Providing access to land for low-income groups in sub-Saharan African cities: using a partnership model and good governance principles to improve customary land allocation in Lusaka, Zambia

Abstract

Land provision for low-income housing in sub-Saharan African cities generally and Lusaka specifically, is a significant challenge faced by planners and city managers, evidenced in the high prevalence of squatter settlements. As part of the solution to the problem of informal settlements, the paper has developed a set of recommendations for providing access to peri-urban lands under customary law for private commercial low-income housing, to reduce the need for informal housing in statutory urban areas. The set of recommendations were developed by exploring the necessary governance processes in the allocation of customary land using a partnership approach.

Keywords

• peri-urban land
• informal settlement
• customary land tenure
• lusaka
• partnership; private land ownership