An evaluation of the Integrated Residential Development Programme (IRDP) as a strategy of spatial integration of low-income housing project: a study of Cornubia, Durban, South Africa.

Abstract

This dissertation evaluates the Integrated Residential Development Programme (IRDP) as a strategy to address spatial integration of low-income housing in South Africa. The colonial, segregation and apartheid city resulted in the production of distorted settlement patterns that were deeply rooted in social segregation and physical fragmentation in the sense that the majority of poor, mainly black households were confined to areas on the outskirts of city centers. Theoretical underpinnings such as neoliberalism and locational theories also had a major influence on the urban spatial planning approach of South Africa. The adverse effects of neoliberalism such as principles of the ‘rolling back’ of the state and free markets result in the poor continuing to be segregated and spatially disintegrated. The poor are unable to afford to purchase land or housing in well-located areas and are subsequently deprived of its accompanying opportunities, services and amenities. Since the turn of democracy, both South African planners and legislation have made ‘restructuring’ their top priority. The true challenge faced by them was the redevelopment of the South African city to one that was viable and enabled all citizens to engage with the qualities of a well-integrated city. As a means to achieve a well-integrated city the South African post-apartheid government introduced the IRDP. The aim of this study was to obtain detailed findings on whether or not lowincome housing development has improved in terms of spatial integration since the introduction of the IRDP. The IRDP was introduced to facilitate the development of all-inclusive human settlements in well-located areas. One of the spatial integration initiatives undertaken by the IRDP was the Cornubia phase 1A housing project in Durban, South Africa. Hence the Cornubia phase 1A housing project was used as a case study to analyse whether the IRDP can be used as an effective strategy to address the lack of spatial integration in low-income households. In order to achieve the abovementioned objective of the study, both primary and secondary data was used by the researcher, and the research was case study-based. The findings of this dissertation have shown that the IRDP is a strategy that has the potential to address the lack of spatial integration in low-income housing development in South Africa. However the results of the research have also identified gaps and room for improvement in the IRDP which is used as a basis for recommendations.