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Cost of being a slum dweller in Nairobi: Living under dismal conditions but still paying a housing rent premium

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  • Talukdar, Debabrata

Abstract

The UN notes that the current global slum population of nearly one billion not only reflects “a rather unacceptable contemporary reality, but one whose numbers are continuously swelling.” Not surprisingly, its latest global development priorities, announced through its Sustainable Development Goals agenda in 2015, emphasize addressing the slum challenge in developing countries as a major goal. Our study focuses on gaining an in-depth understanding of the nature and extent of such slum challenge faced by Nairobi. Specifically, using data from a recent (2012–13) statistically representative survey, we conduct a systematic empirical analysis of the rental housing market conditions faced by households living in slum versus formal areas of Nairobi. Our analysis findings establish relevant benchmarking for key policy relevant measures against which to evaluate the efficacy of new policy initiatives.

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  • Talukdar, Debabrata, 2018. "Cost of being a slum dweller in Nairobi: Living under dismal conditions but still paying a housing rent premium," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 42-56.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:109:y:2018:i:c:p:42-56
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2018.04.002
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    3. Johan Mottelson, 2020. "A New Hypothesis on Informal Land Supply, Livelihood, and Urban Form in Sub-Saharan African Cities," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-22, November.
    4. Johan Mottelson, 2023. "On informal housing supply restrictions and livelihood in informal settlements: Implications for sustainable development," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(5), pages 3566-3578, October.
    5. Pilar Mercader-Moyano & Oswaldo Morat-Pérez & Carmen Muñoz-González, 2021. "Housing Evaluation Methodology in a Situation of Social Poverty to Guarantee Sustainable Cities: The Satisfaction Dimension for the Case of Mexico," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-48, October.
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    7. Goytia, Cynthia & Heikkila, Eric J. & Pasquini, Ricardo A., 2023. "Do land use regulations help give rise to informal settlements? Evidence from Buenos Aires," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    8. H Vivas & A Franco, 2021. "Spatial heterogeneity of housing prices in formal and informal settlements: A GWR hedonic model for segmented markets in Cali," Documentos de trabajo - Alianza EFI 19293, Alianza EFI.
    9. Murphy James T., 2022. "Urban-economic geographies beyond production: Nairobi’s sociotechnical system and the challenge of generative urbanization," ZFW – Advances in Economic Geography, De Gruyter, vol. 66(1), pages 18-35, May.
    10. Oscar Ingasia Ayuya & Katrine Soma & Benson Obwanga, 2021. "Socio-Economic Drivers of Fish Species Consumption Preferences in Kenya’s Urban Informal Food System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-15, May.
    11. Junhua Chen & Shufan Ma & Na Liu, 2023. "Multi-dimensional Housing Inequality Index: The Provincial Evidence from China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 165(2), pages 633-654, January.
    12. Liton (Md) Kamruzzaman & Sanaz Nikfalazar & Fuad Yasin Huda & Dharmalingam Arunachalam & Dickson Lukose, 2025. "Data Typologies in Urban Housing Research: A Systematic Review of the Literature," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-25, May.
    13. Panman,Alexandra Patricia & Lozano Gracia,Nancy, 2021. "Making Room for Renters : Understanding and Supporting Rental Markets in the Global South — Evidence from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9579, The World Bank.
    14. Libertun de Duren, Nora Ruth, 2020. "Effects of neighborhood upgrading programs on domestic violence in Bolivia," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 19(C).

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