526 - 5051 - 7575 - 100
Sustainable human settlements in Africa
Adequate shelter and secure land tenure are rights included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 …
… They also are the best way to guarantee an harmonious develop-ment of human settlements, in urban and rural settings
Sustainable housing in Africa The main topics to include in future
projects : A strategy inspired by « sustainable
development » : environmental, social and economic compatibility
Urban planning, sites and services (housing is part of a more global strategy)
Infrastructures: Water and sanitation are social and health priorities (housing is environmentaly friendly)
Services : Education, health, mobility, security
Finance and housing credit Governance … They are as important as the
individual shelters to assure a sound quality of life
Who does what for housing in Africa ?
Partnership is compulsory to improve thesituation of housing in Africa: Public authorities (regulators) Dwellers (often self-builders) Private sector (real state and constuction) Banks (funding sector) NGOs (supporting groups)
Housing in Africa : Perspectives
Housing is a social necessity Housing is a field of
innovation Housing can also be a fruitful
business Housing is a corporate
responsability Housing is a priority strategy
towards a sustainable developement in Africa
Thank you for your attention
Jean-Claude BolayDirector of CooperationAt EPFL
http://cooperation.epfl.ch
Top Related