From Shelter to School: Rethinking Community Spaces for Sustainable Growth.

Executive Summary

This article critically examines the fragmented approach to housing and education infrastructure development in sub-Saharan Africa, with a focused lens on Kenya’s informal urban settlements. It argues for an integrated, culturally responsive urban design model that addresses housing and education as interdependent pillars of sustainable community development. Drawing from case studies in South Africa and Kenya, including primary research conducted in Kibera, the piece underscores the limitations of conventional top-down, product-driven housing policies and externally imposed educational infrastructure solutions.

Key findings include:

• The interdependence of housing and education: Stable, dignified housing directly impacts educational outcomes, while the integration of schools and social services into housing developments fosters community cohesion and economic opportunity.
• Sustainability as a process, not a product: True sustainability requires participatory design, community-led construction, and local stewardship to ensure relevance, adaptability, and long-term viability.
• Cultural relevance as a design imperative: Incorporating Indigenous spatial logic and cultural practices into housing and school design enhances social cohesion, ownership, and resilience within marginalized communities.

This article is a call to policymakers, designers, and development practitioners to adopt a holistic, multi-sectoral planning framework. It recommends repositioning affordable housing developments as nodes of opportunity, integrating education, healthcare, and economic access to enable inclusive, resilient, and culturally grounded urban environments.

👉 Read on to explore how culturally grounded architecture and participatory design can transform Africa’s urban future.