Urban and Environmental Quality of Subdivisions: A Case of Bechar city, Algeria

Abstract

Like any developing country, which is witnessing an exponential demographic expansion, Algeria has experienced an unsustainable housing crisis, for which subdivisions are a suitable response to the growing demand for building land. However, the intensive production effort of the housing estates has not often yielded the expected results, since this quantitative expansion, which is often unfinished, shows poor quality. However, a fairly large number of actors intervene to varying degrees, without improving the overall quality of the product. Whereas the subdivision is not just an inert urban form, conceived as a parcel division, it is rather a means of urban development that must meet the quality requirements of the living environment. In Bechar, south of Algeria, precisely, the successive production of housing estates gives today a depreciated image, reflecting an unfinished building site. This article looks for ways to improve the quality of life in these living spaces, defining the strategic principles that can promote the urban and environmental quality of subdivisions and the role of the different actors in terms of quality: from process to product. To evaluate the subdivision and promote its quality, we will adopt a site analysis grid, which will allow us to physically analyze the subdivisions, identify strengths and weaknesses with the ultimate goal of controlling impacts on the external environment, and then define strategies for a more satisfactory indoor environment than the existing one.