Regulatory Planning And Affordable Housing In Kigali City: Policies, Challenges And Prospects

The availability of enough housing for all is often stated as a priority for enhancing the social needs of a society. Studies from elsewhere have suggested a correlation between zoning strictness and inflating housing costs, which also leads to the exclusion of social classes in cities. However, in Africa, these linkages have not been adequately assessed. With zoning being at the heart of the current planning system in Rwanda, this research aims at examining the linkages between zoning planning and housing affordability, in an emerging urban setting like Kigali City. This study employed a mixed research methods approach to assess the effects of the master plan and zoning requirements on housing costs, and the ease of access to housing particularly for low-income households. Results of this study reveal a total housing supply gap of 30,000 dwelling units, of which more than a half is meant to be affordable. While the zoning code requires for the use of imported materials which increases the costs of housing, more than 70% of Kigali City’s residents earn incomes, which disqualifies them from formal mortgage loans. Moreover, the euphoria to meet the master plan objectives encourages the conversion of prevalent informal settlements into high-end market neighborhoods. This study thus suggests for relaxation in zoning regulations for certain income thresholds, re-defining of affordability to match the local context and the generation of housing affordability indexes to inform government’s urban housing strategies.