CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.1   Research Context

The origin of building permits by law dates back to the 16^th Century when British Local Authority Laws defined civic life and services in cities and laid down the principle for special organization and design of human settlement. According to the United Nation Economic and Social Commission, (UNESCAP,2017) building regulations were concerned with fire protection, structural safety and sanitation only. The main aim of planning for urban housing is to ensure housing deficiency in urban areas.

The growing population of Africa has outweighed capability of local authorities to react to the growing demand for environmental and other essential needs of the people (Bartone, 2000). It is widely believed that urban poverty is rural poverty displaced. In this light,(Carter 2002) revealed that “the newly arrived into the city has no skills to offer a market which increasingly seeks skilled workers so that the best he can hope for is either sporadic laboring employment or to establish in petty trading of the most limited kind”. Their goal is to gradually improve the structure or put up with a friend or relative in an already congested dwelling as is the case of slums.

The situation is not different in Cameroon as most urban areas are characterized by haphazard housing and the development of informal settlements. The urban population in Cameroon is increasing at an alarming rate. As a result, a disturbing feature of this trend is proliferation of informal housing development in cities of Cameroon. The urban housing problems and the housing needs are manifested in overcrowding, poor and inadequate social amenities, unsatisfactory and unwholesome environmental conditions and urban squador, the absence of open space and poor accessibility in some neighbourhoods in urban areas. Urban areas in Cameroon are complex human settlements and saves as a magnet of people, enterprise and culture. The urban settlements are growing rapidly and becoming the engines of economic development. Dispersed urban housing has led to environmental degradation.

Housing construction procedure are a legal and established norms house owners or estate owners are compelled to follow before construction. The final document an estate owner needs to begin construction is a building permit. In the Bamenda II municipality, procedure of constructing a house is followed up by the technical department. The strength of these procedures is that it has an implication in urban development within the Bamenda II Municipality because it guides people to construct their house on soil suitable for construction and away from main road which ease accessibility within the area.

1.2 Statement of the Research Problem

Bamenda II municipality has over the years experienced increase in housing construction, the urban development process seems not to respect the construction regulations. The problem arises from the fact that increase population appears to have pushed urban dwellers to construct houses on wetlands, steep slopes and riverbeds which does not comply with urban planning policies. This act of illegal construction is facilitated by violation and the weak enforcement of housing construction regulations in the Bamenda II area.

Urban development and maintenance of housing construction regulations appear to be parallel which do not reflect the norms of sustainable cities. The construction paradigm seems to be mismatched priority of the city development plan given that the trend in housing construct deviates and makes nonsense of the Bamenda master plan. Some of these illegal structures are found in Bamenda II neighborhoods such as Mulang. This has led to conflicting land use such as the infiltration of commercial land uses on housing in Bamenda II. The rapid expansion of the poor housing conditions is being observed in the ecological vulnerable areas such that the construction of houses in these areas appears to deplete ecosystem and accelerates flooding.

The population of Bamenda II seems to be ignorant of the housing construction regulations such that they turn to construct on poorly drained environment and on state lands. Most inhabitants of Bamenda II are adamant to implement and respect the housing construction regulations. The Bamenda II Council which is responsible for the implementation of this rule seems ineffective due to the challenges they face in implementing urban housing regulations and this has made houses to be continuously constructed in fragile zones without respect of the building code and this results urban housing deficiency. The enforcement of town planning laws in Bamenda II seems to be pivoted and saddled by those with such planning and management responsibilities.

1.3 Research Questions

1.3.1 Main Research Question

What is the implication of urban planning to urban housing deficiency in Bamenda II Sub-Division?

1.3.2 Specific Research Questions

1. What are the urban housing planning strategies for building and construction of houses in Bamenda II Sub-Division?
2. What are growth factors of urban housing deficiency in Bamenda II Sub-Division?

1.4 Research Objectives

1.4.1 Main Research Objective

To examine the implication of urban planning to urban housing deficiency in Bamenda II Sub-Division.

1.4.2 Specific Research Objectives

1. To verify urban housing planning strategies for building and construction of houses in Bamenda in Bamenda II Sub-Division.
2. To identify the growth factors of urban housing deficiency in Bamenda II Sub-Division.