International Journal of Housing and Human Settlement Planning
Residential Design as a House–Society Interface: Translating Lived Requirements into Context-Responsive Design Principles (Mlalakuwa, Dar es Salaam)
Senior Lecturer, Department of Architecture, Ardhi University, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, East Africa
Abstract
Residential architecture in rapidly urbanizing African cities often reflects standardized planning logics that assume fixed household structures and stable room functions. Yet, lived housing practices frequently reveal a different reality: dwellings evolve as sociocultural and socioeconomic requirements change over time. This article examines how user requirements are reflected through the transformation of residential plots and house layouts in Mlalakuwa, a high-demand settlement in Dar es Salaam. Drawing on field observation and mapped change narratives from 15 residential cases, the study treats post-occupancy modification as empirical evidence of “fit” (or mismatch) between initial design intentions and everyday living requirements. Findings show that transformation is widespread and patterned: most cases exhibit medium-to-very-high change intensity, largely driven by supplementary income generation through renting, changing household composition, religious practice needs, security concerns, and the need to sustain outdoor domestic life under densification. The paper then revises a socio-spatial conceptual framework that positions the house as a sociocultural construct and uses comparative typological/configurational reading to translate locally grounded dwelling logics into context-responsive design principles. The article concludes with a set of design propositions for residential layouts that can better accommodate incremental development, indoor–outdoor continuity, livelihood adaptation, and culturally shaped privacy and hospitality practices.
Keywords: User requirements, incremental housing, post-occupancy transformation, socio-cultural dwelling, rental adaptation
References (16)
- Tafti FF, Rollo J, McGann S. Conceptualising a model for understanding socio-cultural and spatial factors in housing: Insights from a systematic scoping review. Front Archit Res. 2025. doi: 1016/j.foar.2025.05.005
- Bahendwa F. The influence of users’ popular traditions in residential design: The case of Mlalakuwa settlement in Dar es Salaam city, Tanzania. J Sustain Dev. 2020;13(2):53–64. doi: 5539/jsd.v13n2p53
- Schneider T, Till J. Flexible housing. Architectural Press; 2007.
- Kombe WJ, Muheirwe F. Dar es Salaam: City report. The University of Manchester, African Cities Research Consortium; 2024.
- Baruah NG, Henderson JV, Peng C. Colonial legacies: Shaping African cities. J Econ Geogr. 2021;21(1):29–65.
- Moosavi R, Khakzand M, Kamel B. Sociocultural reflections in traditional residential architecture: A systematic review of spatial-configuration analysis. Sustainability. 2025;17(1):75. doi: 3390/su17010075
- Swai O. Socio-physical and environmental evaluation of courtyard space and courtyard-lifestyle in the context of coastal traditional architecture and culture: Case study of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Int J Archit Eng Technol. 2017;3(2):24–36. doi: 15377/2409-9821.2016.03.02.1
- Baumanova M. Transitory courtyards as a feature of sustainable urbanism on the East African coast. Sustainability. 2022;14(3):1759. doi: 3390/su14031759
- Izar P. Meanings of self-building: Incrementality, emplacement, and erasure in Dar es Salaam. Urban Plan. 2022;7(1):305–320. doi: 17645/up.v7i1.4849
- Pelsmakers S, Warwick E. Housing adaptability: New research, emerging practices and challenges. Build Cities. 2022;3(1):605–618. doi: 5334/bc.266
- Khei S, Tapiero JC, Conde O, Ortega J, Luso E, Rodrigues H, et al. Quantitative analysis of vernacular residential building typologies and bioclimatic strategies in the warm-summer Mediterranean climate: The Montesinho Natural Park as a case study. Buildings. 2024;14(8):2321. doi: 3390/buildings14082321
- Coşkun AÇ, Haştemoğlu HŞ. Genetic codes of housing: Morphological reading of traditional Antalya houses. Buildings. 2025;15(19):3433. doi: 3390/buildings15193433
- Creangă E, Ciotoiu I, Gheorghiu D, Nash G. Vernacular architecture as a model for contemporary design. WIT Trans Ecol Environ. 2010;128:157–171. doi: 2495/ARC100141
- Izar P. Meanings of self-building: incrementality, emplacement, and erasure in Dar es Salaam. Urban Plan. 2022;7(1):305–320. doi: 17645/up.v7i1.4849
- Abed A, Gharaibe I, Obeidat B. The impact of socio-cultural factors on the transformation of house layout: A case of public housing Zebdeh-Farkouh, in Jordan. J Asian Archit Build Eng. 2022;22(3):1195–1208. doi: 1080/13467581.2022.2074021
- Choi JY, Choi J. Cultural imprints on urban housing: A spatial analysis of apartment designs in Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa. Buildings. 2024;14(11):3526. doi: 3390/buildings14113526