Assessing Housing Development as an Indicator of Urban Sustainability in Douala, Cameroon: A Smart Growth Approach

This research assessed housing development and its impact on sustainable city development and smart growth. A cross-sectional survey was carried on 200 households using stratified random sampling. Structured questionnaires, observations, and interviews with Council representatives were conducted to collect the data. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and chi-square test of sustainability indicators such as town planning, building materials, regulatory compliance, waste management, housing facilities, accessibility, and smart homes. Results indicated that poor town planning was the main cause of dilapidation and insecurity in 30.5% of houses, population density (25.5%), and poor roads and inaccessibility (23.5%). Although 60.5% of houses used cement blocks, 39.5% of houses use wooden or other poor materials. Compliance with regulations was low since many did not have land ownership, location plans, Council inspection, and building permits. Even though HYSACAM was the main waste operator (59.0%), 80.0% reported inadequate waste management. Irregular water and electricity services were experienced by 49.5% while 54.0% had smart homes. The results indicate significant associations between sustainable development and housing planning (χ²=41.755, p<.001), building materials (χ²=9.213, p=.010), and causes of dilapidation (χ²=26.246, p<.001), but not inspection agencies (χ²=5.858, p=.210). Improved development control, infrastructure, waste management, zoning, land regularization, and durable affordable houses are very important for sustainable and smart urban development.