Neighbourhood Unit Residential Segregation in the Global South and Its Impact on Settlement Development: The Case of Dar es Salaam City

This study explored the residential segregation as a factor of settlement disparities in Dar es Salaam City. The focus was drawn on the forms and factors of residential segregation in the city which, experiences informal urbanism. Disparities in settlement development underlie residential segregation patterns. However, there is a myth that segregation is not prevalent in Dar es Salaam owing to the mixed development in the formal and informal neighbourhood units. There is little knowledge about residential unit segregation occurring in cities, which have high informal settlements development. The study used both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods with a sample of 120 respondents of which 15 house head from six wards, two from each municipality, making a total of 90 house head selected in the city and 30 local leaders all participated in this research. Questionnaires and in-depth interviews were tools used to collect information from the local leaders, key informants and municipal officials. Data obtained were classified and synthesised by using computing programme such as SPSS, Ms. Excel and ArcGIS. Neighbourhood unit segregation is suggested to be a result of income, spatial preference and ethnicity enclaves amongst Dar es Salaam city dwellers. It is evident that there is voluntary and involuntary residential unit segregation within the city, which consequentially imparts the urban form of the city. Most poor city residents are involuntary segregated into the poor serviced neighbourhood while the rich enjoy voluntary segregation within the settlement. It is argued that sustainable place making need for more flexible and robust approach to provide the spatial advantages that are important for people with poor resources such as income. Implementation of mixed-income housing development programme would complement the anti-segregation initiatives in the urban design and strategized by the legal framework for urban planning and housing provision.