Housing on the Horizon: Low-rise, High-density Housing Strategies for Luanda’s Expanding Periphery

Angola is one of the fastest urbanizing countries in Africa. Rapid urbanization, coupled with severe housing shortages, has produced sprawling informal settlements throughout the nation's capital, Luanda. Addressing this situation involves both the redevelopment of much of Luanda's existing urban fabric and new strategies for the build-out of the city's peri-urban landscapes. This involves finding ways to build at higher densities, which is difficult to do without access to capital. Good design is also key to the success of high-density development -- at the scale of the building, site, and larger public realm. This thesis explores strategies and prototypes for sustainable and affordable low-rise, high-density housing on Luanda's periphery. The design portion of the project explores a model neighborhood for a micro-financed, not-for-profit development that offers residents the opportunity to own their units. It is intended as an alternative both to bottom-up, informal settlements and top-down, high-rise, government-sponsored housing.