Discovering Voices of Informal Settlements: A Glimpse into Khan Road, South Africa

Let's zoom in on Khan Road, a bustling but under-resourced informal settlement in Pietermaritzburg, the heart of KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. A team of local researchers, armed with mobile phones and a structured survey, talked to 159 residents between August and September 2022. Their goal? To understand the living conditions and disaster risk management perspectives of these community members. The data, collected using KoboToolbox, were then crunched using exploratory data analysis techniques. This survey is part of a bigger project that aims to figure out the opportunities, risks, and vulnerabilities tied to housing and resource management in informal settlements. The idea is to gradually improve these areas, and this dataset can be a game-changer for local practitioners and policymakers. They can use it to prioritize upgrading efforts based on what residents really need. Beyond Khan Road, this cleaned dataset can also help shape future research and digital tools across South Africa. It can guide the development of real-time resource management platforms or beef up existing theories in participatory design and co-production. It's like giving academic scholars a roadmap to make better plans for informal settlements.