Assessing the influences of service provision on pace and short and medium term development patterns of residential housing in Dar es Salaam

ABSTRACT The connection between city development patterns, housing and service provision is critical as it affects allocation of scarce resources in the cities of Sub Sahara Africa, where the adopted planning models and concepts seem to have minimal success. Through spatial analysis and quantitative research this study explores sequencing of servicing and housing development as it impacts city spatial growth patterns in a context of resource deficiency in Dar es Salaam City. The study finds that despite households’ land ownership being crucial in city spatial expansion process towards residential house ownership, their actual construction and occupation will depend on the accessibility of services. Moreover, it was established that as more services become available, proportionally, number of people settling in new areas increases. Since this process happens equally in planned and unplanned settlements, this study indicates that it is the availability of services and not land allocation that triggers actual development of residential housing. Thus, service provision determines the pace of change in short and medium city spatial patterns. This implies that in the context of public resource deficiency and self-help housing, strategic investments in basic services such as electricity connection, public transport and portable water is the way to influence actual city development pattern rather than providing plots.