Do urban planning and sprawl affect social vulnerability? An assessment of Dar es Salaam

This study explores connections between urban planning, sprawl, and social vulnerability factors in the Sub-Saharan context with the aim to investigate the influence of broader planning and land use aspects in quantitative urban social vulnerability assessment. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania serves as the study area because of its substantial informal development, sprawling, and availability of reliable datasets for recent years. Two main research questions are proposed: does urban planning reduce social vulnerability (measured by quality of life and mobility) and does urban sprawl contribute to social vulnerability in this city? Results indicate formally planned urban areas are associated with higher levels of quality of life and mobility. Further results indicate no significant impact of sprawl on social vulnerability factors of residents in the general urban areas of Dar es Salaam, however, informal sprawl is linked to higher social vulnerability.