Community-driven informal settlement upgrading as an everyday practice: The role of urban and governance policies

What factors contribute to the success of community-driven upgrading of informal settlements? The Rwandan government has adopted informal settlement upgrading and governance policies that allow citizens to participate in decision-making on issues that affect them in the Umudugudu—the smallest unit of governance. This study investigates how the government’s policy has enabled community-driven informal settlement upgrading as an everyday practice, with a particular emphasis on developing and maintaining public infrastructure facilities in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda. We conducted fieldwork, including interviews and observations, in Umudugudu of Kamwiza and Umudugudu of Mucyuranyana, located in the western part of Kigali City, from September to October 2019. We identified and mapped road pavements, drainage ditches, bridges, and communal water taps as public infrastructure facilities. We conducted semi-structured interviews with residents and committee members in charge of the resources and investigated the decision-making processes employed for their development and maintenance. We found that informal settlement upgrading and governance policies worked together to support the community-driven upgrading of public infrastructure facilities in Imidugudu.¹ This approach enabled the community to mobilize government and community resources to develop and maintain public infrastructure facilities. Government funds supplemented the development of community-driven facilities, serving as an incentive to encourage further community contributions. Importantly, both landowning and renting households shared the burden of development costs. We argue that community-driven upgrading is possible when communities, markets, and governments function together. Notably, upgrading efforts become sustainable everyday practices when informal settlements are integrated into public policy in terms of governance structures, urban and housing policy, and land ownership. This integration fosters communities characterized by residents' sense of ownership and internal investment in the area, along with stable budget allocations.