Urban dispacement and resettlement: Towards facilitating stakeholder participation

Fast-urbanising cities in Africa are undergoing massive socio-spatial transformations. Old inner-city neighbourhoods are being replaced by new developments, leading to the displacement and resettlement of many citizens. Moreover, the resettlement of households from hazardous areas is often applied as a risk mitigation strategy. Resettlement entails the physical displacement of the population and it disrupts their social, economic and cultural relations, increasing impoverishment. Resettlement is, therefore, often contested. To mitigate resettlement’s adverse impacts, collaborative planning approaches are required. This research aimed to develop planning support tools to facilitate collaborative decision-making in resettlement processes, drawing upon case studies from, Kigali City, Rwanda. Four specific objectives were addressed.

First, to analyse the impacts of urban induced displacement and resettlement processes on the livelihoods of affected informal settlement dwellers, the research drew upon information from resettled households and households to be displaced, and key informants. Despite receiving improved housing, most displaced households endured multiple impacts on their physical, financial, social, and human livelihood assets. Moreover, the affected households also endured significant adverse livelihood impacts in the pre-relocation stage due to high levels of uncertainty they were confronted with. Accurate and detailed information about the resettlement projects should be communicated early in the process to reduce impoverishment risks for affected households.

The second objective examined the governance practices in the resettlement of informal settlement dwellers, focusing on participation and the responses of affected people, from the Kangondo community, one of Kigali’s oldest informal settlements. Our research showed that the displaced dwellers voiced their concerns over deviations from the Expropriation Law, secretive compensation decision-making, lack of transparency in property valuation, and compensation packages that they perceived to be unfair. The consequences were strong feelings of unfairness, exclusion, marginalisation, distrust and increased perceptions of impoverishment risks, which fuelled contestation and resistance. Such contestations constitute claimed spaces and interactions in which affected landowners lay claim to fair processes fighting the “exceptionality” and “decide-defend” decision-making through which the local authorities assert their power.

Kigali City prefers to provide new homes in resettlement sites for the affected informal households as a strategy to improve living standards and avoid the creation of new informal settlements. Therefore, selecting a resettlement site is a fundamental concern for all parties. Hence, the third objective was to analyse and compare key stakeholders' preferences for resettlement attributes and their spatial implications on the suitability of potential resettlement locations in Kigali City. The findings revealed similarities and significant differences between the two stakeholder groups’ preferences, giving rise to different suitability maps for new sites. Given the substantial spatial implications of their divergent views, methods to seek common ground are needed to reduce conflict.

The final objective was to develop and test a geo-information-based planning support tool (RESET) to aid decision-making during a participatory resettlement site identification exercise. RESET guides resettlement site selection based on relevant criteria and indicators by applying a multicriteria analysis evaluation of the suitability of potential sites. It allows participation and deliberation to occur through a user-friendly interface that facilitates stakeholder discussions by conveying the required information to define suitable sites. In this way, RESET can support stakeholders' negotiations in resettlement processes.

In conclusion, the current displacement and resettlement processes of urban poor in African cities have many adverse livelihood impacts and impoverishment risks. This research broadens the knowledge on the governance of the displacement and resettlement of informal settlements and the pre-and post-relocation livelihood impacts. Furthermore, the research informs policymakers of the preferences regarding resettlement site attributes and proposes RESET as a novel planning support tool to strengthen the participation of critical stakeholders in crucial resettlement decision-making processes.