Sustainability of slum upgrading interventions: Perception of low-income households in Malawi and Ghana

Low-income households continue to live in poor quality housing coupled with overcrowding and inadequate access to basic services and infrastructure. Although efforts have been made by national governments and international development agencies to improve the quality of life of households through various slum upgrading interventions, these have not yielded the needed results. This study re-examines the sustainability of slum upgrading interventions. Using two African cities as the context, the study adopts comparative case studies of two low-income neighbourhoods. Data collection methods include sample surveys of household heads, in-depth interviews of community leaders, and key informant interviews of city officials. The study revealed nuances about the sustainability of urban upgrading efforts especially in low-income neighbourhoods; raising questions about the universal applicability of urban upgrading interventions and their relevance. A re-look at the conventional urban upgrading interventions especially in low-income neighbourhoods necessary for sustaining such efforts have been proposed.