The nexus of displacement, asset vulnerability and the Right to the City: the case of the refugees and urban poor of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Abstract

This paper examines the asset vulnerability and livelihood strategies of refugees and the urban poor in slum settlements of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The Asset Vulnerability Framework is used as the analytical framework of how household’s assets are affected by vulnerability. Using qualitative analysis, factors which impact on the livelihood assets of both groups are examined. The paper focuses on the five main assets as indicated by Moser, while conceptualising further the assets which both populations aspire to accumulate, and which are necessary for them to prosper – rights, in this case the Right to the City. The paper, therefore, attempts to develop linkages between these areas: asset vulnerability, displacement and the Right to the City.

Keywords:

• urban
• refugees
• Right to the City
• asset vulnerability
• Dar es Salaam
• livelihoods

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Erratum

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. In this study, the term ‘refugee’ is used not only for people with official refugee status, but asylum seekers who are still waiting for their refugee status determination, and unregistered forced migrants, who live in refugee-like situations but have not applied for refugee status. Clear distinctions will be made between these legal categories when necessary throughout the text.

2. See [UN-HABITAT] United Nations Human Settlements Programme (2006, pg 21) for comprehensive definition of the term slum as it is adopted for this paper.

3. For a detailed overview of the development of these concepts, see Lampis (2009).

4. Vulnerability is defined here as ‘insecurity and sensitivity in the well-being of individuals, households and communities in the face of a changing environment, and implicit in this, their responsiveness and resilience to risks that they face during such negative changes’ (Moser 1998, p. 3).

5. Natural capital is defined here ‘as the sock of environmentally provide assets such as soil, atmosphere, forests minerals, water and wetlands’ (Moser 2007, p. 84). Natural capital will not be discussed independently of the other assets in this paper, but as an addition to the four other assets.

6. For the purposes of this paper, the concept of the Right to the City is defined based on the writings of Marcuse (2014) and his strategic reading of Lefebvre’s (1996) work which identifies with groups (such as identified by this research) which are the underprivileged and suffering in urban society, prohibited economically or socially from real inclusion in the City. They are simply seeking ‘to obtain the benefits of existing city life from which they have been excluded’ (Marcuse 2014, p. 6). More in-depth discussion on this point can be found in Section 6 of this paper.

7. Applicants who can apply for a peasant permit is a defined by the Government of Tanzania Department of Immigration as ‘Persons who have resided for a long time in the country as peasants, pastoralist and other legally recognised small scale activities’ (Department of Immigration 2016). This permit was available to Congolese nationals only, and was used by agricultural workers crossing the border between Tanzania and DRC regularly. However, some Congolese refugees also received peasant permits while in Dar es Salaam. Currently, these permits are under review by the Government.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the International Growth Centre [Grant Number: 1-VCU-VTZA-VXXXX-40113].

Notes on contributors

Aisling O'Loghlen

Miss Aisling O'Loghlen, Ph.D. Researcher in Urban Studies in the Department of EGIS, Heriot-Watt University. Research interests include urban displacement, forced migration and development planning.

Chris McWilliams

Dr Chris McWilliams, Lecturer in Urban Studies in the Department of EGIS, Heriot Watt University. Research and teaching interests include critical urban theory, state responses to contemporary restructuring and urban problems/policies in contemporary society.