Creating Conducive Environments for Dar Es Salaam's Street Children Through Archiecture

Abstract

How can architecture be part of a solution to the difficult lives of street children in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania? In Dar es Salaam, street children exist in poverty without family support, education, or technical skills. Currently, economic and political difficulties in Dar es Salaam’s architectural built environment does not allow a condition for street children to improve their current and future lives. Also, it does not help awareness for change, education, hope, life, and reform, in Dar es Salaam’s urban development, as well as across Tanzania. Several methods were conducted during the process of collecting information about Dar es Salaam’s Street children condition, with respect to their daily activities. These include architectural analysis of current street children centers, observations, and interviews/questionnaire with current and former employees at the centers. As Dar es Salaam’s population increases, this paper suggests a new design model for a better future for street children lives.