Análisis de un barrio planificado de Kinsasa y su mezcla con barrios de extensión espontánea: el caso de la ciudad de Maman Mobutu

CIUDADES, 27 (2024): pp. 135-153 ISSN-E: 2445-3943 Analysis of a planned neighbourhood of Kinshasa and its mix with spontaneous extension neighbourhoods: the case of the Maman Mobutu City * Análisis de un barrio planificado de Kinsasa y su mezcla con barrios de extensión espontánea: el caso de la ciudad de Maman Mobutu MANLIO MICHIELETTO PhD in Architectural Composition Associate Professor German University in Cairo (Cairo, Egypt) [email protected] ORCID: 0000-0003-2098-3414 VICTOR BAY MUKANYA KAYEMBE PhD in Architecture and Urban Design Associate Professor ISAU Kinshasa (Kinshasa, DR Congo) [email protected] ORCID: 0009-0001-5244-061X Recibido/Received: 30-09-2023; Aceptado/Accepted: 17-04-2024 Cómo citar/How to cite: Michieletto, Manlio & Mukanya Kayembe, Victor Bay (2024): “Analysis of a planned neighbourhood of Kinshasa and its mix with spontaneous extension neighbourhoods: the case of the Maman Mobutu City”, Ciudades, 27, pp. 135-153. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24197/ciudades.27.2024.135-153 Artículo de acceso abierto distribuido bajo una Licencia Creative Commons Atribución 4.0 Internacional (CC-BY 4.0). / Open access article under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CCBY 4.0). Abstract: Kinshasa, one of Africa's most densely populated capital cities, has been grappling with the issue of informality in its planned settlements. This paper, aiming to understand this issue comprehensively, has employed a unique and rigorous qualitative and quantitative analysis. The research includes material and site surveys, allowing for a detailed study of the transformation of the Mamam Mobutu Garden City. Built-in the 80s on an existing informal village, the project later faced an invasion of illegal settlers and constructions. The surroundings have also witnessed the radicalisation of precarious communities, posing a threat to achieving sustainable human development. Keywords: Kinshasa, garden city, informality, human settlement. * This article presents the results of the research conducted by Manlio Michieletto and Victor Bay Mukanya at the ISAU Kinshasa, DR Congo. 136 Manlio Michieletto & Victor Bay Mukanya Kayembe CIUDADES, 27 (2024): pp. 135-153 ISSN-E: 2445-3943 Resumen: Kinshasa es una de las capitales más pobladas y densas de África; en las últimas décadas, la informalidad ha engullido asentamientos planificados realizados antes y después de la Independencia de 1960. Mediante un análisis cualitativo-cuantitativo, recopilando material y estudios in situ, el artículo pretende estudiar la transformación de un proyecto urbano, la ciudad jardín Mamam Mobutu, construida en los años 80 sobre un poblado informal existente, que posteriormente fue víctima de una invasión de colonos y construcciones ilegales. El entorno también ha sido testigo de la radicalización de comunidades precarias hacen peligrar la consecución de un desarrollo humano sostenible. Palabras clave: Kinsasa, ciudad jardín, informalidad, asentamiento humano. 1. INTRODUCTION In 1920, Kinshasa had about 25,000 inhabitants and gradually increased its population until it reached 50,000 in 1940. At the beginning of the 21st century, the city experienced a process of rapid urbanisation caused mainly by the rural exodus and massive displacement of people fleeing the civil war in eastern DRC 1 . This population increased in the 1980s, going from 2,052,873 to 6,140,419 in 2000. The latest statistics (2023) report a population close to 17,000,000 2 . Kinshasa comprises about 35% of the Democratic Republic of Congo's urban population. It has faced enormous housing, sanitation and infrastructure challenges in the last two decades. Sustainable urban planning and good governance must be implemented to clean up the urban environment and ensure tenure security to remedy this situation. This massive demographic growth is at the root of the complex phenomena of rapid expansion of Kinshasa towards its peripheries and the appearance of precarious, irregular neighbourhoods that develop alongside planned areas. The conurbation was done outside of any urban planning, resulting in illegality and, by extension, a spontaneous expansion that materialises in a sort of stratification tending to an abstraction of the sociodemographic, spatial, environmental and economic factors. The term spontaneous is intended as a residential district developed by its inhabitants, often after illegally occupying the land, in which both the housing and the public facilities are constructed outside the usual market and public sector mechanisms. As said, several precarious neighbourhoods develop informally on the city’s outskirts or next to planned communities, leading to an involuntary mix between different social classes. Low-income households mainly inhabit spontaneous neighbourhoods, which lack public urban amenities and basic infrastructure compared to planned neighbourhoods. About 396,620 registered households are settled in precarious neighbourhoods, where living conditions are despicable, inadequate and 1 Kinshasa en detail, Preface by Léon de Saint Moulin in “Kinshasa my city, my capital”, Edition l’Harmattan, Paris, 2014. 2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Kinshasa Analysis of a planned neighbourhood of Kinshasa and its mix with… 137 CIUDADES, 27 (2024): pp. 135-153 ISSN-E: 2445-3943 intolerable in the 21st century 3 . These difficult living conditions have created a significant influx in the uncontrolled development of Kinshasa, making it, at the same time, one of the most populated cities in Africa, behind cities like Lagos and Cairo. In fact, according to UN studies, the global urban population will reach 6,6 billion inhabitants in 2050; the majority will be in the countries of the Global South. Moreover, according to the report of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations, the city of Kinshasa will become the 21st most populated city in the world 4 . While remaining one of the least urbanised cities in Africa, Kinshasa presents a varied urban structure composed of the old urbanised cities and the new non-urbanized districts, which are generally precarious. This accelerated, unplanned and uncontrolled urbanisation disrupts the urban fabric by concentrating several populations in unhealthy neighbourhoods. Low-income households usually inhabit these neighbourhoods, which are created on sites unfit for construction and need more urban amenities and basic infrastructure. 1.1. Objective of the study In contrast to planned neighbourhoods, spontaneous neighbourhoods are conceived without the supervision of government authorities in response to immediate housing needs and rapid unregulated urbanisation, whose structures are built improvised, with inefficient use of space and a generally high population density. On the other hand, planned neighbourhoods result from urban design and planning developed by urban planners, architects, or government authorities. They are generally organised in an orderly manner, with laid-out streets, welldefined activity zones, planned green spaces and public facilities. Creating these neighbourhoods involves deliberate design, land allocation, planned infrastructure, and building regulations. Knowing that (illegal) neighbourhoods inflict their characters on planned neighbourhoods by destroying them, this research aims to examine the negative influence of spontaneous neighbourhoods on planned neighbourhoods of Kinshasa by highlighting the different impacted aspects such as infrastructure, safety, the environment, and the quality of life of residents. 3 Statement by Ms. Bafalanga Atosa, Secretary General for Town Planning and Housing, on World Habitat Day, Kinshasa, October 6, 2014. 4 According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs report for Kinshasa. 138 Manlio Michieletto & Victor Bay Mukanya Kayembe CIUDADES, 27 (2024): pp. 135-153 ISSN-E: 2445-3943 2. METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH A qualitative and quantitative analysis have enabled the identification of the critical aspects of a planned settlement, Maman Mobutu, and its proximity and mix with spontaneous neighbourhoods. In the first half of 2023, the authors interviewed residents and municipal officials from Maman Mobutu City to collect their perceptions and experiences. During the same period, this data collection was supplemented by field observation to assess the state of the infrastructure and the environment and social dynamics. Visiting the area allowed a physical assessment and data collection through sketches and photos. However, analysing documents such as government reports or archives was challenging. As mentioned above, the absence of academic studies, press articles or relevant previous publications has pushed the authors to rely on the data collected. The infrastructure and urban dynamics have also been critically analysed by evaluating the state of the city's roads, water and sanitation networks, electricity and other public services. Therefore, the Maman Mobutu and spontaneous extensions studies allowed us to compare the quality and availability of services by conducting analyses at different levels. Based on the current state of the targeted neighbourhoods, the urban analysis focused on the accessibility characteristics and the urban and social morphology, highlighting an exhaustive diagnosis that allowed us to determine the set of urban problems and issues to which these neighbourhoods are subject today, whether on the scale of their social parts or their relationships with their general environment. The analysis of the spatial dimension made it possible to measure the degree of impact of spatial components on users' feelings and their spatial practices. The morphological analysis aimed to define each district's significant morphological entities and produce a map of their overall atmosphere and features. Analysing security and the environment allowed us to notice the rate of crime and violence in these juxtaposed neighbourhoods. 3. MAMAN MOBUTU GARDEN CITY IN KINSHASA At the beginning of the 20th century, the garden city concept emerged as one of the global urbanisation models. However, Ebenezer Howard's idea (1898) of designing self-sufficient communities away from large cities and integrated into rural areas will give rise to numerous interpretations and variations throughout the world, very different from the original model of Letchworth, a garden city started in 1903 north of London under the supervision of Raimond Unwin and Barry Parker. Also, the African continent first experienced such urban development models as interventions planned and guided by the colonial authorities and, in some cases, replicated after the independence at different latitudes. Maman Mobutu settlement Analysis of a planned neighbourhood of Kinshasa and its mix with… 139 CIUDADES, 27 (2024): pp. 135-153 ISSN-E: 2445-3943 was intended to expand Kinshasa with a “green” satellite, paving a more sustainable future for the equatorial megalopolis. 3.1. The birth of a new capital for a new country When Henry Morton Stanley arrived in Congo, the current city of Kinshasa comprised several villages around a common market, including Kintambo, Lemba, and Kinshasa. It was from the “teke” tribe chiefs that Stanley bought, in the name of the King of the Belgians, a station that would allow him to appropriate the space of the city of Kinshasa and later acquire the entire country. The landscape of Kinshasa is made up of trees, mainly baobabs and Malebo palms (Borassus ethiopia), which is still the town's symbol, giving the capital the nickname of “Kin Malebo”. However, several trees had to be cut down to build in the current city, just as the market disappeared. Kintambo became Léopoldville, while Kinshasa retained its name. Taking the name of Léopoldville, in honour of the Belgian sovereign who became the sole master of the territory, more substantial buildings were built to make it a capital of the greatness of the Colony. An effort is also made to house the locals in better conditions than in the labour camps. The OCA (Office des Cités Africaines), which has built around 40,000 homes in the European Colonies, half of which were in Léopoldville, proposed relocating indigenous people from informal neighbourhoods into settlements of terraced houses supported by public services. The urban growth of Kinshasa, regulated by the colonial authorities before the Independence, was founded in 1975 as the first attempt to set up guidelines for its development. The study of the plan began in 1972, and it is still the latest master plan that targets the whole city, overseeing a linear expansion along the Congo River bank. The development of the residential quarters advanced, especially south of Kinshasa City, as the urban population increased. Most of these residential areas were located on sloping land, and the population density was 200-300 persons per hectare before the conurbation, doubling in the last decades. The city is still growing towards the southern and eastern directions, and the Maman Mobutu settlement that in the 80s appeared like a satellite surrounded by nature is now strangled by the informal conurbation (Figure 1). 3.2. The birth of a new settlement in Kinshasa The new settlement was planned in 1985 to receive 500 houses, but due to high demand, 723 houses were built at the end of its construction (1990). Located on a hill slope, its morphological structure required special attention for managing rainwater and the distribution of plots. It had a well-structured sewerage and drainage network, a fully asphalted road network and concrete pavements. 140 Manlio Michieletto & Victor Bay Mukanya Kayembe CIUDADES, 27 (2024): pp. 135-153 ISSN-E: 2445-3943 Moreover, electricity and water were distributed regularly. The city also had two recreational circles, a shopping centre, two large churches, a kindergarten, a primary school and a secondary school. Over the years, because of the high population growth of Kinshasa, the green spaces, the slopes of the hill and the national “N1” road have gradually been occupied and anarchically built. One of these informal constructions is the precarious districts of Matshotsho, a community that became known as “Manzanza” or “555” 5 quite recently (2006-2007), inhabited by relatively poor populations. This difference in social class raises the level of insecurity in Mama Mobutu City, which is progressively destabilised from both security and infrastructure points of view. Figure 1: The City of Kinshasa’s urban expansion with the Maman Mobutu Project is on the westsouthern side. Source: Image edited by Manlio Michieletto and based on the .dwg map of Kinshasa (2024). 5 The name 555 comes from all the houses in this neighbourhood built from sheet metal, thus alluding to the 555 brand aluminium pots. Analysis of a planned neighbourhood of Kinshasa and its mix with… 141 CIUDADES, 27 (2024): pp. 135-153 ISSN-E: 2445-3943 Figure 2: Map of Maman Mobutu settlement with the surrounding neighbourhoods (localities). Source: Prepared by Victor Bay Mukanya in 2024. 3.3. The Maman Mobutu’s neighbourhoods The city, Maman Mobutu, is a locality in Mount Ngafula 6 . Extending on 938,564,40m2, with a population of 4,540 (Figure 4), it represents the biggest community in the Commune (District). It is surrounded in the north by the localities Kadima and Boongi; in the south by the localities Tsasa and Baruti; in the east by the locality Molo; and the locality Mafumu to the West (Figure 3). In addition to these six neighbouring localities, the Mama Mobutu district has three other localities close to Mama Mobutu: Dumez, Mosengo, and Mataba, visible on the north side of Figure 3. The spiral shape of the housing development of Mama Mobutu is influenced by relief because it is built on a hill whose slope is quite strong (12%). The steepest line is "the alley of the hill", in the centre of the neighbourhood (Figure 5); it has a uniform slope of 10 to 15% and connects the top of the hill (the recreational circle "the hill") and the central collector located at the Lukunga River (lowest point), the natural former border of the Mama Mobutu city (Figure 2). 6 The Mama Mobutu district is the most inhabited in the commune of Mount Ngafula with 23,364 inhabitants. 142 Manlio Michieletto & Victor Bay Mukanya Kayembe CIUDADES, 27 (2024): pp. 135-153 ISSN-E: 2445-3943 Figure 3: Sketch of the Maman Mobutu Settlement with the surroundings. Source: Prepared by Victor Bay Mukanya in 2023. Analysis of a planned neighbourhood of Kinshasa and its mix with… 143 CIUDADES, 27 (2024): pp. 135-153 ISSN-E: 2445-3943 Figure 4: Synoptic table recording the most recent census of the general population, fiscal year 2015. (H=Hommes; F=Femmes; G=Garçons; F=Filles). Source: Prepared by the authors. Figure 5: The sloppy site of Maman Mobutu Settlement on a view from the central alley. Source: Image taken by Victor Bay Mukanya in 2023. 150 Manlio Michieletto & Victor Bay Mukanya Kayembe CIUDADES, 27 (2024): pp. 135-153 ISSN-E: 2445-3943 Another mischief of fragmentation is the promiscuity in the plots; the consequences of promiscuity are the high risk of disease, the involuntary fusion of habits and deplorable sanitary conditions. From an administrative point of view, fragmentation and duplicity of ownership imply the duplication of cadastral numbers; at the time of reconstitution of documents, managing the file, even at the level of public heritage management services, creates many difficulties. 5.2. Houses transformation The analysis could have been limited only to the fragmentation of the plots, but unfortunately, even the houses are fragmented in the settlement. Many families share the same house transformed for the cause. However, some transformations are palpable in beautifying the landscape and responding to climatic needs; this is the case for those who add a covered terrace for outdoor living. Some increased the kitchen size and added the service terrace, which was not provided initially due to the family's growth (Figure 12). Figure 12: Scheme of a typical house extension. Source: Prepared by the authors. Analysis of a planned neighbourhood of Kinshasa and its mix with… 151 CIUDADES, 27 (2024): pp. 135-153 ISSN-E: 2445-3943 5.3. The destruction of basic infrastructures In 2009, the city Mama Mobutu had one of the biggest fears of its existence; the big central collector pouring water into the Lukunga was destroyed by stone sellers who broke the base to sell the obtained gravel. Despite the mobilisation and the will to fight against the consequences of this destruction, the erosion caused by unconcentrated water is gradually changing, devouring the city and transforming it into a disaster zone. On the walk through the city’s streets, Mama Mobutu informs of the dilapidated avenues, starting from the main entrance to the last road (Figure 13). The asphalt is almost wholly deteriorated, covered with sand and even vegetation. There was no assistance from the sanitation services except for some shy initiatives taken by the neighbourhood's young people, which consisted of patching a few potholes, but again, without the public institutions or experts’ involvement in the matter. Believing that to do well, the destruction state of infrastructure is accelerated. Initially, Maman Mobutu City had two recreational circles and a shopping centre. Over the years, mismanagement of the public good has destroyed and closed these community facilities. Figure 13: The ongoing conditions of most of the Maman Mobutu roads and alleys network. Source: Image taken by Victor Bay Mukanya in 2023. 5.4. Influence of neighbouring communities Like most major cities, Kinshasa suffers the burden of high population growth and sees these peripheral districts being occupied and invaded illegally. This complex phenomenon of rapid city expansion to its peripheries causes the 152 Manlio Michieletto & Victor Bay Mukanya Kayembe CIUDADES, 27 (2024): pp. 135-153 ISSN-E: 2445-3943 emergence of precarious and irregular neighbourhoods that develop next to the planned communities. This expansion is generally outside the tenets of urban planning, resulting in an illegal spontaneous increase that materialises into a kind of destratification which tends to an abstraction of sociodemographic, spatial, environmental and economic factors. Maman Mobutu, part of a neighbourhood on the city’s outskirts, is a victim of this destructive phenomenon. Although currently recognised administratively, the localities Kadima and Mafumu, commonly called “manzanza” or “555”, are inhabited by poor populations. Faced with the luxury of the inhabitants of Mama Mobutu, there is a frustration that will generate multiform insecurity. 6. CONCLUSION This study gave us a vital diagnosis of Mama Mobutu City, helping us understand individuals' needs and aspirations and, above all, the attitudes to be observed by government decision-makers when organising Congolese cities. The conclusions were based on the results of data analysis, highlighting the negative influences of spontaneous neighbourhoods on planned neighbourhoods in Kinshasa. In short, improvised neighbourhoods significantly impact planned neighbourhoods, affecting various aspects of urban life, from infrastructure to security, including the environment and social dynamics. Maman Mobutu's analysis also made it possible to formulate recommendations on urban policy to mitigate these harmful effects and improve the quality of life in all city neighbourhoods. 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