Housing

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Housing is more than mere shelter. It transcends the physical structure and exists within a context defined by services and facilities which link individuals and families to the community, the city and regions. The Housing Programme provides a wide range of modules that aim at equipping students with economical, social, technological and policy issues that impinge on various housing production systems and how they impact on the delivery of housing. It is also supported by extensive independent research into various facets of housing by academic staff.

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A Comparative Study of Social Housing Developments: Greenfield Developments and Converted/Refurbished Buildings.
(2009) Ogunsanya, Lawrence Babatunde.; Adebayo, Pauline Wambui.
Social Housing is a new form of housing delivery in South Africa that has fast gained recognition in the housing sector in the last ten years, because it has proven to be a viable option in solving the housing shortage. It is an affordable option because the government provides funding through subsidies and profit is not earned from the rents paid. Social housing can be in the form of houses, block of flats or townhouses located in Greenfield developments, infill areas or in inner city blocks that are purchased or renovated. The buildings are managed by social housing institutions through public and private funding. This dissertation evaluated and compared two types of social housing schemes, namely, Greenfield developments and refurbished/converted buildings in terms of their affordability, management and the quality of the built environment. The evaluation was done by analyzing their similarities and differences, to reveal which typology delivers a better quality living environment. It also investigated the type of social housing development most suitable for the South African environment and meets the objectives and principles of social housing. The study analysed four existing social housing developments, three in Durban and one in Pietermaritzburg, two were refurbished buildings, and the other two, Greenfield developments. Information was collected by conducting household surveys, interviews and discussions with the residents and management of the housing schemes. The case studies revealed interesting contrasts as well as some important similarities among the social housing schemes. The main findings showed both typologies were functional in providing affordable housing though Greenfield developments proved to be a better alternative in terms of effective management, tenant participation and better built environments. The study proposes recommendations to improve social housing delivery in South Africa such as making social housing affordable, strategies for affordable security and safety systems; energy efficient designs and considerations for persons with special needs.
Exploring disparities in housing, water and sanitation policy initiatives in informal settlement upgrading in Ethekwini Municipality - the case of Amawoti-Cuba and Barcelona 2 informal settlements.
(2009) Mbatha, Sandile.; Awuor-Hayangah, Rosemary.
Disparities between housing, water and sanitation policy initiatives continuously undermine the efforts of informal settlements upgrading programme of transforming living conditions of people living in informal settlements. The objective of this research project was to explore the disparities between the above mentioned policy initiatives in informal settlements upgrading with the view to develop an understanding of various elements leading to these disparities. To achieve this research two case study areas were selected from which data was collected. The case studies were selected purposively. Household surveys were conducted from each of the two case studies and interviews were conducted with housing, water and sanitation officials. Findings of the research indicate that there are indeed disparities between housing, water and sanitation. It indicated that the disparities manifested themselves at various levels of policy. The nature of these disparities also varied according to the level at which they manifested. The research concludes that disparities in housing, water and sanitation manifest themselves in informal settlement upgrading. Various levels of policy indicate the manifestation of these disparities. Informal settlement upgrading efforts are undermined by the lack of coordination and integration in the implementation of policy. The research therefore recommends adjustments from all levels of policy from formulation to implementation. Housing, water and sanitation policy formulation process should be conducted in an integrated and coordinated manner. All parties involved in policy development and implementation should adopt high level of communication and consultation on all policy related issues. Policy objectives should be consolidated.
Housing conditions of AIDS orphans in Malangeni : implications for housing policy.
(2006) Mkhize, Gugu Sharon.; Ndinda, Catherine.
This dissertation examines the housing conditions experienced by the AIDS orphans at Malangeni. It documents and highlights the housing conditions and makes policy recommendations with regards to addressing housing needs of AIDS orphans. AIDS orphans are faced with the problem of inadequate housing. They are living in houses that have a variety of defects. These houses have broken windows, broken doors, leaks, holes in roof, cracks on walls, mould as well as poor ventilation. These, AIDS orphans are being cared for by their relatives, like their aunties but in most cases it is their grandparents that are getting money from the pension grant to support the whole family. The community of Malangeni is very poor and it does not have adequate funds to provide assistance to solve this problem of inadequate housing. The government and the community organizations have done very little to trying and provide assistance in this regard. AIDS orphans get emotional and moral support from members of local churches who visit each and every household that has AIDS orphans. It can therefore be argued that given the inadequate housing conditions that AIDS orphans live in, there is a need for housing policy to address the problem by providing AIDS orphans with housing that has basic infrastructure facilities that ensure basic health and safety and most importantly, improve the overall quality of life.
An investigation into the privatisation process of public rental housing in the Durban Metropolitan Area, case studies of Kwa Mashu and Bayview.
(2000) Lazarus, Samuel Daniel.; Adebayo, Ambrose Adeyemi.
Housing built by local authorities for low income housing has gone a long way towards providing a range of housing options for the varying needs of those who are forced through circumstances to rely on the public sector for their housing. Selling off the rented housing stock to sitting tenants has enabled large numbers of families to become homeowners. The sale of rental housing stock has been long viewed by theorists with much scepticism. Therefore much research has gone into, amongst other things the government policy of "load-shedding" in order to decrease the welfare burden of the state. Few studies however have been able to capture the perceptions and attitudes of the beneficiary families. A major thrust of the National Housing Policy is to increase the access of housing to previously disadvantaged individuals. One such method is that of privatisation and the sale of public rental stock to sitting tenants. The study will attempt to investigate the process of privatisation as adopted by the Metropolitan Council and resistance that it has faced.
Implications of housing design and layout systems for crime prevention in housing residential neighbourhoods in the metropolitan areas of Durban.
(2001) Ndlovu, Fundokuhle P.; Adebayo, Ambrose Adeyemi.
It is believed that housing designs and layout systems for crime prevention have either positive or negative implications on the actual prevention of crime. Therefore this research explores the exact implications that housing designs and layout systems have in relation to crime especially in neighborhoods of Durban. In this regard, the concepts, assumptions surrounding work on the field, including defensible space principles, crime prevention through environmental design and the housing design principles are thoroughly discussed. Various principles especially defensible space principles are emphasized in this study: Surveillance, territoriality, access control, image and milieu. Hence other supporting paradimes like housing design principles including housing structures, support activities and gated communities are highly elaborated. These analytical criteria were used to examine two neighboring residential areas characterized by different planning and design systems in the area of Woodlands in terms safety. The assessment is mainly a comparison of the gated residential neighbourhood and the non-gated residential neighbourhood. Procedurally the evaluation entails analyzing both areas in terms of layout and housing design, observing both areas in terms of behavior and reaction of residents within their areas and analyzing the views and perceptions of people living in both areas. The findings indicate that in comparing the two areas in terms of safety the gated residential neighbourhoods displays high level of safety as compared to the non-gated community. Overall housing design and layout systems for crime prevention have positive implications on crime reduction in residential areas. However different recommendations are made in an attempt to improve crime free housing designs in offering both real and perceived safety.
Inner city housing and the role of the church in housing development : four cases in South African cities.
(2002) Talbot, S.; Adebayo, Ambrose Adeyemi.
This research seeks to explore what role the church can, should and does play in the dynamics of inner city housing. Given the experience of certain overseas church groups at the successful implementation of housing initiatives this research seeks to explore what certain groups are doing in various cities to establish their ideal of the new Jerusalem. This is in keeping with the vision of Isaiah in chapter 65-66.where the church has a responsibility to transform the place of the city to a place of hope and joy and celebration .This is the motivation that drives this study to see how the church can play a role in the housing development of the inner cities of South Africa. Very little has been written on this newly emerging field for the church in South African cities. Hopefully this will motivate, empower and encourage others to follow those who are already involved in this new challenge to the South African and African inner city church. Four cities in which contact with housing related projects has been established will be used as case studies. These four cities coincidentally cover the largest proportion of urbanised South Africa namely the Johannesburg/Pretoria urban agglomeration and the Durban/Pietermaritzburg area. Apart from the aforementioned reasons, the fact that there are limited church-based inner city housing initiatives in South Africa, it was felt that these case studies could provide an initial base for research. A more detailed rationale is listed in the section on the scope of the dissertation.
Informal housing delivery : assessing it's potential contribution in formulating enabling low income housing standards : the case of Kamatipa settlement in Kitwe, Zambia.
(2006) Mwango, Mundashi Alexander.; Adebayo, Ambrose Adeyemi.
This study looks at the potential contribution of informal housing delivery in establishing enabling low-income housing standards in Kitwe, Zambia as a way of addressing the shortage of adequate and affordable housing for the urban poor. Informal housing delivery is increasingly being seen as the urban poors' response to the chronic shortage of housing in most cities in developing countries. Proponents of informal housing delivery have been alluding to the many positive impacts that informal housing has on the poor households since the 1960's. This aspect is slowly gaining acceptance in many housing policies in developing countries that are now opting to work with rather than forcefully relocated informal dwellers. The Zambia National Housing Policy set an ambitious list of objectives aimed at realising its goal of providing adequate and affordable housing to all income groups in the country, including the reform of housing standards which currently inhibit the incorporation of informal housing techniques and materials into conventional practices. However, there appears to be no framework within which this objective will be achieved. The study, therefore, investigated the positive attributes of informal housing delivery through a literature review of standards and general discourse and policies regarding traditional, informal and formal housing settlements. Through the literature review, a set of indicators was established to measure and analyse informal housing standards prevailing in Kamatipa, an informal settlement north of the city of Kitwe in Zambia and building regulations that substantially hinder the incorporation of these standards into conventional low-income housing standards. They study establishes a number of positive attributes of informal housing in Kamatipa and the regulations that they contravene under current standards. It concludes by making recommendations towards establishing guidelines for assimilating these positive elements in a reformed regulatory framework to achieve enabling low-income housing standards in the city and country.
An investigation into why housing consolidation projects only reach 70%-80% of intended beneficiaries on closure of the project in Metropolitan Durban.
(2006) Mokoaleli, Thabo C.; Adebayo, Pauline Wambui.
When the Government of National Unity (GNU) came to power in South Africa in 1994, it inherited a housing sector with severe abnormalities as a result of the policies and political turbulence of the apartheid era (Department of Housing/DOH, 2000a). One of the main problems was and is still the enormous housing backlog facing large sections of the country's population both in rural and urban areas. The housing crisis in South Africa has received extensive attention by the South African government, non-profit organizations and international actors such as research and aid organisations since the demise of apartheid. This shows the historical and present interest on the SUbject. The most significant development in housing policy in 1990 was the creation of the Independent Development Trust (lOT). The lOT, was a parastatal, a government created institution in 1991, which was to address the housing needs of the country's poor. As one form of housing subsidisation, housing consolidation subsidies have been used in housing projects for households to build new houses or improve existing structures on the serviced sites that were previously subsidized through the Independent Development Trust (lOT) in the 1990's. The realisation that between 20%-30% of beneficiaries do not take occupancy at the end of a specific project, has brought a serious concern to the Housing Department, local community structures and Project Managers. This study, focuses on the Durban Metropolitan Area; it intend to increase one's understanding of why consolidation housing projects only reach 70%-80% of intended beneficiaries on closure of the projects. The housing consolidation projects in Luganda and Savannah Park, Southern Pinetown, Durban, which are the sUbject of the present stUdy, were initiated in 1996 and 2000 respectively with the intent to deliver over 2000 houses in both study areas. These are being investigated. The study takes a form of a wholes tick approach and tries to make a link between the absent beneficiaries and those who informally transfer their property to new owners. The reason is simply that the 20-30% originally intended beneficiaries are not benefiting from the Consolidation Housing Subsidy. The study aims to look at alternative, cheaper and affordable ways of obtaining title deeds for people who have bought sites informally from the authentic officially recognised beneficiaries. Lastly, the study will contribute by data gathering and analysis, to the understanding of the phenomenon of low-occupancy and informal or de facto transfer of property.
An exploration into the lower middle income housing market.
(2009) Ojo-Aromokudu, Judith Tinuke.; Kahn, Michael.; Adebayo, Pauline Wambui.
The study explores the factors hampering the growth of a sustainable lower middle income (LMI) housing market. The LMI group includes members of the working class who earn between R3,500 and R7,000 per month. The motivation for the research followed an observation made in 2003, that the policies of both the Department of Housing and the traditional banking system excluded this income category from accessing housing assistance. However, during the course of the study, the state started extending subsidy assistance to this income group, through the Breaking New Ground (BNG) policy. The study employed oral and written data collection methods. The housing market participants was divided into three broad categories, namely, demand side participants, supply side participants and the housing market facilitators. Interviews were conducted with both supply side participants and facilitators. On the demand side a questionnaire survey was conducted to establish the experiences of households in respect of the home acquisition process. The research findings revealed that LMI households require a housing typology which is described as a two bedroom detached starter house, within close proximity to a public transport system, and other community facilities for ease of accessibility. The data showed that the LMI households required financial education before getting involved in the home acquisition transaction. In addition, it emerged that professional services offered by the estate agents were not being fully utilized by the LMI households simply because the households were not aware of the responsibility of the agents in the home acquisition transaction process. It is maintained that the LMI housing market is inundated with multi-faceted hurdles from both intrinsic and extrinsic sources. The intrinsic sources include household character, past experiences amongst others, while the extrinsic sources comprise housing stock availability, loan approval criteria, etc. These hurdles require both long and short term interventions addressing the convoluted home acquisition process which involves various facilitators and a costly immovable product. In conclusion, it is recommended that demand side home ownership education is necessary, whereby LMI households are prepared for the home acquisition process. On the supply side long and short term interventions are recommended towards creating enabling environments for the supply of starter houses located close to neighbourhood facilities particularly a reliable transport network.
An evaluation of rural housing policy and implementation : towards the development of appropriate rural housing that contributes to local identity and regional diversity : a case study of Mpukunyoni area in KZN-South Africa.
(2005) Buthelezi, Busisiwe P.; Adebayo, Ambrose Adeyemi.
The study is mainly characterised by social, cultural, and economic aspects that influence the housing typology and design in rural areas, since these places have been in a critical condition compared to urban areas. This has led to the use of design suitable for urban areas in rural areas. This act threatens to undermine rural characteristics such as rural settlement patterns and traditional housing which acknowledge people's origin and lifestyle. As a result, people fail to contrlbute to their own development mainly because of the technological advancement that acquires people with intensive skills. The study was conducted in the rural community of Mpukunyoni in Mtubatuba. The residents still live under the traditional leadership of Inkosi Mkhwanazi. The housing project implemented in the area highlight some complications because of the housing typology that the developers have used which fails to incorporate cultural meaning in them. This questions the role played by the community which sees enabling approach as a possible solution. It encourages people themselves to be gradua11y drawn into their development. It aiso alleviates poor conditions and empowers people to restore their human dignity while recognising their potential. The study sees a need for rural housing policy to be revaluated so as to include other relevant factors like incorporating traditional authorities in decision making so as to influence the policy makers to recognise cultural aspects because rural and urban areas are not the same therefore, they must be treated differently. In that way, the developers can have a clear understanding of what housing means to rural people so as to provide them with. housing that must be passed on from one generation to the other.
The effects of economic structural adjustment programme and the shelter development strategy on the housing construction industry in Zimbabwe.
(2001) Mucharambeyi, Kudakwashe Godfrey.; Adebayo, Ambrose Adeyemi.
The motive behind this dissertation involved the scholastic empirical testing of the impacts of development policy, pursued at macro-economic level in housing and construction industry in Zimbabwe during Economic Structural Adjustment Programme (ESAP) between 1990-1995. It further explores the understanding of the variety of interconnections between macro-economic in light of structural adjustment and Shelter development Strategy. The introductory focuses on conceptualisation of the dissertation in relation to contemporary policy and academic debates. A historical review of both macroeconomic and shelter industry management policies experienced in Zimbabwe prior to ESAP are examined. Architecture structure of the adjustment programe specifically in the in creating an enabling environment in respect to the overall macro-economic reforms in relation to the shelter industry is sketched. Party Two deals with housing and Zimbabwean construction finance both prior and after ESAP, comparison with other African countries is reviewed-positive impacts of liberalizing a sophisticated financial sector, limited impact in attracting foreign investment and negative impact of reduced government investment on the housing construction industry. The final section deals with the impact of adjustment and shelter strategy on job creation and income levels. Also focuses on the responsiveness of the construction supply to adjustment and enablement policies. The development of ideas surrounding this research and methodology of fieldwork are also discussed. Conclusion and recommendations are drawn to fulfill the dissertation-Scholarly.
An evaluation of housing strategy in South Africa for the creation of sustainable human settlements : a case study of the eThekwini region.
(2011) Govender, Gonaseelan Barlow.; Adebayo, Ambrose Adeyemi.
Given that access to adequate housing is defined under South Africa's constitution as a fundamental human right, it is understandable that the post Apartheid government focuses significant time and expense on establishing human settlements intended to redress the historically unequal distribution of wealth and resources. This thesis is concerned with looking at why, in spite of this attention, the government has underperformed in delivering low income housing projects that evolve into socially sustainable and integrated communities. Since there is no substantial evidence that a comprehensive study of the consolidation of human settlements has been done in South Africa, this research and the recommendations it engenders will be an important resource for planning truly sustainable and integrated human settlements in the future. Both theoretical and applied research methodologies were utilised in this thesis to examine specifically six human settlements in the KwaZulu-Natal Ethekwini region, selected for their diversity in terms of social, economic and location characteristics, as well as the differing historical circumstances surrounding their establishments. That the analysis included three settlements with Greenfield and social housing projects developed during the Apartheid regime and three settlements established after the 1994 democratic elections, permits comparisons to be drawn and so facilitates a deeper understanding of the successes and failures of the creation of sustainable housing settlements. A thorough review of the limited literature in South Africa in this field and an assessment of strategies contained in the National Housing Policy, was complimented by a more practical approach, including the use of a Delphi survey method, which was conducted with experts in the housing field, policy makers and settlement inhabitants, and extensive on site data collection. This investigation shows that, paradoxically, the Apartheid housing settlements, designed to entrench racial segregation and inequality, have in fact flourished as consolidated communities, in comparison with post Apartheid housing projects. The thesis draws the conclusion that in the Apartheid settlements inhabitants are using their housing units as an invaluable asset to improve their living conditions and to create a sustainable environment. However, in the settlements developed by the post Apartheid regime, inhabitants are struggling to use their home as an asset to improve their living conditions and to create a convenient and sustainable environment. Consequently, poverty, social exclusion and vulnerability of the beneficiaries of low-cost housing are deepening. While this does not justify the Apartheid policy of enforced removals or the subsequent social evils, the sense of ownership that ensued from forcing inhabitants to thererafter pay for their dwelling based on a calculated proportion of household income, is key to understanding this disparity. In comparison, post Apartheid housing policy, framed within a socialist agenda, does not allow for equitable distribution based on income levels and so for the mainly poor and economically inactive inhabitants, there is an absence of this same ownership incentive to either care for or improve the dwellings that they are given. Furthermore, the current National Housing Policy fails to take a holistic approach to the issue since its priority is simply meeting short-term high demand to eradicate the most visible effects of Apartheid. Subsequently, the National Housing Policy has failed to consider how access to education facilities for children, availability of consumer goods and the proximity to commercial activity, jostle with the need for shelter as high priorities for low income households, which fundamentally affects the success of any housing policy. For this reason, several beneficiaries of post Apartheid housing units have sold their homes to raise income to meet more pressing needs. All social housing settlements that formed the sample of this research study have long term viability issues and so replicating any model is problematic. The thesis suggests therefore, that in the future, legislators and policy makers look towards cultivating mixed use housing settlements centred around vibrant commercial, business and retail sites with connecting public transit and pedestrian networks, and various tenure options, including rentals, rent-to-buy and outright purchase. Development initiatives taking into considerations the reforms and recommendations outlined in this thesis could be implemented on housing projects that use developed buffer zones of land that were left over from the Apartheid era housing policy or on "lost spaces" within existing human settlements. The advantages of such a new approach for creating sustainable housing settlements provides an opportunity to link spatially and economically dislocated communities while ensuring beneficiaries and stakeholders in housing settlements meet a wider variety of needs. The conclusion that this thesis draws is that South Africa needs a post Apartheid approach to create sustainable human settlements. The Delphi Study reveals that the strategy to be adopted should represent the expectations of both policy-makers and beneficiaries. Consequently, this thesis proposes a sustainable housing development model and has developed guidelines and processes that take into consideration the many issues affecting housing policies and so becomes a workable tool for future housing professionals. Consolidated and integrated settlements that evolve into socially sustainable communities then becomes a real possibility.
Housing delivery systems : an evaluation of public-private partnerships towards provision of adequate housing for the middle-income group in Lagos Nigeria.
(2012) Alabi, Anthony Sule.; Adebayo, Ambrose Adeyemi.
This research thesis examined the applicability of the enablement paradigm in the public-private partnership (PPP) of housing delivery systems (HDS) in Lagos among middle-income groups using the periods of changing historic conditions as baseline for the analysis. Nigeria’s postdemocratic Housing and Urban Development Policy for the first time in 2002 recognized the formal private sector as a major stakeholder in its framework. This recognition was in line with the World Bank’s policy recommendation for governments to create enabling environment for private sector participation in housing provision. The major changes by this policy were the grant of access to land with ownership tenure and access to housing finance with low interest rate. This thesis underscores the failure of the Housing and Urban Development Policy framework in Nigeria to achieve real gains in housing delivery. By unbundling the determinants of HDS in Lagos, this research identified the universal objectives of housing delivery in terms of the quantity and quality of housing and its environmental quality. The findings from this research work identified significant correlation between failures in government policies and poor stakeholders’ delineation and roles. The study further associated stakeholder’s delineation and role to PPP optimization: By so, identified PPP as the fulcrum for resource, process and social optimization towards achieving AHD. Through an extensive analysis of historic conditions, theories and policies nationally and internationally, this research drew relevant lessons which informed its conceptual departure for unbundling PPP within HDS. It also relied on empirical data obtained from quantitative and qualitative research instruments drawn from four estate typologies and three categorized stakeholder’s respondents’ frame it used in evaluating HDS. In its contribution, this study developed a project lifecycle framework for housing development, a proposal for PPP effectiveness and an Adequacy Evaluation Technique (AET). Common to these models was the delineation of the universal objectives of housing from which the 3-Qfactor of housing quantity, and quality and the quality of housing environment emanated as a measure of value added contribution. By this, the study established a departure from previous architectural approaches which promised value satisfaction as a functional derivative of design. Through these models, PPP can be designed at the architectural and operational levels towards achieving AHD through the window of the universal objective of housing delivery; and can be evaluated for functional satisfaction and real value (return on investment) based on assessment of profitability of housing development actors/partners. The second major contribution is the delineation of stakeholders in three dimensions namely, the household, the housing development actor/partner which reflects changing roles and circumstances and the housing development experts. Of emphasis are the changing roles and circumstances that this study is able to delineate from its literature and field work through an understanding of the social focus groups which exist within the Lagos settings. This study in conclusion emphasizes the need for delineating stakeholders’ roles contextually as a pre-condition to initiating partnerships. It also posits that there is need to deduce all resources, processes and social context as the framework for PPP before initiating partnerships. It established that, current policy practice already targets the middle-income in its use of PPP, and this can be extended to other social income groups and that the basis for the utilization of PPP should stem from an understanding of specific application of the three-step adequacy evaluation technique (AET) developed by this study as a relevant tool for evaluating the adequacy of housing development projects.
In-situ upgrading of informal settlements : a case study of Barcelona 1 - Lamontville, Durban.
(2012) Masiteng, Sindisiwe.; Awuor-Hayangah, Rosemary.
This study examines the case for in-situ upgrading of informal settlements. The housing delivery process as set out in the housing policy has been slow and, to an extent, qualification for subsidy has tended to exclude some sections of the society. The main objective of the study is to identify the social, economic and physical characteristics of informal settlements that would justify in-situ upgrading as opposed to relocation of the residents to a Greenfield development. Both primary and secondary sources of data were utilised in data collection. The research confirmed residents of Barcelona 1 need proper houses with basic services. The general use of land; is also problematic, there are no roads and the residents walk in between shacks to access their sites. Living conditions in Barcelona 1 do not match up with what is proposed in the recent Breaking New Ground (BNG) policy initiative, which states that everyone should have access to sustainable human settlement conditions with basic services such as water, electricity and sanitation. Community Based Organizations (CBOs) focus on assisting the community with socio-economic activities, and have contributed in the development of the settlement by providing training skills workshops on small business and issues concerning HIV/AIDS. The present study sees a need for the settlement to be upgraded on site, in preference to other options less favourable to people’s needs, such as greenfield development which disrupts social and economic networks when people are relocated far from their workplaces and burdened with added transportation costs. By comparison, in-situ upgrading will create minimal disruption for the inhabitants of the settlement. Among the recommendation put forward is that the government, the housing department, non-government organisation and community based organisations should all intervene in the upgrading of informal settlements. The study concludes with none of the development promised by the government having yet taken place in the study area, any forthcoming housing policy implementation should take account of the impact of different development option on informal settlements. It can be argued that government and the housing department alike have failed to satisfy housing demand in South Africa, since people continue to suffer from inadequate housing. Secondly, in-situ upgrading rather than relocation to Greenfield where feasible should be the preferred from development option given the social, economic benefits and networks of existing informal settlements.
Housing layout design and crime reduction in RDP developments : a case study of Chesterville, Durban in KwaZulu-Natal.
(2013) Ndwamato, Awelani.; Myeni, Wonderboy Vincent.
It is argued that housing designs and layout systems for crime prevention can have either positive or negative implications on the actual prevention of crime. Therefore, this research explores the exact implications that housing designs and layout systems have in relation to crime in RDP development neighbourhoods. Various principles such as defensible space principles and crime prevention through environmental design are emphasized in this study: Surveillance, territoriality, access control, image and milieu. Other supporting characteristics like housing design principles including housing structures, support activities and gated communities are highly elaborated, as well as street layout. These analytical criteria were used to examine the Chesterville RDP developments. Procedurally, the evaluation entailed analysing both street layout and housing design and analysing the views and perceptions of people living in the area. The findings indicate that residents of Chesterville display high level of perception of safety although they do acknowledge that there is petty crime once in a while. The researcher asserts that overall housing design and layout systems for crime prevention have positive implications on crime reduction in residential areas. The study also investigated the type of criminal activities that occur in the area. The study analysed the types of criminal activities which were related to housing and layout in Chesterville RDP developments. Data was collected by conducting household surveys and an interview with the community leader. Local and international case studies that were used revealed interesting scenarios of the usage of environmental design to aid crime prevention. In the context of Chesterville the main findings showed that there is a sense safety in the area although assault was found to be high. The study thus proposed recommendations in an attempt to improve crime reduction in Chesterville as a whole. This dissertation is structured as follows: The chapter one introduces the research problem, research questions, hypothesis, and the research method used to conduct the study. Chapter two provides both the theoretical framework and the literature review for the topic being studied. International and national case studies are used to support the flow of the argument. Chapter three introduces the geographical and historical background of case studies in which the study was conducted. This historical background is linked to the topic of study to help to understand the phenomenon of crime prevention. Chapter four deals with the presentation and analysis of data collected and in chapter five conclusions are drawn from the findings and recommendations are made.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup and the use of the housing asset for income generation : ǂb a case study of the eThekwini Municipality.
(2013) Goorbhare, Orisha.; Myeni, Wonderboy Vincent.
South Africa was presented with the unique opportunity of hosting the first 2010 FIFA World Cup (FWC) on African soil. This unique opportunity further extended itself to the non-hotel accommodation providers, as it was the first time in history that FIFA agreed to accredit non-hotel accommodation providers for the tournament. The research intended to examine the extent of the use of the housing asset to generate income from the 2010 FWC. The study was conducted in the municipal area of eThekwini Municipality (Durban), South Africa. The case study areas consisted of the lower-middle income, upper-middle income and high-income areas of Umbilo, Manor Gardens and Durban North respectively. The data collection method used in the study areas was a household survey with 30 respondents. The respondents were from the high-income area of Durban North, upper middle-income area of Manor Gardens and lower-middle income area of Umbilo. Interviews were conducted to collect data from financial institutions. Data was collected from conventional and non-conventional financial institutions. The findings of the study revealed that the extent to which the housing asset was used to generate income from the 2010 FWC was not high or considerable. This was due to many home-based enterprise (HBE) owners stating that FIFA would stand to benefit largely from the 2010 FWC, with no institutional support for HBE owners to benefit from government. It was also found that conventional and non-conventional financial institutions were not willing to provide financial assistance to HBE owners specifically for generating income from the 2010 FIFA World Cup, due to the short duration of the event. In conclusion, it was recommended that instruments to drive the implementation of the policies be deployed, to create an enabling environment for the small business sector to grow at a household level. A policy should be developed in eThekwini Municipality that standardises the land use management applications and zoning for accommodation providers and HBEs in line with the eThekwini Municipality’s drive to be the ‘Events Capital of Africa’. Intervention from government at all levels is required to ensure that the HBEs in the small business sector benefit from mega-events such as the 2010 FWC.
An evaluation of the extent of community participation in the upgrading of informal settlements : the case study of Joe Slovo settlement upgrading project in Lamontville.
(2013) Bhengu, Octavia Thembani.; Uisso, Labulle Venance.
This research study evaluates the extent of community participation in the upgrading of informal settlements using the case study of the Joe Slovo settlement in Lamontville, KwaZulu-Natal. The study used mixed methods to evaluate the extent of community participation. Primary and secondary sources of information were used to ascertain the views and opinions of community members regarding participation in the upgrading process and to measure the extent of such participation. Semi-structured and structured questionnaires were administered and interviews were conducted with informants. The findings reveal that the Joe Slovo community has partially participated in the project. The study found that the Joe Slovo community partially participated in the management of the project at the execution phase. It is noted that effective participation in an upgrading project ensures the sustainability and maintenance of such a project. Community members noted that the lack of ownership and responsibility, which should have been facilitated by capacity building and empowerment programmes, had led to maintenance problems. The findings reveal differences between the training programme provided and beneficiaries’ expectations. The study recommends communicative, collaborative and partnerships approaches to encourage involvement and create a sense of ownership and responsibility within communities.
Housing delivery and beneficiary perspectives on poverty reduction : a case study of Ntuzuma D Phase 4 Housing Project, eThekwini Municipality.
(2013) Mbambo, Sanele Brian.; Myeni, Wonderboy Vincent.; Uisso, Labulle Venance.
This dissertation assesses beneficiaries’ perspectives on the extent to which housing delivery has reduced their income poverty. Ntuzuma D Phase 4 Housing Project in the eThekwini Municipality was used as a case study. Oscar Lewis in his culture of poverty theory argued that the culture of poverty is persistent, passed down from generation to generation along with family lines. He further states that people’s traits while living in poverty are resistant to change, even if the structural conditions that gave rise to poverty were to change. Lewis’ theory has informed this study, which investigates if standards of living people improved they moved out from poverty conditions in the slums, to formal houses. Housing beneficiaries were able to use their houses to establish income generation activities, which have helped to give them income to acquire household daily needs. Some other beneficiaries who do not run income generation activities from home and are unemployed, felt that the stable houses they now live in, have changed their lives for the better. This is because they are able now to save money from the little income they get (e.g. social grants) which is spent on household needs rather than house maintenance. The Enabling Approach suggested seven enabling instruments that should be used by the governments to ensure a housing market that benefits the poor. These are three demand-side instruments, three supply-side instruments, and the one that entails developing an institutional framework for managing the housing sector. All these instruments have been applied by the eThekwini Municipality Housing Unit and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Human Settlements and have proved to work in the betterment of the living standards of poor people. The asset vulnerability framework outlines different forms of assets that a house provides and can be utilised by households amongst other things to generate income and reduce income poverty. In this way, a house can be used as an asset in three forms, being a productive, economic and social asset. The South African democratic government introduced a housing policy in order to address the previous housing imbalances created by apartheid segregation policies. Most importantly, the aim of the South Africa’s housing policy is to alleviate poverty of previously disadvantaged citizens. The Housing White Paper (HWP) was introduced in 1994 after robust discussions in the National Housing Forum. One of the aims of the HWP was to ensure security of tenure through ownership of the houses. Furthermore this policy suggested local economic development through the establishment of micro-economic activities and the involvement of small-/medium enterprises in the housing market. However after nine years of existence of the HWP, the Department of Housing realized that this policy has not been effective enough in responding to the housing needs of the poor. The HWP’s lack of effectiveness was due to the poor-location of RDP houses, which excluded the poor from the economic opportunities in the urban centres. These houses were of a poor quality, being a small standardized size and constructed with inferior materials. Owing to these factors the RDP houses could not be used as economic and productive assets for the establishment of home-based enterprises or collateral. As a result, in 2004 the Breaking New Ground (BNG), a comprehensive plan for the development of human settlements was introduced. This is a second phase in South Africa’s housing policy introduced after Government realized the shortcomings in the HWP. The purpose of BNG was to enhance the existing mechanisms and instruments of the HWP to ensure more responsive, flexible and effective housing delivery. The BNG housing policy suggested that income poverty can be reduced by providing well located, good quality houses, integrated settlements, and the use of a house as an asset to create employment opportunities. Ntuzuma D Phase 4 is an in-situ informal settlement upgrade housing project. People have lived in poverty conditions for so many years. However various services, amenities and infrastructure have been delivered since the beginning of housing development in that area. These services have assisted beneficiaries by reducing poverty. Through the houses delivered, beneficiaries have been able to explore different income generation activities in the form of home-based enterprises. The location of this housing project also exposes beneficiaries to various economic opportunities. The proximity to the Durban CBD and the Bridge City Shopping Mall has helped to provide economic support to the beneficiaries.
Assessing the link between the provision of basic municipal services in informal settlements and the creation of sustainable human settlements : case study of Redcliffe and Magwaveni informal settlements.
(2015) Xulu, Nkululeko.; Myeni, Wonderboy Vincent.
The provision of basic municipal services to informal settlements in South Africa has been vital in bringing much need services to poor households and addressing hazardous living conditions prevalent in informal settlements. The research evaluates the provision of municipal services to informal settlements by the eThekwini Municipality. It highlights the challenges which are experienced by informal settlements dwellers, due to the lack of services such as roads, water, sanitation and electricity. The study then looks at the current housing backlog and sets out the approaches applied in South Africa and internationally to address the challenges that are experienced by residents in informal settlements. The broad aim of this dissertation is to evaluate how households in informal settlements attain basic services and whether the provision of interim services has assisted such households in meeting their housing needs incrementally. The qualitative approach method was used to collect data on the provision of basic municipal services to informal settlements and the study involved the use and collection of empirical data, two case studies, personal experiences, direct observation and interviews. Two specific housing policies relevant to this study are the Comprehensive Plan for Human Settlements or commonly referred to as the Breaking New Grounds (2004) and the National Housing Code (2009). The study’s findings showed that residents had high levels of access to housing even though they were still occupying informal houses as many households were generally satisfied with the essential municipal services provided and had embarked on making improvements to their currently occupied informal dwellings. The high levels of dissatisfaction with sanitation provided were recorded as residents found it socially unacceptable to be sharing toilets with other settlement dwellers and the study revealed that in both the case study areas there were high levels of access to electricity provided and this was due to the provision of prepaid electricity by the municipality. The study also found high levels of satisfaction with the power supply provided as residents were able use the electricity for household activities and more importantly they no longer had to worry about disconnections as the electricity was supplied by the municipality. The study found that there were high levels of satisfaction with access roads and footpaths provided as the infrastructure provided vehicular access to those residents who owned vehicles and as well as for mini bus taxis transporting residents. The provision of basic services to the study areas was a clear indication by the municipality of laying the building blocks for future houses to be constructed by the municipality and this was in line with the Housing Policy.
An assessment of the use of Geographic Information System (GIS) in monitoring and evaluating the progress of in-situ upgrading of informal settlements : a case study of Cato Crest Informal Settlement, eThekwini Municipality.
(2014) Mazeka, Bahle.; Myeni, Wonderboy Vincent.
As a point of departure, this study investigates the innovative use of geographic information system (GIS) as a technological tool for urban governance in South Africa used for monitoring and evaluating informal settlement upgrading projects, using the case of Cato Crest informal settlement in eThekwini municipality. In South Africa, the number of informal settlements continues to increase perpetuated by phenomena such as rapid urbanisation and poverty; notwithstanding of the goal of the Department of Human Settlements to eradicate all informal settlements by 2014. The BNG advocates for in-situ upgrading as the preferred approach for settlement upgrading as it seeks to improve settlements in their current location through the provision of services, and secured land tenure. In-situ upgrading is a holistic approach with an emphasis on eliminating social exclusion, poverty, and vulnerability. Favouring neoliberal policies has resulted in increased poverty as people are not able to compete in formal housing markets due to insufficient capital. Technological adaptation is barred by lack of support from top management and capital resources. This research adopted a qualitative research design, utilizing primary and secondary sources of data, employing semi-structured interviews, questionnaire, observation, GIS based methods of digitizing, and buffering as data collection methods. Data is analysed through thematic analysis and GIS technology, and findings presented in cartographic display. The research has found that, among other things, eThekwini municipality utilizes GIS through the ISP to inform decisions for housing projects. However, GIS continues to face barriers in monitoring and evaluating in-situ upgrading of informal settlements as spatial data is updated annually; thus unable to map spontaneous land invasions as they occur throughout a year cycle. Notwithstanding, the in-situ upgrading of Cato Crest informal settlement has impacted the community positively through the provision of services, and secured land tenure, preserve socio-economic networks, and integration of the settlement into the broader urban fabric.

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