Housing, environment and poverty management in Eastern Africa : the case of slum settlements in Nairobi, Kenya; final report (August 1997 – January 1999)
Date
1999
Authors
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Publisher
Shelter Afrique, Nairobi, KE
Abstract
Urban poverty continues to escalate despite the many players, strategies and programmes that
have been used in an attempt to reduce or alleviate it. This escalation is in terms of the depth,
extent and severity of poverty. In order to come up with any measures that impact positively on
poverty reduction or alleviation, information pertaining to the poverty situation in any country is
fundamental. It is against this background that this study has been carried.
The concern about the interrelationships between poverty, the environment and housing
increased globally since the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in
Stockholm in 1972. Studies have shown that poverty, the quality of the environment and the
performance of the housing sector are inextricably linked. Poverty makes urban residents to
resort to live in poor substandard housing which lacks important urban services. Overcrowding
and congestion in tum results in degraded environments. Therein lies the link between poverty,
poor housing and the degraded environment. Indeed, the poor have been considered to be
agents and victims of environmental degradation. For most developing countries moreover,
housing and environment sectors are not considered critical. Consequently, there are no clear
implementable policies and strategies on the environment and housing. As an example, these
two sectors do not top the list of the Government's development budget in Kenya. The result
being increasing poor housing and environment degradation within the context of rising urban
poverty…
Description
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IDRC Final Report
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