Informal Settlement Upgrading and Rehousing and Its Impact on Urban Resilience in Rwanda, A Case Study of Mpazi in Kigali City

Informal settlements are prevalent in rapidly urbanising regions, often characterised by inadequate infrastructure and services, rendering them vulnerable to various socio-economic and environmental challenges. This study examined the impacts of informal settlement upgrading and rehousing on urban resilience in Rwanda, taking Mpazi as the case study. To achieve this, a mixed-methods approach that integrated qualitative and quantitative data was utilised. With these approaches, questionnaires were administered to 400 randomly sampled residents to gather quantitative data on upgraded housing status, socioeconomic indicators, access to services, and perceptions of resilience. Moreover, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with purposively sampled community leaders, local government officials, and NGOs to obtain rich qualitative insights into the upgrading processes and their impacts on community dynamics. In addition, a regression analysis was performed to establish the relationship between the informal settlement upgrade, housing, and the urban resilience of the community living in the upgraded settlements. The results revealed that constructed housing quality was of very good status as rated by the respondents considering the obtained high overall mean of 3.89 interpreted, access to socio-economic services rated at a high level considering an overall high mean of 3.71, a high level of social cohesion and empowerment with an overall mean of 3.75 and, rehabilitated and constructed basic infrastructures rated at a high level considering an overall mean of 3.95. Regarding the contribution of urban development initiatives in enhancing the community's capacity to cope with urban stresses, the findings revealed that upgrading and rehousing have been shown to have indisputable improvements, as agreed by respondents, with an overall high mean of 3.77. Finally, the findings indicate a positive relationship between informal settlement upgrading, rehousing, and urban community resilience as evidenced by an R2 of 0.630, implying that informal settlement upgrading contributes to rehousing and thus, urban resilience. Conclusively, it can be said that if informal settlement upgrading is well implemented, it can have a great positive influence on rehousing and thus contribute to the urban resilience of the community. The findings are anticipated to contribute to urban policy discussions and provide practical insights for sustainable development strategies in Rwanda and similar contexts, ultimately supporting the resilience of urban settlements in the face of ongoing global challenges.