The urban land management system and the proliferation of informal settlements and slums in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Abstract

This article empirically examined the challenges inherent in the urban land management system and how they contribute to the proliferation of informal settlements and slums in Dar es Salaam. Using a descriptive case study design based on a qualitative approach, the analysis of the findings revealed that the urban land management system in Dar es Salaam is inefficient and ineffective due to a number of challenges which constrain it from working efficiently and effectively in enhancing sustainable urban settlements in the city. The challenges include the capacity problem, bureaucracy, leadership problem, political interference, land tenure, failure to enforce regulations and lack of master developers. The paper concluded that the shortcomings in the urban land management system, particularly in the formal procedures and processes involved in land development, have contributed to the proliferation of informal settlements and slums in Dar es Salaam. The paper recommends that the government should address the challenges inherent in the urban land management system and urban land use planning as a way of curbing the proliferation of informal settlements and slums in Dar es Salaam.

Keywords: Urban planning, urban land use planning, urban areas, town and cities, housing, settlement areas, proper city, orderly growth of towns and cities