Institutional and Legislative Conflicts in the Management of Built Heritage Assets in Neo-liberal Cities: A Case of Dar es Salaam City

Abstract

This paper analyses relationships between public institutions and legislations responsible for built heritage and their impacts on the management of built heritage assets in neoliberal cities of sub-Saharan Africa. Underpinned within the neo-liberal and systems theoretical frameworks, this paper is based on the management of built heritage assets in Dar es Salaam city centre used as a case study. In-depth interviews and documentary reviews were the main data collection methods. The findings indicate that there are conflicting relationships between institutions responsible for built heritage assets in Dar es Salaam city. The conflicts result from disparities in institutional goals, non-integrated built heritage legislative and policy frameworks, and weak institutional linkage strategies. It is argued that such public institutional and legislative conflicts constitute the foundation for anthropogenic agents of built heritage assets deterioration and demolition of such historical assets in the most rapidly growing and modernised cities of sub-Saharan Africa.