The Potential of Dynamic Structures of Production of Space in Response to Socio-Cultural Context: Lessons from Mamboleo "B" Informal Settlement, Tanzania

Abstract

This paper analyses the informal processes of production of dwelling spaces, specifically the process of acquiring and developing a piece of land. It aims to capture inherent dynamics governing the rationality of the process by drawing on a case study of Mamboleo “B” informal residential urban neighbourhood in the rapidly urbanizing city of Dar es Salaam. The process by which the landowners transform the dwelling spaces informally transcends socio-economic, cultural, and legal factors that demand inherent spatial dynamics to be explained from an urban transformation perspective. This leads to an inquiry into spatial dynamics, which results from unpredictability and mutation of the process and its impact on space. Further, the actors, the innovative informal practices and the urban form resulting from dwelling transformation commensurate with the prevailing socio-cultural condition are sought to inform conventional planning discourse adequately. A mixed-method was employed where the data collection tools included questionnaires, interviews, document analysis, map-reading and physical observations. This study involved snowball and purposive sampling techniques in selecting the respondents, with the first being used to determine the individual dwelling owners and the private sector practitioners while the latter choosing the public sector urban planning officials. Cultural-Historical Activity Theory was used to guide the analysis of the activities to gain their significance in the production of urban dwelling spaces. The study established that the dynamic structures are crucial to the survival of the informal dwellers as they were observed to provide a fertile ground for the survival of the informal processes of production of space together with their associated spaces. The dynamic structures characterized by negotiations, sharing, variations, incrementalism, spontaneity, and adaptability have contributed to affordable land within city boundaries, collective living and shared spaces, use of land as economic assets, and incremental constructions adaptable to users’ changing needs. The flexibility and adaptability of resulting spaces and dwellings were observed to support the socio-economic realities facing most urban dwellers, particularly people experiencing poverty, and hence their survival in urban areas. This study concludes that understanding the dynamics and rules governing spatial changes in informal urban spaces is critical to achieving complex urban spaces and successful spatial interventions in informal urban areas.