Urban Growth in Tanzania: Exploring Challenges, Opportunities and Management

Abstract

Tanzania cities and towns are rapidly urbanizing. This urbanization is manifest of rural-to-urban migration as well as natural population increase. The perceived lack of opportunities in rural areas has been identified as the main push factors for Tanzanians to move from rural areas to urban cities and towns. Urban management practice will increasingly need to account for direct and indirect impacts of urban growth in Tanzania cities and towns. The objective of this paper is to pinpoint the challenges and opportunities of the urban growth in cities and towns in Tanzania.The discussion of this paper is mainly based on critical review of the literature and original data derived from Baruti settlement in Dar es Salaam City. The review of the documents whether published or not published depended on its status to provide a critical analysis of urban growth challenges and opportunities in Tanzania. The Primary data were gathered using 79 using semi-structured interviews with both open and closed ended questions. The questionnaires were administered by the researcher through face-to-face sessions with the respondents. A purposive sampling technique was adopted in this study. The reason for selecting the purposive sampling technique was based on the respondents’ involvement in urban development project. The quantitative data collected through the use of questionnaire to supplement qualitative data were summarized and organized by using spread sheet template for detailed analysis. The critical qualitative analysis was built on both the secondary and primary data sources to addresses the research questions. A descriptive technique for data analysis was adopted where findings were represented in tables, graphs and texts.While unperfected urbanization surpass the way inhabitants interact and live in cities and towns, urban management addresses the social, economical and environmental challenges that emerge with the continued urbanization in Tanzania cities and towns such that human activities could be more socially liable, economically sound and environmentally friendly over a long period of time in the future.

Community-Based Settlements Regularization: Lessons for Scaling up from Makongo Juu Informal Settlement, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

“…Many studies have discussed the failure of public authorities to provide land for planned development and to enforce development conditions in cities of developing countries (see for example, Gwaleba, 2018;and Hove, 2013). Several reasons have been put forward.…”

Analysis of the Current and Future Land Use/Land Cover Changes in Peri-Urban Areas of Dar es Salaam City, Tanzania using Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques

“…Urban growth, in this study referred to clustering of human activities (both economic and social) due to increased population, creates a huge pressure on natural environment and ecological resources of peri-urban areas (Lupala 2016). Spatial settlement patterns and land-use changes of many peri-urban areas of Tanzanian are largely driven by population pressures, availability of relatively cheaper built-land than in urban centers (Gwaleba 2018), livelihood activities such as agriculture (Kombe 2005), and household demand-driven factors such as fuelwood and construction materials (Berihun et al 2019). These drivers may vary from one place to another depending on the socio-economic conditions of the neighboring city.…”

Modelling Expansion and Densification in Peri-urban Areas: The Case of Goba Ward, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

“…In Tanzania, Dar es Salaam is the fastest growing city beleaguered with insufficient planned and serviced land (Gwaleba, 2018;Kombe, 2005). Due to this situation, most people tend to buy and build in cheap land in peri-urban areas, hence leading to unguided city growth, expansion and densification (Gwaleba, 2018;Kombe, 2005).…”

“…In Tanzania, Dar es Salaam is the fastest growing city beleaguered with insufficient planned and serviced land (Gwaleba, 2018;Kombe, 2005). Due to this situation, most people tend to buy and build in cheap land in peri-urban areas, hence leading to unguided city growth, expansion and densification (Gwaleba, 2018;Kombe, 2005). Peri-urban areas in Dar es Salaam city includes areas like Mbezi, Kinyerezi, Bunju, Goba, Chanika, Mbagala Rangi Tatu, Nyantira, Kigamboni and Pugu, which are currently experiencing intense expansion and densification due to a large influx of population from the city centre.…”