Access to public green spaces is a challenge to most cities in the global south. Dar es salaam has demonstrated the challenge to accessing these spaces to communities of different levels of vulnerability. Foristance, communities with low income are facing the challenge of accessing over commercialized public spaces along the shoreline of the Indian Ocean.

 Following the residences of these low income individuals to be mostly informal settlements, the public spaces are lacking in these areas. Given that the development in the informal settlement is less regulated and that the lots are highly dense,  house and infrastructures construction happens haphazardly with no provision for public spaces.

 Although the middle class who enjoy better living conditions have had provision of public spaces. Encroachment of such green spaces in the settlement has made the situation in these planned settlements like that of the unplanned ones. The situation in the low density neighbourhood has had advantages over their counterparts but there are less and less provision of public spaces and the available ones  are unserviced.

 Lack and limited green spaces in the City have a long lasting impact on the city environment and overall well being of the communities. Issues such as increased heat, disease (obesity), public health, ecosystem and environment.  Vulnerability of disadvantaged individuals increases with the limited access to public spaces which  increases the level of their vulnerability as some physically challenged individuals remain confined at home and hence likely to have mental health related issues.

Tourism activities in cities increase with the amount of available public and green spaces,having limited green spaces put the city in a position of failing to retain tourists and hence limit local income generation options. The environment has continued to suffer over time because of the limited number of green spaces in the city and we can witness the ever increasing heat and inability of the environment to regulate it.


Kotiorganisaatio/hanke: Turun yliopisto