Addressing Urban Inequality Through Innovative Social Housing Strategies
A Comparative Analysis of Approaches and Outcomes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33568/rbs.4874Keywords:
social housing, urban development, South African cities, community engagement, sustainabilityAbstract
This article presents a detailed examination of how social housing is approached in three major South African cities: Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town. These cities serve as unique examples, each dealing with different issues and finding creative solutions. The study conducts this comparative analysis through document analysis namely the City of Johannesburg Housing Policy, Durban Metropolitan Housing Strategy, the City of Cape Town Integrated Development Plan, and the National Department of Human Settlements Annual Report. Community involvement, and sustainable practices related to social housing emerge as critical components in all these cities seeking to achieve adequate urban development through social housing. In Johannesburg, there is a strong focus on addressing the ongoing effects of apartheid through „restorative housing” and encouraging diverse communities through mixed-income housing. Durban stands out for its „cultural inclusivity” approach, which views diversity as an advantage in urban development. In Cape Town, they have adopted „ecological urbanism” to harmonize nature and urban life, overcoming geographical challenges. One common theme in these cities is the involvement of the community, empowering residents to be active participants in shaping their living spaces. Sustainability is not just about the environment but also about connecting housing projects with economic and social systems. This analysis highlights how social housing can transform urban areas into fair, inclusive, and sustainable places, not only in South Africa but worldwide.
References
Agbajor, F. D., & Mewomo, M. C. (2024). Green building research in South Africa: A scoping review and future roadmaps. Energy and Built Environment, 5(2), 316–335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbenv.2022.11.001
Beeckmans, L., Gola, A., Singh, A., & Heynen, H. (Eds.). (2022). Making home (s) in displacement: Critical reflections on spatial practice. Leuven University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv25wxbvf
Biggs, R., Clements, H. S., Cumming, G. S., Cundill, G., de Vos, A., Hamann, M., Luvuno, L., Roux, D. J., Selomane, O., Blanchard, R., Cockburn, J., Dziba, L., Esler, K. J., Fabricius, C., Henriksson, R., Kotschy, K., Lindborg, R., Masterson, V. A., Nel, J. L., … Reyers, B. (2022). Social-ecological change: insights from the Southern African Program on Ecosystem Change and Society. Ecosystems and People, 18(1), 447–468. https://doi.org/10.1080/26395916.2022.2097478
Hale, V. (2018). Good Places Through Community-Led Design. In Zaman, Q., & Troiani, I. (Eds.) Transdisciplinary Urbanism and Culture (pp 155–164). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55855-4_13
Lewis, S. (2015). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches. Health Promotion Practice, 16(4), 473–475. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839915580941
Mabin, A. (2020). A Century of South African Housing Acts 1920–2020. Urban Forum, 31(4), 453–472. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12132-020-09411-7
Marutlulle, N. K. (2021). A critical analysis of housing inadequacy in South Africa and its ramifications. Africa’s Public Service Delivery & Performance Review, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.4102/apsdpr.v9i1.372
Mndzebele, M. G., & Gumbo, T. (2024). Pathways to meaningful upgrading of urban informal settlements: Towards adequate housing infrastructure in South Africa. In Musonda, I., Mwanaumo, E., Onososen, A., & Moyo, T. (Eds.) Smart and Resilient Infrastructure for Emerging Economies: Perspectives on Building Better. (pp. 242-249). CRC Press.
Mudau, N., Mwaniki, D., Tsoeleng, L., Mashalane, M., Beguy, D., & Ndugwa, R. (2020). Assessment of SDG indicator 11.3. One and urban growth trends of major and small cities in South Africa. Sustainability, 12(17), 7063. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12177063
Rafael, K.F. (2013), Rebel Cities: From the Right to the City to the Urban Revolution. Community Development Journal, 48(2), 339–341. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bst010
Roberts, D., Morgan, D., O’Donoghue, S., Guastella, L., Hlongwa, N., & Price, P. (2016) Durban, South Africa, In Bartlett, S., & Satterthwaite, D. (Eds.). (2016). Cities on a Finite Planet (pp. 96-115). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315645421
Scheba, A., Turok, I. & Visagie, J. (2021). The role of social housing in reducing inequality in South African cities. AFD Research Papers, 1-9. https://www.cairn-int.info/journal-afd-research-papers-2021-202-page-1.htm
Schiller, G. N. (2021). Migration, Displacement, and Dispossession. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Anthropology. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190854584.013.205
Soyturk, M., Muhammad, K. N., Avcil, M. N., Kantarci, B., & Matthews, J. (2016). From vehicular networks to vehicular clouds in smart cities. Smart Cities and Homes, 149–171. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-803454-5.00008-0
Sutherland, C., Scott, D., Nel, E., & Nel, A. (2018). Conceptualizing ‘the Urban’ Through the Lens of Durban, South Africa. Urban Forum, 29(4), 333–350. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12132-018-9353-4
UN-Habitat (2004). The Challenge of Slums: Global Report on Human Settlements 2003. Management of Environmental Quality, 15(3), 337–338. https://doi.org/10.1108/meq.2004.15.3.337.3
Yuan, M. (2020). Geographical information science for the United Nations’ 2030 agenda for sustainable development. International Journal of Geographical Information Science, 35(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/13658816.2020.1766244
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Mzuchumile Makalima
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
