High rises and low-quality shelter

Rental housing dynamics in Mathare Valley, Nairobi

Datos Bibliográficos

ID12242550
AutoresBaraka Mwau (0000-0002-2880-5762, autor de correspondencia), Alice Sverdlik (0000-0002-1109-073X)
Año2020
Volumen32
Número2
Páginas481-502
Fecha de publicación2020-07-30
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaEnvironment and Urbanization (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0956-2478 • E-ISSN: 1746-0301
EditorialSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0956247820942166
OpenAlexW3045583300
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas20
Referencias citadas44

Informal rental housing remains a hidden – yet central – pillar of low-cost shelter markets across the global South. The large informal settlement of Mathare Valley illustrates Nairobi’s rapidly changing informal rental housing markets, with the ongoing rise of tenements alongside metal shacks. Informal single-room rental units (shacks and tenements) already house most Nairobi residents in low-quality but highly profitable shelter. This case study describes how multiple exclusions can shape access to rental housing and examines the politics of shelter delivery. We underscore the importance of private rental markets and offer recommendations for inclusive, multi-pronged interventions combining support for rental housing, land governance and infrastructure delivery. Through a better understanding of the myriad actors and dynamics of informal rental housing, it may be possible to develop strategies that serve low-income tenants for whom renting is often the only viable option

Business · Economic growth · Economics · Informal settlements · Political science · Psychological intervention · Quality (philosophy · Rental housing · Renting · Settlement (finance · Homelessness and Social Issues · Urban and Rural Development Challenges · Urban Planning and Governance · Finance