Abstract

Housing development   and planning has been an issue of controversy for a very long time. It is for this reason that the study sets out to investigate the challenges of housing development in the Molyko neighborhood.

A cross sectional method was use to collect data in the field. Housing development   and planning were considered   as mutually exclusive events that occur simultaneously. Both primary and secondary data were collected for this study which was later analyzed using the pearson product correlation coefficient was used to test the hypothesis.

Field findings and investigations reveals that little has been done in terms of    planning in housing development in the Molyko neighborhood. About 70% of the sampled respondents attested that there has been no planning in housing development   in the Molyko neighborhood. This was attributed to rapid increase in population in the Molyko neighborhood since the creation of the University of Buea in 1993.

As a key recommendation, stakeholders in charge of housing and planning ought to revisit their policies and strategies in keeping with affordable housing policies in the Buea Municipality in line with planning. Rules and regulations should be put in place guiding housing development and strategic steps taken to fulfilled its manifestation.

The study concluded that the high rates of housing construction projects have had a significant impact on planning in that it has led to the upsurge of slums and unplanned housing developments. This has not only affected the housing sector but also the distribution of social amenities like water and electricity in the Molyko neighborhood in particular and Buea in general.

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Housing development is believed to be one of the largest segments of most economies around the world especially developed nations like Australia and France (Swarbrook, 2008).  The first city is believed to be the Mesopotamia that existed about 5500 years ago or 3500BCE, which is in Iraq now. Access to land, construction pre-requisite and planning was the sole interest of any urbanization process at the time (Roozervelt, 2009).  Today, the case is worsening as urbanization and town expansion is on a steady and alarming rate throughout most parts of the world. The ever increasing and growing world’s population needs shelter (accommodation) giving rise to an increase in house construction projects worldwide. As the population continues to increase, the role of planning in construction projects gradually reduces making people vulnerable to unwanted consequences (Olaniran et al, 2007).

Africa’s rural and urban housing methods are still lagging behind especially in Sub Saharan African countries. More than half of the population in Sub Saharan Africa lives in rural areas. Many rural houses occupy cultivated land, and woodland, and even built places that are not suitable for living. The houses are therefore not planned, designed and are built by the farmers themselves (Osimen, 2015). The energy consumption of buildings during construction and use is extremely high, and the resource utilization rate is extremely low (Cong, 2015). The lack of appropriate planning and planning procedures in most African countries explains the reason why its construction industry still has more efforts to be concentrated on (Zeboc, 2004).

In 1984 the United Nations General Assembly approved the universal declaration of human rights (UDHR) by 48 votes with eight abstentions. The reworded article 22 now article 25 of the Declaration, adopted unanimously states (UN General Assembly, 1948): “Everyone has the right to a standard living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family, including food, clothing, housing………..” (Gleick, 1999). Therefore to acquire housing is his right including food and clothing as basic needs. In the world, everyone has the right to his/her own house. Therefore housing and housing apartment ought to be constructed for each family.  During construction of the housing apartment project, a lot of money is being wasted due to inadequate planning strategies and end up in delays and lack of housing quality. Time, money and quality of housing infrastructures occurs due to uncertainty of the project and can be resolved if effective planning mechanisms are put in place and executed (Menzi, 2000).

1.2 Problem Statement

Buea is one of the fastest growing towns in Cameroon and chief town of the Southwest region. As the population continues to increase in the municipality, the housing sector must adjust to accommodate the dwellers many of whom need shelter and a hiding place in the town. The creation of the University of Buea in 1993 under a presidential can be sited as one of the factors responsible for the ever-increasing population of the town. As per 2020 statistics, the institution is host to more than 41,000 students. Most of these students need not only housing but affordable housing conditions to pursue their studies. As such, housing projects has been on an increase without any proper planning mechanisms put in place.

Other higher institutions of learning which has also attracted population include BIAKA and Catholic University Institute of Buea. The rise of commercial activities and business has also gone a long way to increase the population of the municipality. With an increasing population brought about by educational and commercial centers, the housing condition and construction projects are bound to change automatically to meet up with the population. In most instances, houses in the municipality have been built in very wrong locations not advisable by town planners. Such situations have triggered rift and conflict between land owners and council authorities. Efforts are put in place to ensure an effective housing development through effective planning but how effective can this be when disrespect for authorities continues to look like a problem that has come to stay. This actually still remains a serious challenge to be tackle by authorities.

1.3 Research Questions

This study is out to provide answers to the following research questions

1.3.1 Main Research Question

What are the challenges of housing development in the Molyko neighborhood of Buea municipality?

1.3.2 Specific Research Questions

1. What is the pattern of housing in the Molyko Neighborhood of Buea?
2. What are the problems of housing development in Molyko?
3. What are the implications of housing development on planning in Molyko?
4. What can be put in place to solve housing challenges in Molyko?

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