The Urban Housing Crisis and a Cultural Framework for Housing Policy: the Ajegunle Community Case Study
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THE URBAN HOUSING CRISIS AND A CULTURAL FRAMEWORK FOR HOUSING POLICY: THE AJEGUNLE COMMUNITY CASE STUDY Olusegun Akinkunmi Oluwole A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Nottingham Trent University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. August 2011 COPYRIGHT STATEMENT This work is the intellectual property of the author. You may copy up to 5% of this work for private study, or personal, non-commercial research. Any re-use of the information contained within this document should be fully referenced, quoting the author, title, university, degree level and pagination. Queries or requests for any other use, or if a more substantial copy is required, should be directed in the owner(s) of the Intellectual Property Rights. ii ABSTRACT This study presents the argument that if housing provision should be orientated towards long-term goals and solutions, then housing policy must consider surely the cultural requirements of the people in the community. Cultural dimension as it relates to the study focuses on urban housing as a strategic vehicle for exploring the evolution of the housing crisis by concentrating on real people and their approaches to informal processes within the community. The study views the informal processes of the people as part of the solution and not the problem by drawing from their lived experience and offering a culturally-informed framework for the development of future housing policy. It suggests that the government must view the informal settlement not as a slum, but as a “case” to understand the intricacies and complexities in housing provision and delivery. Thus the cultural dimension derived from the colloquial knowledge of the people is demonstrated as an important element in the maintenance and continuity of an existing community by doing an in-depth investigation of the internal survival strategies relating to urban living and the government’s role in the existing housing crisis. The study expands to issues surrounding the sustainability of the built environment by examining the cultural, economic, environmental and its social aspects in developing countries and challenging the existing practices in the built environment, as regards to urban housing. This is an empirical study, which has a qualitative perspective that is cross-disciplinary, connecting social theory with architecture and the built environment. In order to understand the lived experience of the Ajegunle residents from their human efforts relating to urban housing crisis, an “African phenomenology” is formulated. While the phenomenological part is used as both the method (practice) and guiding philosophy driving the study, African philosophy, within African phenomenology, enables the study to describe real solutions and applications which are grounded in the African way of life. Thus the urban housing crisis question in developing countries is addressed using Ajegunle, Lagos, Nigeria, as a case study. The doing of the study involves collecting qualitative data through an intrinsic case study using field notes, interviews, observation and photography, comprising of an inductive analysis, whereby themes are generated from the patterns identified in the case study. Through the analysis, the internal survival strategy, referred to as “cultural technology”, which is part of people’s everyday life and designed to deal with the housing crisis is explored. This separates the social conditions in Ajegunle from a generic understanding of a slum and provides the theoretical underpinnings for the importance and the role of the human element within the approaches developed as a response to the existing urban housing situation. The primary contribution to knowledge is the cultural dimension to housing. The study provides a culturally-informed framework as a basis for decision-making phase for the formulation of housing policies, a platform for urban development and future research. It does not propose an architectural response in terms of design. The existing studies that relate to the housing crisis appear to be mainly quantitative and do not take into consideration the cultural position of the people. In contrast, the cultural dimension to the existing housing crisis in the study allows for the development of a more informed housing policy which can address the housing issues and further make solutions more plausible. Therefore, this study’s contribution has application to governments and professionals in the built environment. A secondary contribution to knowledge is made through the development of an “African phenomenology”. This introduces to academia the “cultural technologies” which are the survival strategies of the population in the case study. The African phenomenology has application beyond the current study as a methodological approach which incorporates the culture of a population into the process of research on the African society. iii DEDICATION This study is dedicated to my unborn children, to the living I see (My family and friends), to the dead people that has inspired and believed in me (Aunty Bukola and Mama-Aya Lareshi Lijumo) and to the Almighty God who lives out of time, yet ever so present. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The list goes on and on every time it is re-written. First and foremost, I would like to express my deep and sincere gratitude to my Director of Studies, Dr. Michelle Pepin. Her academic maturity, detailed and constructive comments, logical approach, patience and wide knowledge have been of great value for me. Her encouragement, pastoral care, personal guidance and support have provided an excellent basis that enabled me to develop an understanding of the subject, without which the study could not have been completed. The confidence that she instilled and the academic relationships (Alina Hughes, Dr. Marisela Mendoza and Paul Collins) that I forged through her helped me during the initial difficult times of the research and the final phases. I will forever be grateful. This study would not have been possible without the academic knowledge, many insightful discussions and suggestions made by Dr. Andrew Knight, my second supervisor during the supervisions and the research practice sessions. He is genuinely nice, supportive and willing to help. I also miss our academic discussions within the research social gatherings. I would have been lost in the PhD process without him. Both of my academic team were actively involved in the study, with enthusiasm and inspiration explaining things clearly, simply and always having my best interest in mind. Thank you for pushing me, time after time. You are the best PhD supervisors in the world. My sincere appreciation goes to all the residents of Ajegunle community for allowing me into their homes and representatives of the Government for supporting me through the empirical process of the study. My warmest thanks to the Research Practice Course (RPC) team (Dr. Chris Farrands, Dr. Kevin Flint, Dr. Mercedes Carbayor-Abengozar and Prof. Tom Fisher) for the complimentary research training, both philosophical and theoretical that informed the grounding of my study. Sincere thanks to Prof. Soumyen for his valuable contribution to the photographic exhibition. I am very, very grateful to Donna Swann, Julie Bradshaw and Melanie Bentham-Hill for their administrative support, which allowed me to concentrate on the research process. To all my research colleagues my warmest thanks for your friendship and support that has contributed to the success of my study. My sincere heartfelt thanks to my parents; Chief T. S Oluwole (Bobatolu Oke-Ona Egba I) and Mrs D.M Oluwole for their keen interest in education that informed sending me to best schools, which has been the platform for the appreciation of a PhD and their parental support. Many thanks to Sola and her family for giving me a sure start in the UK and Tayo for so many errands ran on my behalf and heartfelt support. My sincere appreciation goes to Engr. Ologundudu and Mr. Femi Salako and other families that encouraged me during the PhD process. Very, very special thanks to my darling wife (Funmise). For her care, love, unflinching support over the years, patience and understanding, as well as her rigorous proofreading of my study. To all, many thanks and I am heartily grateful. v CONTENTS COPYRIGHT STATEMENT ii ABSTRACT iii DEDICATION iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v CONTENTS vi ILLUSTRATIONS x TABLES xi CHAPTER ONE Introduction: The urban housing crisis xii INTRODUCTION 1 BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 9 DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM 17 ORGANISATION OF STUDY 20 AIM AND OBJECTIVES AND CLAIMS TO ORIGINALITY 31 Claims to originality CONCLUSION 36 PART ONE Context of the study: Critical perspective on urban housing 38 INTRODUCTION: Contextualisation of the housing situation in Nigeria 41 Chapter Two SUSTAINABILITY OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT 44 DEFINITION AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF URBAN HOUSING 46 Etymology of housing Broad definitions of housing Housing history Europe: Early Housing history Housing history in south-western Nigeria Existing housing definition in south-western Nigeria Complexity of housing definition and history CONTEMPORARY CONTEXT OF URBAN HOUSING 62 DEFINING THE NOTION OF SPONTANEOUS HOUSING 63 Spontaneity of housing The slum phenomenon Slum definition Slum in south-western Nigeria Categorising Ajegunle community not as a Slum vi Exploring the notion of economy and poverty in Ajegunle community The notion of “culture of poverty” Complexity of poverty in slums CONTEXTUALISATION OF THE EXISTING HOUSING SITUATION 97 Overview of Nigerian