Upgrading Informal Settlements in South Africa : Pursuing a Partnership-Based Approach

At the end of apartheid the South African state launched a large-scale Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) which included the provision of 'free housing' to the poor - known commonly as 'RDP housing'. While this programme has had some success in achieving numerical targets, there is overwhelming evidence that it has largely failed at achieving many of its key objectives. Demand for housing continues to grow (leading to the growth of informal settlements), the financial cost of addressing the backlog has become increasingly prohibitive, 'housing beneficiaries' have remained disempowered in housing processes, and the pursuit of green fields projects has perpetuated the low-density of South African cities. The potential of upgrading informal settlements (rather than eradication through the RDP) has slowly gained traction in South Africa. This includes an emerging consensus that a more incremental and participatory housing delivery model is necessary, which advocates for a more plural, responsive and adaptive approach which responds to the challenges of the informal city. A range of innovative upgrading practices are emerging, among them partnerships between NGOs, local municipalities and communities to address upgrading challenges. These partnerships have proved extremely constructive, offering voice and agency to communities. They have also been very challenging, offering lessons imperative to upgrading policy and practice. However, much of this work has remained undocumented and thus unable to influence relevant policy debates. This book captures the current successes and challenges of informal settlement upgrading initiatives in South Africa and seeks to inspire sustainable and transformative upgrading practice. Recommended for: Urban planners and policy makers, government officials, urban and development consultants, NGOs, politicians, students (both undergraduate and postgraduate), and academics in the field of housing, governance, urban studies, informality, Southern cities, development, security and welfare.