Over the last four decades, cities in the South have seen the remarkable development of a phenomenon that until then had manifested itself with little force: urbanization. This phenomenon has led to profound changes in land use and multiple transformations of spatial structures.
The objective of this research is to examine how the inhabitants of Luwowoshi adapt to the living conditions generated by the production of housing, the specific configurations of public space and to understand the evolution of urban morphology.
The urban explosion in this district is accelerating and the difficulties of access to land for the populations who live there are becoming more and more accentuated.
In the context of demographic growth of urban populations, problems relating to housing and agricultural productivity activities are more relevant than ever for many countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Furthermore, the significant growth of unregulated land markets is aggravating inequalities in terms of access to urban resources. In African cities, thousands of people live under the threat of eviction with property titles that can be challenged at any time by the state or private actors. This tenure insecurity manifests itself both in forced «evictions» and other land disputes and in the housing crisis.
Our study aims to provide keys and benchmarks to understand how the land issue was historically constructed as an object of public action, like any land policy adapted to a local context, in particular through the recognition of customary rights. It seems urgent in the city of Lubumbashi, and the Luwowoshi district in particular, that access to housing and property constitute an essential element of a decent living environment.
Our study provides an overview of the precarious socio-economic and environmental conditions of the inhabitants of the spontaneous district of Luwowoshi, in the city of Lubumbashi.
The results presented in this article highlight the difficulties in which the populations live and the problems they encounter. Thus, households get their water from wells (62%), springs (27%), standpipes (8%) and boreholes (1%), while generally not having, an adequate effluent treatment system. They must indeed resort to expedients such as: spreading on the plots (60%), the use of latrines and unconnected toilets (34%), infiltration via a simple hole (5%). The evacuation of solid waste is done according to various methods likely to contaminate the environment and the potability of water: holes (54%), incineration (26%), pit (9%), manure pit (5%), vacant lots (5%), and public ferry (1%).