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Residential satisfaction in deprived urban neighbourhoods: a case study of Harare’s selected informal settlements

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Abstract

This paper examines residential satisfaction and the factors that influence it within the context of Harare’s selected informal settlements (Hopley, Hatcliffe extension and Epworth ward 7). The study presents interesting findings from regression analysis; some of which challenge the dominant narratives that characterize deprived neighbourhoods as having low residential satisfaction. From the bivariate (OR = 1.600, p < 0.05) and multivariate (OR = 1.647, p < 0.05) analyses, residents with strong social networks have higher odds of being very satisfied with their residence compared to residents with weak social networks. Also, long-time residents (OR = 1.671, p < 0.01) were found to be very satisfied with their residence compared to newcomers. Additionally, respondents who agreed to receive help from local politicians have higher odds (OR = 1.851, p < 0.01) of very satisfied residential satisfaction compared to those who did not receive help from local politicians. Furthermore, place attachment is significantly associated with very satisfied residential satisfaction. Residents with high place attachment (OR = 1.535, p < 0.05) are more likely to be very satisfied with their residence compared to those with low place attachment. The implications of the findings for urban policy and practice are also highlighted.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the second author.

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Acknowledgements

The second author acknowledges the University of Sussex’s Migrants on the Margins research project (Grant No. ES/ N01474X/1). He specifically expresses appreciation to Professor Michael Collyer, the Principal Investigator on this project, for granting permission to use the data to write this paper. He also acknowledges the Development Governance Institute, a research institutional partner on the Migrants on the Margins project, for providing recent maps of the three informal settlements. All the authors appreciate the support of Karen Vankerkoerle (Department of Geography and Environment, University of Western Ontario) for drawing the map showing the location of the three study sites. Additionally, the authors thank the three anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments.

Funding

The data used in this study was drawn from the Migrants on the Margins research project (Grant No. ES/ N01474X/1), which was funded by the Royal Geographical Society (RGS).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography and Environment, University of Western Ontario, N6A 5C2, London, ON, Canada

    Senanu Kwasi Kutor, Elmond Bandauko, Eunice Annan-Aggrey & Godwin Arku

  2. Department of Sociology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Emmanuel Kyeremeh

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  1. Senanu Kwasi Kutor
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  2. Elmond Bandauko
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Correspondence to Senanu Kwasi Kutor.

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Kutor, S.K., Bandauko, E., Kyeremeh, E. et al. Residential satisfaction in deprived urban neighbourhoods: a case study of Harare’s selected informal settlements. J Hous and the Built Environ 38, 1177–1199 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901-022-09969-7

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