how does wter shape human settlement in north afria

What are the characteristics of African settlements?

These settlements — built up areas comprising human communities in a village, town, or city — were located near land most favorably suited to subsistence cereal farming and to the trans-Saharan trade routes, the region’s main source of wealth in the past (Moriconi-Ebrard, Harre, and Heinrigs, 2016).

Can integrated human settlements transform spatial housing patterns?

The development of integrated human settlements is aimed at transforming spatial housing patterns in South Africa by creating more inclusive, denser, mixed‐use urban areas while striving for a more functional housing market that adequately responds to both supply and demand for all levels of affordability and need.

What is the impact of human settlement?

Human settlements are of extreme social and economic importance. In South Africa, they generate more than 90 per cent of all economic activity and house over 70 per cent of the total population (CSIR 2011). Although they cover only seven per cent of the total area of the country, their environmental impact is huge.

What is the impact of informal settlements in South Africa?

Up to 50 per cent of all informal dwellings in South Africa can be classified as Vulnerable to environmental factors (DEAT 2007). Not only are the lives and possessions of the residents threatened by environmental factors, but the informal settlements also contribute to environmental degradation.

What is housing subsidy?

A housing subsidy is a grant by government to qualifying beneficiaries for housing purposes. One of the DHS areas of responsibility in the delivery of human settlements relates to the bottom-most end of the market, where it provides housing subsidies to the poor.

What is DHS housing?

The DHS is committed to providing rental and social housing to support the affordable housing market, which requires flexibility in tenure in a dynamic and changing economic environment.

What are the four priority areas of the DHS?

To give effect to these guiding policies, the DHS will focus on four priority areas over the medium term: facilitating the development of integrated human settlements, upgrading informal settlements, providing affordable rental housing, and providing affordable housing finance.

How is integrated housing funded?

Integrated housing developments are funded mainly through the urban settlements development grant and the human settlements development grant, both in the Integrated Human Settlements Planning and Development programme.

What is the NDP priority 4?

The NDP expresses the need for a systematic response to South Africa’s entrenched spatial patterns that exacerbate social inequality and economic inefficiency. Priority 4 (spatial integration, human settlements and local government) of government’s 2019‐2024 Medium Term Strategic Framework is aimed at addressing this need.

What is the Department of Human Settlements?

Human settlements. The Department of Human Settlements (DHS) derives its core mandate and responsibilities from Section 26 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa of 1996 and Section 3 of the Housing Act of 1997, read in conjunction with approved policies and chapter 8 of the National Development Plan (NDP).

Where are the highest percentage of households that lived in dwellings that were paid off or being occupied rent-free?

By comparison, the largest percentage of households that lived in dwellings that were either paid off or being occupied rent-free were found in Limpopo (85,9%) and Eastern Cape (84,7%) while the smallest percentages were observed in Gauteng (52,4%) and Western Cape (58,7%).

How much land was settled in West Africa between 1975 and 2013?

Land use maps show that settled or built-up areas increased by 140 percent in West Africa between 1975 and 2013 — to occupy 36,400 sq km by 2013 (0.7 percent of the land surface).

What has happened to West Africa in the past 50 years?

In the past 50 years, West Africa has been experiencing intensive urbanization, which has affected the region’s largest and smallest urban centers (Cour and Snrech, 1998). In 1975, the distribution and pattern of West Africa’s settlements were little changed compared to their historical size and extent. These settlements — built up areas comprising ...

Where are the cities in West Africa?

Across the region, numerous towns have grown into large urban centers or secondary towns like Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso), Bouaké (Côte d’Ivoire), Touba (Senegal), Kumasi (Ghana), and several large cities in Nigeria. The number of small agglomerations has also multiplied spectacularly across the region.

Where are the most urbanized countries in West Africa?

In this coastal corridor, population has grown fast and population density is the highest in the West African region. With the exception of the small countries of The Gambia and Cabo Verde where settlements are concentrated in one large metropolis, the Gulf of Guinea countries are the most urbanized in the region, with settlements occupying between 1 percent (Benin) and 2 percent (Nigeria) of their national territory in 2013 (see graph). In the western part of the Atlantic coast, some areas remain relatively underpopulated and also under- urbanized. The prolonged political uprisings and conflicts in Liberia and Sierra Leone, as well as the Casamance conflict in Senegal, still hinder trade and the movement of people (Moriconi-Ebrard, Harre, and Heinrigs, 2016). During these conflicts, economic growth and infrastructure development were impeded, and part of the population migrated not only toward rural areas but also to neighboring countries (especially Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire). In the recent decade (2000–2013), settlements have greatly expanded along several axes perpendicular to the coastline — inwards from the coast, such as Dakar–Touba, Accra–Kumasi, or Lagos–Ibadan, and also following the major north-south routes, such as Maradi–Kano, and Abijdan–Ouagadougou. In the landlocked Sahel countries, large cities are sparser but new clusters and major regional hubs, such as Bamako and Ouagadougou, have emerged. Many new settlements also appeared along the major rivers in Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad. Because these countries have important agricultural resources to meet the growing demands of the regional market (cereals, fruits and vegetables, intensive livestock farming), the long east-west corridor from N’Djamena to Dakar constitutes a strategic area for regional trade and a very dynamic region for population flow and settlement in West Africa (Konseiga, 2005). Recent migration flows have been observed toward western Burkina Faso, a phenomenon that is accelerated by the success of cotton production and the urbanization of secondary cities, such as Bobo-Dioulasso.

What is the bedrock of Southern Africa?

The region of Southern Africa is dominated by the Kaapvaal craton, a shelf of bedrock that is more than 2.6 billion years old. Rocky features of Southern Africa include plateaus and mountains, such as the Drakensberg range.

How many physical regions are there in Africa?

Africas physical geography, environment and resources, and human geography can be considered separately. Africa has eight major physical regions: the Sahara, the Sahel, the Ethiopian Highlands, the savanna, the Swahili Coast, the rain forest, the African Great Lakes, and Southern Africa. Some of these regions cover large bands of the continent, ...

How many miles is the Sahel?

It is made up of flat, barren plain s that stretch roughly 5,400 kilometers (3,300 miles) across Africa, from Senegal to Sudan. The Sahel contains the fertile delta of the Niger, one of Africas longest rivers.

What is the richest region in Africa?

Southern Africas Cape Floral Region is one of the richest areas for plants in the world. While the Cape Floral Region covers less than 0.5 percent of Africa, it is home to nearly 20 percent of the continents flora. The giant protea, South Africas national flower, is found in the Cape Floral Region.

What is the continent of Africa?

Africa: Physical Geography. Encyclopedic Entry. Vocabulary. Africa, the second-largest continent, is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean. It is divided in half almost equally by the Equator. Africas physical geography, environment and resources, and human geography can be considered separately.

Where is the giant protea found?

The giant protea, South Africas national flower, is found in the Cape Floral Region. Africa is home to diverse ecosystems, from sandy deserts to lush rain forests. Map by the National Geographic Society.

Where is the most of Africa's rain forest?

Today, 80 percent of Africas rain forest is concentrated in central Africa, along the Congo River basin.

Integrated Human Settlements

• The development of integrated human settlements is aimed at transforming spatial housing patterns in South Africa by creating more inclusive, denser, mixed‐use urban areas while striving for a more functional housing market that adequately responds to both supply and demand for all levels of affordability and need. The department is reviewing housi...

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Upgrading Informal Settlements

Affordable Rental Housing

Affordable Housing Finance

Housing Entities

Subsidies