Integrating Planning Solution (IPS)

05/06/2012

The housing subsidies announced in the President's State of the Nation Address and the Finance Minister's budget speech may well represent arguably the single biggest policy change to date. Joining ABN's Godfrey Mutizwa in studio to discuss the social impact of affordable housing in South Africa is Prof. Francois Viruly, a property economist and professor at the University of Cape Town

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9o-wYE4PoAI

(www.abndigital.com) The housing subsidies announced in the President's State of the Nation Address and the Finance Minister's budget speech may well represe...

19/05/2012

The government has already build over 3-million subsidised housing units since 1994 , but due to the increasing number of households, the decreasing household size and migration into urban areas they cannot supply enough shelter for all, said Sexwale. (MAOTA, 2011)

2.1-million houses need to be build to provide 12-million people with decent living conditions. According to the department, there are currently more than 2 500 slums accommodating homeless people in South Africa and increasing overcrowding in backyard dwellings (MAOTA, 2011)

19/05/2012

THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE GOING INTO 2012

"The (housing) backlog grows constantly due to migration to our cities and larger towns, farm workers moving into towns and cities (voluntarily or due to environments), rate of natural increase and balancing out of overcrowding situations. The challenge lies in... creating balanced environments - and to do this within shorter time frames. To create neighbourhoods, rather than dormitory regions on the outskirts of our towns and cities. Neighbourhoods should also provide opportunities for residents to improve their own lives and not merely depend on government to provide all their needs... [and] should have a sense of place and provide a feeling of belonging. Modern and sustainable neighbourhoods should provide a balance between the urban environment and nature within the fabric of the bigger settlement areas." (DE WET, 2012)

18/05/2012

Oorsig van die ligging van hierdie behuisings projek in Ikageng

18/05/2012

The magnitude and dynamics of urbanisation place an enormous burden on organisations responsible for the planning and management of urban regions. The core objectives of urban planning and management are seen as understanding dynamic urban processes and developing effective interventions that contribute to the sustainability of urban development. Geo-information and geo-information technology play a vital role in supporting these objectives.

Themes in the urban planning course domain include urban poverty, urban transport, infrastructure and public services, disaster preparedness and mitigation, urban environmental planning, land use and land tenure, participatory GIS, and spatial planning and decision support systems.

18/05/2012

Probleme wat stedelike ontwikkeling verhinder - Oral ter wêreld waar mense in gebiede met 'n hoë bevolkingsdigtheid woon, is daar maatskaplike probleme. Wanneer hoë vlakke van werkloosheid en armoede by hierdie vergelyking ingereken word, vererger die probleme. Dit is 'n situasie wat Suid-Afrikaanse stede gemeen het, en die nadeligste van hierdie probleme is waarskynlik misdaad.

Die hoë misdaadvlak in die Johannesburgse SSG is byvoorbeeld een van die vernaamste bydraende faktore tot die stedelike verval en uiteindelike desentralisasie van talle groot korporasies en besighede oor die afgelope twee dekades. Die gevolg was dat die SSG 'n vuil, misdaadgeteisterde en onvriendelike plek geword het – totdat aktiewe beleidsmaatreëls en programme gepoog het om dit reg te stel. Belastingaansporings word byvoorbeeld aangebied aan besighede wat bereid is om na die middestad terug te keer, en ontwikkelings soos die Nelson Mandela-brug (en verwante kulturele ontwikkeling in Newtown) het toegang van die voorstede terug na die SSG probeer verskaf om hierdie gebied ekonomies en sosiaal te laat herlewe.

Oorbevolking is 'n ander tipiese stedelike probleem en een wat algemeen in Suid-Afrika ondervind word – veral in die stedelike townships. Benewens gebrek aan toegang tot water en elektrisiteit, maak groter bevolkingsdigthede die verspreiding van siektes makliker. Meer mense word dus in 'n korter tyd besmet (met die gewone verkoue, tuberkulose en enige ander luggedrae siekte) – en dit plaas bykomende stremming op die beskikbare gesondheidsorgfasiliteite.

Die verband tussen oorbevolking en misdaad is goed gedokumenteer in internasionale geografiese en sosiologiese vaktydskrifte, en moet dus as 'n bykomende bedreiging in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks beskou word (omdat die een tot die ander lei). Nog 'n algemene impak van oorbevolking in township-woongebiede is die vinnige (en dodelike) verspreiding van brande suiwer omdat die woonhuise so na aan mekaar is en die feit dat brandweerwaens dus nie toegang het tot gebiede diep in die township nie.

MIV/Vigs het sy eie unieke stedelike probleme: Hoewel statistieke oor die land se MIV/Vigs-voorkomssyfer in stedelike teenoor landelike gebiede nie beskikbaar is nie, het internasionale studies getoon dat in Afrika suid van die Sahara MIV/Vigs bepaald in stedelike gebiede gekonsentreer is – en baie nou gekoppel word aan stedelike armoedevlakke.

Een moontlike rede, maar bepaald nie die enigste of vernaamste rede nie, is die migrasiepatrone van meestal jong mans uit landelike gebiede na stedelike gebiede om werk te soek. Die historiese patroon van jong, manlike migrasie na die stede – wat tot die manstehuise van die apartheidsera gelei het – het 'n reeks maatskaplike kwessies en seksuele gedragsveranderings meegebring wat deels vir hierdie konsentrasie geblameer kan word.

'n Ander faktor kan dalk die vrywillige migrasie na stedelike gebiede van MIV-positiewe individue (oorspronklik uit landelike gebiede) wees om beter mediese versorging en makliker toegang tot ARV's te vind – dienste en produkte wat dikwels moeilik is om in klein landelike nedersettings te bekom.

18/05/2012

Soweto, township, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa (Photo © David Fleminger / PictureNET Africa)

18/05/2012

Hier is n paar voorbeelde van behuisings projekte in Suid Afrika wat ons as IPS gebruik as riglyn vir een van ons behuisings projekte in Ikageng

18/05/2012

Over one million houses have been built and services have been extended to millions of people. Nonetheless, the government estimates that an additional two to three million units still need to be provided.

This backlog is exacerbated by high unemployment (in the neighborhood of 50% in most townships), leaving millions of people unable to afford basic necessities. The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) recently noted: "While Africans make up 76% of the population, their share of income amounts to only 29% of the total. Whites, who make up less than 13% of the population, take away 58.5% of total income." The HIV/AIDS pandemic, with 4.2 million South African infected, is adding to the development problem. It is estimated that GDP will be 17% lower for 2010 than it would be without AIDS

Even where people are housed, conflicts continue over access to basic services and housing payments. Reports regularly appear in the South African press of the formation of committees of township residents occupying unoccupied houses, and fighting the cut-off of water and electricity for non-payment of rates and evictions for non-payment of mortgages.

18/05/2012

In 1994 the African National Congress adopted the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), an integrated socio-economic policy framework which is now the policy if the government. The RDP set a goal of 300,000 houses to be built a year with a minimum of one million low-cost houses to be constructed within five years. South Africa’s current housing policy is rooted in the Housing White Paper, published by government in December 1994.

18/05/2012

This White Paper marks the beginning of a process. For the first time in its history, South Africa now has a policy framework for all of its citizens. The approach adopted has been the search for the creation of an enabling environment, and not for the publication of a new set of rules. It aims to contribute to the certainty required by the market, as well as give the Provincial and Local Governments their capacity to fulfil their Constitu- tional obligations.

Throughout the document, a partnership between the various tiers of government, the private sector and the communities is envisaged. This is seen as a fundamental prerequisite for the sustained delivery of housing at a level unprecedented in the history of this country. It requires all parties not only to argue for their rights, but also to accept their respective responsibilities.

One of the greatest initial challenges facing all role players is the creation of a public environment conducive to attracting the necessary private investment, both of the household as well as that of the institutions. Our collective success in achieving this productive climate will be the essential foundation for removing the blight of homelessness - one of the most visible and destructive legacies of the past. Success in meeting the housing challenge will be one of the cornerstones of rebuilding our social structures and regenerating the economy.

This White Paper also marks the end of a process. From its inception in 1992, the National Housing Forum has played a seminal role in creating the conditions necessary for a national consensus in housing, most visibly evident at the National Housing Summit in Botshabelo on the 27~ October 1994. Out of this consensus, the people of South Africa now have the task of harnessing the skills, resources and energy that the nation has in abundance, and directing it to the task at hand.

We believe that of all of our resources, nothing compares with the latent energy of the people. The housing programme must be designed to unleash that energy, not only to get the houses onto the ground, but also to give meaning to the notion of a people centred development.

15/05/2012

Morning Colleagues, just a friendly reminder of our meeting regarding the inclusionary housing project in Ikageng this afternoon at 14:00.