An inquiry into the socio-economic influence on the architecture of the Quarry Road West informal settlement, eThekwini Municipality

Abstract

Informal settlements are present worldwide under various names, forms and typologies. According to the UN-Habitat (2015a), over half of the world’s population lives in cities with over a billion people living in informal settlements. The global south appears to be experiencing a dramatic urban population growth, with sub-Saharan Africa expected to double its numbers in the next two decades. In South Africa, the lack of access to adequate and affordable housing in the city forces low-income and urban poor to resort to building their own homes. These dwellings are built precariously, from recycled and affordable materials with sometimes poor performance, given the low wage group of the builders. These dwellings are built to cater to the residents’ immediate housing needs, while also conveying a narrative and meaning through the aesthetics and the configuration of the physical form, defined by their socioeconomic realities. Despite various interventions put in place by developing cities to curb the spread of informal settlements, they continue to grow (UNHabitat 2015a). This research is an enquiry into how the socio-economic status of an informal settlement community influences the architecture of their environment. The analysis of foundational theories on human settlements and housing in the 20th century and literature review, assist to establish a quality benchmark as a reference. Further, the research advances an inquiry into the spatial patterns and dwelling configuration that influence human comfort and security, through a qualitative review of existing spatial studies, interviews with key informants and the use of a case study. The building materials and techniques used to build the structures, which define the built form narrative, is scrutinised from a spatial, technical and economic perspective, and put into context within the city and national building standards. The outcome of this research is intended to give guidance on an alternative design framework that is based on the findings from the analysis of the existing socio-economic parameters and built form. The Quarry Road West Informal Settlement (QRWIS) which is located in the city of Durban, South Africa is selected as a case study.