TITLE:
Principles for Designing New Types of Housing for a Strong and Resilient Local Economy in the Republic of Congo
AUTHORS:
Alain Symphorien Ndongo, Destin Gemetone Etou, Christian Tathy
KEYWORDS:
Congolese Households, New Types of Lodging, Human Settlements, Resilient Local Economy, Households, Resilient Endogenous Economy, Logement, Conception
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Civil Engineering,
Vol.14 No.1,
March
13,
2024
ABSTRACT: The Congolese population is
organised into households, which are thus headed by a chief who ensures the
social well-being, development and integration into working life of the
individuals in his charge. This study examines the functional principles of new
housing design as an instrument for transforming the (current) failing economy
into a strong and resilient one. Accordingly, a literature review of the
practice of designing and building housing in human settlements in the Congo
revealed the state of the art on this subject. An analysis of the existing housing stock from a demographic, social and
economic point of view made it possible to identify the most common
household sizes and numbers, as well as the lifestyle processes that determine
the need for developed space. To this end, the experimental method was used to
propose configuration plans for various new types of dwelling. To this end, the
study highlighted the link between people’s standard of living and the
effectiveness of their involvement in the local economy. To achieve the aims of
the National Development Plan (NDP),
particular attention must be paid to solving the housing problem. The
existing housing stock actively contributes to the problems associated with unemployment and insecurity. Functional
principles for the design of new types of housing have been developed. Four
model types are proposed in line with the demographic structure of the
population, their socio-economic characteristics and their lifestyle.