Housing renovation in the city of Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire: the case of the Aklomiabla district.

Abstract

In the aftermath of independence, the housing policy implemented by the state of Côte d'Ivoire in favour of the most deprived populations has not succeeded in meeting the ever-increasing housing needs of the city of Abidjan. Precarious neighbourhoods are growing in all the communes of the city of Abidjan. To integrate them into the urban fabric of Abidjan, a wave of so-called restructuring operations was launched from 1980 to the early 2000s. The Aklomiabla district, located in the north-east of the commune of Koumassi, was restructured. This restructuring, which guarantees land security, has led to the reconstruction of housing with durable materials by the population. The objective of this study is to analyse this renovation in order to find the founding elements of the reconstruction of the housing in this district. The methodology used was based on site observations and interviews with neighbourhood leaders, heads of department of the commune and beneficiaries of plots that had been upgraded. The results of the study revealed three of the mechanisms developed by the land beneficiaries and other actors attracted to the site for the renovation of the site's habitat. These practices are tenant-built, contractor-built and bank loan-built. While all of these have resulted in the rebuilding of three quarters of the housing in the district in hard materials, they have also allowed for the introduction of multi-family housing and villas.