From conflict to cohesion: community-based grievance redress in informal settlements regularization projects in emerging urban centers in Tanzania
In many rapidly growing towns across Tanzania, government-led efforts to formalize informal settlements through regularization aim to reduce conflicts and bring order. Yet, these initiatives often expose tensions, especially in areas shaped by overlapping claims, undocumented land histories, and fra...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Cogent Social Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311886.2025.2540421 |
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| author | Mussa S. Muhoja Regina John Lyakurwa |
| author_facet | Mussa S. Muhoja Regina John Lyakurwa |
| author_sort | Mussa S. Muhoja |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In many rapidly growing towns across Tanzania, government-led efforts to formalize informal settlements through regularization aim to reduce conflicts and bring order. Yet, these initiatives often expose tensions, especially in areas shaped by overlapping claims, undocumented land histories, and fragile social relationships. This study examines how communities respond when formal land governance encounters these complex realities. Drawing on participant observation, focus group discussions, and interviews with community members, local leaders, and project officials, it highlights the powerful but often overlooked role of community-based grievance redress mechanisms. These forums help rebuild trust, promote fairness, and give people a voice in decisions rooted in lived experience, cultural values, and social ties. As such, they function as everyday courts of justice, grounded in local legitimacy. The study finds these grassroots processes are not peripheral to land reform but essential. They form what this paper calls “infrastructures of trust”: informal networks of fairness, inclusion, and participation that formal institutions struggle to establish. By recognizing the value of community-led dispute resolution, the study shows how these mechanisms improve trust in land governance, strengthen social cohesion, and make regularization more sustainable and inclusive. It calls for a shift in how land governance is understood and practiced. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cf6037a1f8ff42498f67f9dca414b0fa |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2331-1886 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cogent Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-cf6037a1f8ff42498f67f9dca414b0fa2025-08-20T03:31:33ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCogent Social Sciences2331-18862025-12-0111110.1080/23311886.2025.2540421From conflict to cohesion: community-based grievance redress in informal settlements regularization projects in emerging urban centers in TanzaniaMussa S. Muhoja0Regina John Lyakurwa1Department of Economics and Social Studies, School of Spatial Planning and Social Sciences, Ardhi University, Dar es Salaam, TanzaniaDepartment of Urban and Regional Planning, School of Spatial Planning and Social Sciences, Ardhi University, Dar es Salaam, TanzaniaIn many rapidly growing towns across Tanzania, government-led efforts to formalize informal settlements through regularization aim to reduce conflicts and bring order. Yet, these initiatives often expose tensions, especially in areas shaped by overlapping claims, undocumented land histories, and fragile social relationships. This study examines how communities respond when formal land governance encounters these complex realities. Drawing on participant observation, focus group discussions, and interviews with community members, local leaders, and project officials, it highlights the powerful but often overlooked role of community-based grievance redress mechanisms. These forums help rebuild trust, promote fairness, and give people a voice in decisions rooted in lived experience, cultural values, and social ties. As such, they function as everyday courts of justice, grounded in local legitimacy. The study finds these grassroots processes are not peripheral to land reform but essential. They form what this paper calls “infrastructures of trust”: informal networks of fairness, inclusion, and participation that formal institutions struggle to establish. By recognizing the value of community-led dispute resolution, the study shows how these mechanisms improve trust in land governance, strengthen social cohesion, and make regularization more sustainable and inclusive. It calls for a shift in how land governance is understood and practiced.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311886.2025.2540421Informal settlementregularisationgrievance redress mechanismsconflictsreformsDevelopment studies |
| spellingShingle | Mussa S. Muhoja Regina John Lyakurwa From conflict to cohesion: community-based grievance redress in informal settlements regularization projects in emerging urban centers in Tanzania Cogent Social Sciences Informal settlement regularisation grievance redress mechanisms conflicts reforms Development studies |
| title | From conflict to cohesion: community-based grievance redress in informal settlements regularization projects in emerging urban centers in Tanzania |
| title_full | From conflict to cohesion: community-based grievance redress in informal settlements regularization projects in emerging urban centers in Tanzania |
| title_fullStr | From conflict to cohesion: community-based grievance redress in informal settlements regularization projects in emerging urban centers in Tanzania |
| title_full_unstemmed | From conflict to cohesion: community-based grievance redress in informal settlements regularization projects in emerging urban centers in Tanzania |
| title_short | From conflict to cohesion: community-based grievance redress in informal settlements regularization projects in emerging urban centers in Tanzania |
| title_sort | from conflict to cohesion community based grievance redress in informal settlements regularization projects in emerging urban centers in tanzania |
| topic | Informal settlement regularisation grievance redress mechanisms conflicts reforms Development studies |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311886.2025.2540421 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mussasmuhoja fromconflicttocohesioncommunitybasedgrievanceredressininformalsettlementsregularizationprojectsinemergingurbancentersintanzania AT reginajohnlyakurwa fromconflicttocohesioncommunitybasedgrievanceredressininformalsettlementsregularizationprojectsinemergingurbancentersintanzania |