Problems of Fourth-Class Housing Areas with Special Reference to Kosti Town.

Abstract

Physical planning can be defined as attempts to select the best alternatives to achieve the goals with minimum cost and time. These goals can be fulfilled by applying the adequate models suitable for the certain case. The opinion of this research can be summarised as an evaluation of the Fourth class housing problem, taking Kosti town as a case study, since Kosti according to its location at the White Nile, became a pull centre that attracted migrants from different parts of the country specially from rural areas nearby. The concept of the Fourth class areas was introduced due to the influx of poor people in town as temporary workers, including also the poor families who were not able to pay the cost of plot in 3rd class areas, ‘minimum standard’ 4th class areas are temporary areas with no services provided in them. The distribution of the Fourth class areas played a vital role in separating the low income people socially and economically as its temporary areas with various defects in locational aspects, social or physical and even the contractual leases that are given to the tenants. Through long duration of stay and due to the extension of the town, those areas became permanent. As local pockets inside the town, they created many problems in urban life as well as social, aesthetical, environmental hazards and the town structure in the future. Therefore, the disposal of 4th class areas should be tackles. Strategies and policies are needed beside utilization of manpowers and formal and informed institutions to participate in solving the problems of urban poor housing. This dissertation aims to achieve effective practical proposals regarding the existing 4th class areas in Kosti town and to come out with recommendations. There are three proposals for the Fourth class areas which can be summarized as follows:- 1. Up-grading programme. 2. Site and services programme. 3. Core house units programme.