Sub-project 1: Land use planning

Dar es Salaam and its surrounding regions face serious land use and development challenges partly due to lack of planned, survey and serviced land or ineffective urban development control in planned, surveyed and titled land. 

Lack of planned and surveyed land has led to mushrooming of informal settlements and unorganized and unproductive land uses. In some cases, land allocation becomes an exclusive and politicized market which deny equitable distribution of, access to, and ownership of land by poor and vulnerable groups e.g., the widow, women, and the elderly. 

Also, uncontrolled city development has compromised both the quality and quantity of urban green spaces and their ability to support food production, stormwater drainage, groundwater recharging, erosion control and recreational services. In rural areas, land use planning is practically conducted to confirm land uses; crucial information e.g., land capability (suitability) assessment to make informed decisions or suggestions on best land use options is not accounted for during plan preparations.

 Basing on these, this research is seeks to create an understanding of efficient urban and regional land use planning to improve city management to effectively contribute to inclusive and sustainable urbanization. Therefore, it aspires to develop a participatory planning and conflict management framework for resolving land use issues and effectively undertake development control for the purpose of conserving the environment and ensuring livable cities. In this case, geospatial technologies need to be utilized to evaluate and study urban and rural environments as well as improve land administration practices. 

Pilot sites we are working on are Ubungo and Kinondoni Municipalities in Dar es Salaam region; and Bagamoyo district in Coast region.

Currently 4 MSc students are supported by this subproject and 4 PhD students.