Urban and Regional Planning

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Browsing Urban and Regional Planning by Subject "Affordable housing"

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    Planning for affordable housing through inclusionary housing against the apartheid spatial landscape in the Western Cape Province, South Africa
    (University of the Free State, 2017-07) Robertson, Raynita Nashlene; Nel, Verna
    English: Past segregation-policies have left a profound imprint on the spatial landscape of the country, as well as the thinking of urban planners over the past six decades. Stuck in a rut, the planning and delivery of housing still replicates that of apartheid, rather than the desired integrated and sustainable human settlements plan. The continuation of unsustainable settlement patterns has a persistently negative effect on communities, the urban fabric and infrastructure; despite the recent policy and legislation geared towards integrated and sustainable human settlements. Instead, settlements and communities remain fragmented and disjointed, prone to social and economic ills linked to the distorted spatial structure. Thus, the aim of this research is to investigate more effective means for planning for integrated and sustainable human settlements through affordable and inclusionary housing in addressing the apartheid landscape and its related symptoms. In this study, the researcher used qualitative research. Interviews and focus group discussions formed the tools used to investigate the potential of affordable and inclusionary housing to contribute to sustainable settlements, in Cape Town, the study area. Interviews were conducted with professionals and town planners in the built environment across different platforms to determine their perceptions regarding integrated and sustainable human settlements, inclusionary housing and apartheid planning. The perceived thoughts, understandings and perceptions of professionals and town planners were tested against international (Birmingham, USA) as well as local (Cape Town) case studies, and brought into relation with the focus groups’ experiences in these settlements. Through this pollination of research methods, and gaining insights at different levels, the research proved that there are inconsistencies in the perceptions, understanding, implementation, and evaluation of broad definitions of key concepts, such as integrated and sustainable settlements, affordable housing, and inclusionary housing. These may contribute to the continuation of apartheid style development, despite many policy developments requiring well-located land for integrated settlements. Furthermore, the research results prove that there is a need for clarity as to what each of those concepts entails and how to apply them in practice, as well as measure them. Besides researching issues around the persistence of sustainable and inclusionary settlements, and the lack of integrated and affordable housing, this study also makes recommendations towards turning the situation around and developing settlements that unlock human and economic potential. Part of this is to acknowledge the contribution Habitat III will make towards the integrated and sustainable human settlement and housing environment, in South Africa.