Papers by Assumpta Nnaggenda-Musana
Routledge eBooks, May 23, 2022
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CSID Journal of Infrastructure Development
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Households' income and other concerns constitute important sustainable housing choices factors th... more Households' income and other concerns constitute important sustainable housing choices factors that play vital roles in influencing rental housing affordability decisions. The study determined both male and female households can make economic, social, and environmental housing choices to meet their affordable rental needs. A cross-sectional survey was conducted, and a questionnaire was administered to a sample of 285 households obtained from a random sampling of 450 households living in private rental housing in Trademore estate in the Lugbe district of Abuja. Among the 285 households, 226 were household heads representing 79.3% of the respondents' households. The household heads consist of 171 and 55 males and females, respectively. Data in sustainable housing choices of household heads, analyzed by principal components analysis method of exploratory factor analysis and mean rating (MR), frequencies, percentages in SPSS 25. Results indicated the sustainable economic housing choices drivers that household heads can consider for household rental affordability are Employment and Housing Prices and income and expenditure. Whereas the sustainable social housing choices drivers for household heads' rental affordability consideration were housing characteristics and access or availability of dare-care and mall, the sustainable environmental choices drivers were waste and pollution, energy efficiency, materials, and noise pollution. The study recommended that households consider the economic, social, and ecological factors for sustainable housing choices when deciding on rental accommodation to meet their rental needs. It is also advocated that both government and private investors and developers of rental housing apply the study findings to provide sustainable and affordable rentals for their clients.
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Governments of developing countries initiate low-income housing schemes with the objectives of en... more Governments of developing countries initiate low-income housing schemes with the objectives of enabling the urban poor: upgrade their living conditions, acquire house construction skills and, own houses. In Uganda, most of the low-income housing schemes are estate-driven. Most estate-driven housing correlates with the modernisation development paradigm that holds the assumption that modernity includes the adoption of presumed attributes of western society (Venter and Marais, 2006). This is evident in the plans of most of the low-income housing schemes in Uganda, which were developed with the assumption that each house would be encased by boundary markers to demarcate the plot boundaries by separating the public spaces outside the plot from the private space within. Siting the house block in a plot is usually stipulated by the project, thus further dividing the plot into back and front yards, with the latter posing as a transitional zone between the public space outside the plot and ...
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Human Security and Sustainable Development in East Africa
This Chapter applies the human security standpoint to the East African urban context, examining h... more This Chapter applies the human security standpoint to the East African urban context, examining how this concept can be employed to housing deprivation for low-income households. Human security is analysed in relation to soft threats as opposed to hard threats like wars. The author examines low-income housing and the practices of low-income households and evaluates both the potential and limitations of housing as a means toward human security. Human security like human rights' aims at realising the inherent dignity of all human beings. The right to adequate housing is defined as every person's right to acquire a decent and secure home and community where they can live in peace and dignity. Sustained rapid growth in East Africa has led severe housing shortages, unrestrained housing sprawl, flooding, among others. East African cities display high levels of poverty and inequality, and informal settlements are growing rapidly. Sprawling houses encroach on the wetlands resulting in the flooding of housing areas, thus jeopardising human security. This Chapter analyses Kampala's low-income housing areas with the aim of developing house types that can be both adequate for low-income households but also prevent urban sprawl and the resultant vulnerabilities. In order for the urban poverty and household vulnerability to be reduced, effective urban planning should be the emphasised. Findings deduce the importance of considering specific community needs during urban planning. Governments and other authorities should understand and identify the possibility of bottom-up schemes such that realities on the ground East African cities are recognised by regulatory guidelines.
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Uganda’s urbanization process has followed more or less the same pattern as urbanization in the o... more Uganda’s urbanization process has followed more or less the same pattern as urbanization in the other countries of sub-Saharan Africa. However, some peculiarities exist in the way the common people who have emigrated from the rural countryside in search for job opportunities in the cities have responded to the lack of housing for them, most likely because of Uganda’s unique land tenure system. Unlike most other sub-Saharan countries, most urban land is privately owned. The government does not own much land onto which rural immigrants could ‘freely ’ settle as is the case in the other countries. This paper looks at the house types found in informal settlements in Kampala, potential for construction of storeyed buildings using locally available and affordable materials and space use and quality, as well as an experiment carried out in slum up-grading.. Recommendations are made as to the potential for densification using modernist principles.
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Journal of Inclusive Cities and Built Environment, 2021
Low-income government provided housing has been continually transformed by its beneficiaries, esp... more Low-income government provided housing has been continually transformed by its beneficiaries, especially women. The transformations are a major sign that there is discontentment about the houses since low-income households are excluded from the design process of these houses. By transforming the houses, the low-income households are trying to fit their houses or environments to their ways of living. This paper intends to review the housing transformations at the Masese Women’s Self-Help Housing Project at Masese, Jinja, in Uganda to understand how women practice space. Studying the spatial alterations can help guide architects towards finding inclusive housing design approaches that can benefit the low-income households and prevent governments and donors from spending finances on futile housing prototypes that get eventually abandoned. The paper adopts a qualitative methodology comprising of precedent studies at Masese, and a literature review to analyse the various housing transfor...
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Time and Transformation in Architecture, 2018
Uganda’s urban centres developed on the basis of colonial planning ideals, whereby housing segreg... more Uganda’s urban centres developed on the basis of colonial planning ideals, whereby housing segregation was used to strengthen colonial social control. Different house plans were designed for the British, Asian and African communities and in diverse areas. Housing for the British colonialists was located on hill tops whilst that for the Asians – mostly Indians – was situated downhill. Further downhill were the African housing areas. The houses for the British were large so were the plots. The plots and houses for the Asians were small and those for the Africans smaller. African housing was small mainly designed as temporary lodging for male labourers. The modern low-income housing provided by the Ugandan government appears to have a form similar to that of the African housing provided by the colonialists. These houses are often transformed by the beneficiaries. African housing during the colonial times was not designed for female habitation, however low-income housing is. Architects should recognise that the creation and utilisation of space both shapes and is shaped by social relations. Houses should be recognised as spheres of feminine activity since women stay longer at home. Have women been considered in post colonial housing? Integrating women’s needs in housing can make their lives easier for collaborative and productive income-generating activity while permitting income and time for other activities. This study explores the adequacy of the houses provided for women in the Masese Women’s Housing Scheme in Jinja. Findings were generated from the field, archival data and oral histories to reveal the women’s ways of living. Employing a qualitative approach enabled the researchers to ground their analysis of the women’s interpretation of real life. The study attempts to understand gendered social relations in households. Gender is used as an analytical tool to explore how different groups experience their environment on an everyday basis. Author keywords: Colonial, Post-colonial, Segregation, Gender, Housing, Women, Transformation.
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summary Uganda today, especially the capital city Kampala, is urbanising at a very fast rate; urb... more summary Uganda today, especially the capital city Kampala, is urbanising at a very fast rate; urban sprawl, environmental degradation, resource degradation, densification and segregation are all matters of great concern in the country today. Construction of houses is done haphazardly without a care for the environment and therefore future generations. The country's architectural heritage is being destroyed as people mimic western solutions that do not suit our environment. The 1972 Development Plan for Kampala was intended to genuinely address the acute housing problems of the population of the rapidly growing city, the majority of which was found to be in the lowincome group. The housing policy within the Development Plan had to try to alleviate the situation bearing in mind that resources were and would continue to be scarce. Firstly, it proposed to divert a large part of the public resources available for housing from the richer to the poorer sections of the population, but since 1970 there has been no public investment by Government into the housing sector due to the economic stagnation that followed the political chaos of the 70's. Secondly, the policy proposed that the provision of all types of housing in Kampala would be by a partnership between the Government and the Private Sector with each partner concentrating on that aspect of housing, which it was best able to provide. However the housing trends in Kampala today have not developed as was assumed by the proposed housing policy; since the policy of privatisation has led to Government divesting its interests in housing and other social sectors. keywords Housing; densities; environment; housing types; sustainability; infrastructure
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In Kampala City, the high rate of urbanisation has led to sprawling informal settlements which ar... more In Kampala City, the high rate of urbanisation has led to sprawling informal settlements which are characterised by substandard housing conditions. Urban sprawl wastes valuable land and makes services and infrastructure delivery expensive. Several housing projects were undertaken by government to provide affordable, adaptable and convenient housing solutions to low-income households. Most of these projects adopted a “top-down” approach in design, which seems not to have considered how the low-incomes households actually used. The paper shows that considerations for space use would lead to the development of more appropriate housing designs. It also shows that outdoor space use, which has been insufficiently addressed in government housing projects, is both functional and a resource to the low-income households. The paper utilises a combination of methods such as literature and document searches and reviews, in-depth interviews and systematic sketching. It illustrates that involving ...
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Urbanisation and has resulted into the mushrooming of informal settlement in Uganda’s capital cit... more Urbanisation and has resulted into the mushrooming of informal settlement in Uganda’s capital city Kampala. Several housing projects termed as “low-cost” for low-income households have been overseen by government; however most have been occupied by higher income groups since the houses are usually smaller prototypes of higher income houses. The houses constructed by the low-income households in the informal settlement are contributing to urban sprawl in Kampala since they are predominantly single storey. Building design professionals have not come up to give advice on appropriate house types that could help solve these problems. The formal houses in planned housing areas are also characterised by single-storey detached houses on large plots, resulting also into very low residential densities. This implies that land in Uganda is not used economically. This problem is coupled with inadequate basic services and infrastructure in the informal settlement. Had urban sprawl been curbed ear...
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During the past few decades in Uganda, like any other urbanising country has experienced consider... more During the past few decades in Uganda, like any other urbanising country has experienced considerable urban growth, especially in her urban centres more especially in Kampala. There has been an increase in population growth due to natural increase and an incredible influx of people from smaller towns and the rural areas into Kampala city. This increase in population has not been matched by the rate at which well-planned housing can be provided to people by Kampala City Council. The accommodation that was provided in the past, mostly in the 1960s by government, that is, mainly 3-4 storey walk-ups, that were put up by different public bodies within the city is no longer sufficient for those who may have afforded it, or yet still, that which available, is expensive or inappropriate for the urban poor. As a result people are building themselves single storeyed houses for accommodation. These houses are being built at a rapid rate and are contributing a lot to urban sprawl. Low-density single storey houses characteristic of the high and medium income and the high density irregular single storey houses characteristic of the urban poor, have greatly influenced the nature in which Kampala city is growing. Different housing areas have attracted particular groups of people and have repelled others. The different house types and forms, the densities they provide for, the spatial qualities and the neighbourhoods that have been provided have also played a key role in determining whether the residents want to live in them. The rich and affluent have competed for land on hills for better views and have thus driven its cost up in these areas. The poor who cannot afford land and government housing have had no choice but to locate themselves in the valleys where they have found vacant parcels of land. This has created numerous single storied irregular settlements around the city lacking basic infrastructure like piped water, roads, water borne sewerage systems and proper garbage disposal within the city. Lack of research into the most appropriate house types for the urban poor who cannot afford house rent has also compounded this problem. If government or Kampala City Council is to come up with a solution to the housing problem in Kampala, it is of great importance to examine the house types that have evolved, as a way of trying to understand current patterns of association and identification for different groups of people. My interest is not only in trying to identify these types and to learn how to plan and design them, but also identify house types appropriate in solving the housing problem in Kampala, that is, house types that can provide higher densities and good spatial qualities. This book is an effort to investigate into house types and densities, which can reflect contemporary needs and political realities. This thesis is an attempt to contribute towards addressing these two problem areas. The focus field of the present study is on house types that can provide for higher densities and good spatial qualities. The study explores the theoretical framework for classification and analysis of house types. The relevance of this framework to the study is examined. An analysis of house forms and layouts, number of rooms, space use and spatial quality, Floor Area Ratio, and plot characteristics in the informal settlements is being examined. Key words: Urban sprawl, informal settlements, house form and layout, number of rooms, space use and spatial quality, spatial quality, Floor Area Ratio, plot characteristics.
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The process of urbanisation in the urban centres of most sub-Saharan African countries has been b... more The process of urbanisation in the urban centres of most sub-Saharan African countries has been brought about by numerous factors including rural to urban migration, natural increase in population, ...
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Dimensions of inclusion and exclusion in contemporary cities, 2021
This paper sheds light on the obstacles that prevent low-income women from fully enjoying their r... more This paper sheds light on the obstacles that prevent low-income women from fully enjoying their right to adequate housing. Low-income women have not been fully engaged in influencing the planning environment around housing despite their experiences in housing women. Feminist and other cross-cutting literatures have expressed gendered inequalities in housing however concrete solutions related to house design and planning have not been advanced. The Masese Women's Self-Help Housing Project in Jinja, Uganda was developed solely for the benefit of lowincome women, however the houses that were built have been altered. This paper posits that studying the house transformations in order to understand how low-income households practice space can help point architects and planners towards inclusive housing design and planning approaches that can benefit the low-income households and prevent governments and donors from spending finances on futile house prototypes that eventually get abandoned. Low-income government provided housing in Uganda has been continually transformed by its beneficiaries. The transformations are a major sign that there is discontentment about the houses since low-income households are excluded from the design and policy shaping processes of these houses. By transforming the houses, the lowincome households attempt to fit their houses or environments to their ways of living. The unregulated housing transformations contribute to a shoddy and overcrowded appearance of the housing area, resulting into the same look that government intended to avoid initially. The study was a qualitative exploratory and descriptive case study strategy, it sought to understand a real-life problem at the Masese Women's Self-Help Housing Project. Precedent studies of the project and a literature review were carried out to analyse the various housing transformations in an attempt to address the problem of inadequate government provided housing for low-income households. The findings of this research are intended to inform house design, planning and policy initiatives that studying housing transformations in low-income areas can guide the advancement of housing that is suitable for low-income households, especially women who utilise domestic space more.
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Governments of developing countries initiate low-income housing schemes with the objectives of en... more Governments of developing countries initiate low-income housing schemes with the objectives of enabling the urban poor: upgrade their living conditions, acquire house construction skills and, own houses. In Uganda, most of the low-income housing schemes are estate-driven. Most estate-driven housing correlates with the modernisation development paradigm that holds the assumption that modernity includes the adoption of presumed attributes of western society (Venter and Marais, 2006). This is evident in the plans of most of the low-income housing schemes in Uganda, which were developed with the assumption that each house would be encased by boundary markers to demarcate the plot boundaries by separating the public spaces outside the plot from the private space within. Siting the house block in a plot is usually stipulated by the project, thus further dividing the plot into back and front yards, with the latter posing as a transitional zone between the public space outside the plot and the very private space in the house. A hierarchical spatial pattern of a public space outside the plot, a semi- public in the front yard, the private space inside the house and the semi-private space in the backyard is assumed.
In a home setting, the backyard conventionally houses most of the home chore activities usually performed by women, while public spaces are male-dominated (Nnaggenda-Musana, 2008:147). Thus a gendered space use pattern is expected to be associated with the spatial patterns that emerge due to the existence of boundary walls around the houses both at the house and neighbourhood levels. However, it is observed that in almost all government-provided low- income housing schemes, boundary walls are rarely constructed resulting in the emergence of blurred spatial patterns whereby distinction between private, semi-private, semi-public, and public space is vivid.
This paper explores the effects of the emerging organic spatial patterns on the gendered space use, and the appropriateness of the proposed housing designs to their users. Findings of this study are expected to inform low-income planning and design both nationally and internationally, so as to enhance their appropriateness and efficiency.
The study employs the case study research approach where the Masese Women Housing Scheme (MWHS), manifesting the highest ambition of reducing women’s marginalisation with respect to housing in Uganda, was selected as an atypical case for exploration of gendered space in housing. Data was collected through in-depth interviews, observation, photography, sketching together with document and drawing review and analysis.
The study revealed that the spatial patterns that resulted due to absence of boundary walls are conducive to the low-income households’ life styles, of women, as they provide security, social interaction and enhance home-based enterprises. The study further revealed that the blurred spatial patterns that emerged due to absence of boundary walls have no significance on the gendered usage of the space both at the house and neighbourhood levels. The study thus recommends low-income housing that is devoid of boundaries when planning and designing low-income housing.
Key Words: housing, boundary-walls, spatial patterns, gendered space-use.
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Time and Transformation in Architecture, 2018
Uganda’s urban centres developed on the basis of colonial planning ideals, whereby housing segreg... more Uganda’s urban centres developed on the basis of colonial planning ideals, whereby housing segregation was used to strengthen colonial social control. Different house plans were designed for the British, Asian and African communities and in diverse areas. Housing for the British colonialists was located on hill tops whilst that for the Asians – mostly Indians – was situated downhill. Further downhill were the African housing areas. The houses for the British were large so were the plots. The plots and houses for the Asians were small and those for the Africans smaller. African housing was small mainly designed as temporary lodging for male labourers. The modern low-income housing provided by the Ugandan government appears to have a form similar to that of the African housing provided by the colonialists. These houses are often transformed by the beneficiaries. African housing during the colonial times was not designed for female habitation, however low-income housing is. Architects should recognise that the creation and utilisation of space both shapes and is shaped by social relations. Houses should be recognised as spheres of feminine activity since women stay longer at home. Have women been considered in post colonial housing? Integrating women’s needs in housing can make their lives easier for collaborative and productive income-generating activity while permitting income and time for other activities. This study explores the adequacy of the houses provided for women in the Masese Women’s Housing Scheme in Jinja. Findings were generated from the field, archival data and oral histories to reveal the women’s ways of living. Employing a qualitative approach enabled the researchers to ground their analysis of the women’s interpretation of real life. The study attempts to understand gendered social relations in households. Gender is used as an analytical tool to explore how different groups experience their environment on an everyday basis.
Author keywords: Colonial, Post-colonial, Segregation, Gender, Housing, Women, Transformation.
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International Journal of Technoscience and Development (IJTD), 2014
In Kampala City the high rate of urbanisation has led to sprawling informal settlements, which ar... more In Kampala City the high rate of urbanisation has led to sprawling informal settlements, which are characterised by substandard housing conditions. Urban sprawl wastes valuable land and makes services and infrastructure delivery expensive. Several housing projects were undertaken by government to provide affordable, adaptable and convenient housing solutions to low-income households. Most of these projects adopted a “top-down” approach in design, which seems not to have considered the way low-income households actually use space. The paper shows that considerations of how low-income households use space would lead to the development of more appropriate housing designs. It also shows that outdoor space use, which has been insufficiently addressed in government housing projects, is both functional and a resource to the low-income households.
The paper utilises a combination of methods such as literature, personal observations, document searches and reviews, in-depth interviews and systematic sketching. It illustrates that involving housing users in the preliminary stages of architectural design, as well as studying the way they use both indoor and outdoor space can be a solution towards attaining more suitable housing designs for low-income households. The paper argues that to low-income households, the house as external and internal space is not only a home but a space for subsistence and sustenance. It further argues that the provision of houses with considerations for how gender is enacted spatially could lead to the development of houses that can be user friendly to low-income households.
The paper ends by suggesting ways of developing house designs that adapt to the way low-income households use space while preventing urban sprawl in the informal settlements is an important step towards the development of more effective housing designs.
Keywords: Low-income housing; Gender; Outdoor Space Use, Indoor Space, Communal Space, Urban Sprawl
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Papers by Assumpta Nnaggenda-Musana
In a home setting, the backyard conventionally houses most of the home chore activities usually performed by women, while public spaces are male-dominated (Nnaggenda-Musana, 2008:147). Thus a gendered space use pattern is expected to be associated with the spatial patterns that emerge due to the existence of boundary walls around the houses both at the house and neighbourhood levels. However, it is observed that in almost all government-provided low- income housing schemes, boundary walls are rarely constructed resulting in the emergence of blurred spatial patterns whereby distinction between private, semi-private, semi-public, and public space is vivid.
This paper explores the effects of the emerging organic spatial patterns on the gendered space use, and the appropriateness of the proposed housing designs to their users. Findings of this study are expected to inform low-income planning and design both nationally and internationally, so as to enhance their appropriateness and efficiency.
The study employs the case study research approach where the Masese Women Housing Scheme (MWHS), manifesting the highest ambition of reducing women’s marginalisation with respect to housing in Uganda, was selected as an atypical case for exploration of gendered space in housing. Data was collected through in-depth interviews, observation, photography, sketching together with document and drawing review and analysis.
The study revealed that the spatial patterns that resulted due to absence of boundary walls are conducive to the low-income households’ life styles, of women, as they provide security, social interaction and enhance home-based enterprises. The study further revealed that the blurred spatial patterns that emerged due to absence of boundary walls have no significance on the gendered usage of the space both at the house and neighbourhood levels. The study thus recommends low-income housing that is devoid of boundaries when planning and designing low-income housing.
Key Words: housing, boundary-walls, spatial patterns, gendered space-use.
Author keywords: Colonial, Post-colonial, Segregation, Gender, Housing, Women, Transformation.
The paper utilises a combination of methods such as literature, personal observations, document searches and reviews, in-depth interviews and systematic sketching. It illustrates that involving housing users in the preliminary stages of architectural design, as well as studying the way they use both indoor and outdoor space can be a solution towards attaining more suitable housing designs for low-income households. The paper argues that to low-income households, the house as external and internal space is not only a home but a space for subsistence and sustenance. It further argues that the provision of houses with considerations for how gender is enacted spatially could lead to the development of houses that can be user friendly to low-income households.
The paper ends by suggesting ways of developing house designs that adapt to the way low-income households use space while preventing urban sprawl in the informal settlements is an important step towards the development of more effective housing designs.
Keywords: Low-income housing; Gender; Outdoor Space Use, Indoor Space, Communal Space, Urban Sprawl
In a home setting, the backyard conventionally houses most of the home chore activities usually performed by women, while public spaces are male-dominated (Nnaggenda-Musana, 2008:147). Thus a gendered space use pattern is expected to be associated with the spatial patterns that emerge due to the existence of boundary walls around the houses both at the house and neighbourhood levels. However, it is observed that in almost all government-provided low- income housing schemes, boundary walls are rarely constructed resulting in the emergence of blurred spatial patterns whereby distinction between private, semi-private, semi-public, and public space is vivid.
This paper explores the effects of the emerging organic spatial patterns on the gendered space use, and the appropriateness of the proposed housing designs to their users. Findings of this study are expected to inform low-income planning and design both nationally and internationally, so as to enhance their appropriateness and efficiency.
The study employs the case study research approach where the Masese Women Housing Scheme (MWHS), manifesting the highest ambition of reducing women’s marginalisation with respect to housing in Uganda, was selected as an atypical case for exploration of gendered space in housing. Data was collected through in-depth interviews, observation, photography, sketching together with document and drawing review and analysis.
The study revealed that the spatial patterns that resulted due to absence of boundary walls are conducive to the low-income households’ life styles, of women, as they provide security, social interaction and enhance home-based enterprises. The study further revealed that the blurred spatial patterns that emerged due to absence of boundary walls have no significance on the gendered usage of the space both at the house and neighbourhood levels. The study thus recommends low-income housing that is devoid of boundaries when planning and designing low-income housing.
Key Words: housing, boundary-walls, spatial patterns, gendered space-use.
Author keywords: Colonial, Post-colonial, Segregation, Gender, Housing, Women, Transformation.
The paper utilises a combination of methods such as literature, personal observations, document searches and reviews, in-depth interviews and systematic sketching. It illustrates that involving housing users in the preliminary stages of architectural design, as well as studying the way they use both indoor and outdoor space can be a solution towards attaining more suitable housing designs for low-income households. The paper argues that to low-income households, the house as external and internal space is not only a home but a space for subsistence and sustenance. It further argues that the provision of houses with considerations for how gender is enacted spatially could lead to the development of houses that can be user friendly to low-income households.
The paper ends by suggesting ways of developing house designs that adapt to the way low-income households use space while preventing urban sprawl in the informal settlements is an important step towards the development of more effective housing designs.
Keywords: Low-income housing; Gender; Outdoor Space Use, Indoor Space, Communal Space, Urban Sprawl
In a home setting, the backyard conventionally houses most of the home chore activities usually performed by women, while public spaces are male-dominated (Nnaggenda-Musana, 2008:147). Thus a gendered space use pattern is expected to be associated with the spatial patterns that emerge due to the existence of boundary walls around the houses both at the house and neighbourhood levels. However, it is observed that in almost all government-provided low-income housing schemes, boundary walls are rarely constructed resulting in the emergence of blurred spatial patterns whereby distinction between private, semi-private, semi-public, and public space is vivid.
This paper explores the effects of the emerging organic spatial patterns on the gendered space use, and the appropriateness of the proposed housing designs to their users. Findings of this study are expected to inform low-income planning and design both nationally and internationally, so as to enhance their appropriateness and efficiency.
The study employs the case study research approach where the Masese Women Housing Scheme (MWHS), manifesting the highest ambition of reducing women’s marginalisation with respect to housing in Uganda, was selected as an atypical case for exploration of gendered space in housing. Data was collected through in-depth interviews, observation, photography, sketching together with document and drawing review and analysis.
The study revealed that the spatial patterns that resulted due to absence of boundary walls are conducive to the low-income households’ life styles, of women, as they provide security, social interaction and enhance home-based enterprises. The study further revealed that the blurred spatial patterns that emerged due to absence of boundary walls have no significance on the gendered usage of the space both at the house and neighbourhood levels. The study thus recommends low-income housing that is devoid of boundaries when planning and designing low-income housing.
Key Words: housing, boundary-walls, spatial patterns, gendered space-use.
likened to the miniature models generated by design professionals. The reality is that people are not bees; the quality of space is not determined only on the basis of its visual aesthetics but also on usage and the resulting quality of life. Outdoor open space is meant to create continuity of the built fabric where buildings enable users to per- ceive a sense of territoriality.The premise is that households should be able to privatise outdoor space. However the open outdoor spaces linked to the case areas seem not to function in a wider context.The spaces are empty and under-utilised. Given the dynamic needs of this African city, are these candy-coloured gardens sustainable? How can Kampala therefore be envisaged?
Recommendations are made as to the potential for densification using modernist principles.
keywords Housing; densities; environment; housing types; sustainability; infrastructure
Author keywords: Colonial, Post-colonial, Segregation, Gender, Housing, Women, Transformation.