Housing changes in the city of Divo (Côte d’Ivoire)

The evolution of housing in Divo: from old trends to new trends

Abstract

The habitat made in the Ivorian cities presents an evolution translated by a change of the popular trends in terms of construction. Over time, the dominant typology yesterday in the urban fabric is no longer that of today. This article aims to highlight the factors of the evolution of housing in the city of Divo. The methodological approach adopted is based on documentary research, direct observation and the survey carried out from December 2020 to February 2021. The study shows a change in real estate trends in Divo over time. If modern housing is the general trend, specifically until 1998, simple low houses, representing 33.2% of constructions, were the popular and dominant type. They are built mainly in the old quarters of the city. From 1998 to the present day, the new trend constitutes concessions (33%) and condominiums (32%) predominant in the new districts. Having risen from 22% to 32% from 1998 to 2014, band housing, very fashionable due to this meteoric rise, is striking in view of this rate of change in the city. This change in the production of housing in Divo is explained by the rise in rents and the drastic socio-economic conditions which influence the demands of a population essentially made up of the lower class. 59% of the population having a salary of less than 100,000 CFA francs, including 42.6% with an income below the SMIG (60,000 CFA francs), housing requests are mainly aimed at concessions and especially strip housing with rents the lowest. Urban housing being essentially rental, the types most in demand being the most built, the strong demand for these types at the end of the 1990s explains this change in the urban landscape in Divo.