Expatriate Worker Housing (Labor Housing): Characteristics and Impact on Urban Organization in the Municipality of Sabratha (A Study in Urban Geography and Urban Planning)

Abstract

This study examines **migrant workers’ housing (workers’ accommodation), its characteristics, and its impact on urban regulation in Sabbath Municipality, Libya**, within the framework of urban geography and urban planning. The study is based on the growing importance of migrant labour in several economic activities, particularly construction, agriculture, services, handicrafts, and industrial activities. The increasing presence of migrant workers generates additional demand for housing, infrastructure, and urban services. The research problem focuses on the potential gap between the growing demand for workers’ accommodation and the capacity of local urban regulation to accommodate this demand in an organized manner. Such conditions may contribute to high residential occupancy, changes in the original use of buildings, increased pressure on water, electricity, and sewage networks, greater demand for roads and parking spaces, waste-management problems, and potential health, environmental, and urban impacts, The study aims to identify the demographic, social, urban, architectural, and housing characteristics of migrant workers’ accommodation; analyze its spatial distribution and relationship with workplaces, movement corridors, economic activities, and land uses; assess its effects on infrastructure, urban services, and the urban environment; evaluate the degree of compliance with planning, health, and structural standards; and propose an appropriate planning and administrative framework for managing workers’ accommodation. The study adopts a **descriptive-analytical approach**, supported by spatial analysis and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The target population was estimated at approximately **8,000 migrant workers**, from which a sample of **400 workers** was selected and proportionally distributed according to economic activity. In addition, an estimated spatial sample of **150 workers’ housing units** was considered for housing-level analysis, the estimated results indicate a relatively high level of residential occupancy. Approximately **43.3%** of the surveyed housing units were estimated to accommodate nine or more workers. The estimated statistical analysis indicated a relatively strong positive relationship between occupancy density and pressure on infrastructure and urban services, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of **r=0.68 (p<0.001)**. Spatial analysis using the **Average Nearest Neighbour (ANN)** index produced an estimated value of **R=0.61**, indicating a tendency toward spatial clustering of migrant workers’ housing, particularly near workplaces, major movement corridors, and economic activity areas. The results also indicated a strong negative relationship between housing adequacy and health and urban problems, with an estimated correlation coefficient of **r=-0.71 (p<0.001)**. These findings suggest that poorer housing conditions, including inadequate space, ventilation, sanitation, and safety, are associated with increased health and urban problems, The study concludes that migrant workers’ accommodation constitutes a multidimensional urban phenomenon whose impacts are not caused by the presence of migrant workers themselves, but rather by the way their housing needs are spatially and administratively accommodated. The study recommends establishing an integrated spatial database, adopting a registration and licensing system, defining occupancy and housing-quality standards, identifying suitable sites for future workers’ housing, improving infrastructure in high-concentration areas, strengthening field inspection and monitoring, encouraging employers to provide adequate accommodation, and integrating GIS into urban monitoring and future planning.