Les Planteurs Case Study

4.3. Les Planteurs from Population Growth to Socio-Economic Diversity

4.3.1. The Population Movement and Origin

The population of Les Planteurs is being very dynamic. (Fig.37) shows the different population dynamic between 1948 and 1997. Based on the figure, between 1894 and 1961 the population has shifted from 10,000 to 40,000 inhabitants, followed by a population drop to 18,062 inhabitants over the period from 1961 to 1966. Since 1966, the population has steadily grown to 100,000 inhabitants in 1998 (Tahraoui, 2004).The population movement is overlapping with the different stages of the national and city level changes (see chapter 1, 2). After its urbanization, Les Planteurs has hosted the poor population, who were previously excluded
Socio-Economic Diversity of Les Planteurs

Analyzing the informals is a relevant component to understand that different groups, whether they are formally employed, informal workers, educated or uneducated, are living in poor conditions for several various reasons.

Les Planteurs is socially diverse. It is hosting variant groups with different ages, gender and activities. The population is relatively young, with 41.6% of the total population are under 20 years old. The elderly population exceeding 60 years old represents only 6.4% (URSA, 2003). The gender structure is balanced between men (49.6%) and women (50.4%) (Derrouiche, 2007). The marital status in Algeria is culturally important, as it defines the housing needs and the household structure. Based on the household study, Les Planteurs contains 15,810 households, with a single household containing on average 6.2 people (T.O.L). This is above the average rate of Oran, estimated to be 5.8 people (ONS, 2014). However, the household size is distinct depending on their location. The majority is above the average, and only few zones are below (URSA,
24.9% of the total population is educated; 32.4% has reached the middle school, and only 3.1% is has received higher education. However, these numbers may differ between genders, with 30% uneducated women, and only 20% men (Derrouiche, 2007). As discussed in chapter 2, education does not necessarily increase job opportunities in Algeria. The employment rate of the total population in les Planteurs is 18.8% regarding formal activities, and 15.8% regarding informal activities. By this means, the total active population is up to 33.6%, among which 85.1% are men and 14.9% are women (URSA, 2003). The unemployment rate is up to 44%, which is explained with the elevated rate of the housewives with 22.1%. The unemployment is higher among women with 54.8% and less among the men with 41.6% of the total population (URSA, 2003). In addition, unemployment among the youth is very dominant, and 72.6% of the unemployed population is between 20 and 24 years old (Derrouiche,