O problema da habitação face à urbanização e à concentração dos serviços públicos em Port-au-Prínce: uma contribuição para a melhoria da habitação precária

Abstract

Considering the various difficulties that the Haitian population has been experiencing for a number of years, both politically and socio-economically and environmentally, Port-au-Prince is undergoing rapid, often unplanned urbanization, which tends to deconstruct the urban fabric while weakening the social structure, leading to increasing pressure on housing, which is a fundamental right enshrined in the international texts to which Haiti is a signatory. However, the vast majority of Haitians live in precarious housing conditions, particularly in Port-au-Prince and other large urban areas. This population growth, exacerbated by significant rural exodus and the consequences of natural disasters, is causing the rapid expansion of informal settlements characterized by high density, precarious living conditions, land insecurity, and limited access to basic infrastructure such as drinking water, electricity, and roads. At the same time, the concentration of public services in central neighborhoods and more affluent areas exacerbates social and territorial inequalities. This unequal distribution further marginalizes populations in peripheral neighborhoods, limiting their access to essential services and economic opportunities. This situation widens the gap between affluent and disadvantaged neighborhoods, accentuates feelings of exclusion, and draws people to urban centers, increasing pressure on land, making the peripheries uninhabitable without informal solutions, and creating a housing shortage. Faced with a shortage of affordable formal housing, a large part of the population is forced to settle in marginal, often illegal areas, where they build makeshift dwellings that often lack access to basic services.