The urban area of Dakar (Senegal) is growing in its extents and population. Necessities to facilitate this growth include social, economic, environmental and governmental planning. Currently, underprivileged groups are not sufficiently included in large scale urban development plans by the public sector (Cissé, 2022 - p. 47). This paper analyses the social dynamics of the spatial fabric in a traditional village setting in Kholpa in the Dakar region. It informs an alternative approach to the western suburb style of urban planning currently aimed to be developed in the greater region of this village. The advantages of the historical settlement typology are mainly attributed in the realm of social cohesion through frequent social interactions in collective spaces. The challenges lie in the provision of building services or permitting adaptability to higher densities of above 300 persons per hectare.