Informal settlements
In most African cities, more than half of residents live in informal settlements, with insecure tenure, a lack of basic services and infrastructure, and often unsafe housing. It is now widely recognised within policy and academic circles that such households tend to be best served by upgrading programmes that enable them to remain in situ, without disrupting their livelihoods and social networks.
Informal settlement upgrading is a significant poverty reduction mechanism, enabling low-income households to secure essential services at a lower cost, improve their social status, and overcome spatial inequality. It also helps address the needs of vulnerable groups, such as women-headed households and people with disabilities, as well as offering multiple opportunities for income generation.
City elites are increasingly recognising the potential that informal settlement upgrading has for enhancing their popularity. Our research closely analyses the politics underpinning such interventions. With multiple actors involved and a number of contentious issues shaping the challenge of upgrading, the complexities of the process and the overlaps with other urban development domains are a key focus in our work.
![Informal settlements domain map](https://www.african-cities.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/IS-map_transparent.png)
LATEST NEWS from ACRC
![Analysis of urban reform coalitions awarded best 2024 paper by Area Development and Policy](https://www.african-cities.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/ADP-award-blog-1080x600.jpg)
Analysis of urban reform coalitions awarded best 2024 paper by Area Development and Policy
ACRC’s CEO, Diana Mitlin, has been awarded the best paper of 2024 by Area Development and Policy for “The contribution of reform coalitions to inclusion and equity: lessons from urban social movements”.
![New research: Are reform coalitions the key to more inclusive urban housing in Africa?](https://www.african-cities.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Housing-paper-blog-1080x600.jpg)
New research: Are reform coalitions the key to more inclusive urban housing in Africa?
By 2050, it is projected that African cities will become home to an additional 950 million people – all of whom will need housing. A new ACRC report outlines findings from the housing domain research, which was implemented in seven African cities.
![New research: Overcoming systemic barriers facing young people in African cities](https://www.african-cities.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Youth-and-capability-development-paper-blog-1080x600.jpg)
New research: Overcoming systemic barriers facing young people in African cities
A new ACRC paper presents research into the challenges facing young people as they transition to adulthood in five African cities: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Freetown; Sierra Leone; Kampala, Uganda; Maiduguri, Nigeria; and Mogadishu, Somalia.