An assessment of the quality of shared outdoor spaces in three South African social housing complexes
Abstract
English: This article presents a study that assessed the extent to which the quality of shared
outdoor spaces in social housing complexes in the City of Tshwane conformed to
specifications of the Social Housing Policy. To conduct this assessment, criteria
and indicators were identified from a literature review. Specifications for guiding
this assessment were also identified from the Policy. These criteria, indicators and
specifications were used to develop an assessment framework. The study found
that the quality of the shared outdoor spaces in three case studies only conformed
to some extent to the specifications in the Policy. The study concludes that, despite
good intentions, the Policy does not contain sufficient detail to guide this assessment
and is too ambiguous to have a noteworthy impact on the development of goodquality
shared outdoor spaces in future and existing social housing complexes.
Recommendations are made related to further research that could possibly address
this shortcoming. Afrikaans: Hierdie artikel bied ‘n studie wat die mate waarin die kwaliteit van gedeelde
buiteruimtes in sosiale behuisingskomplekse in die Stad van Tshwane voldoen aan
spesifikasies soos vervat in die Maatskaplike Behuising Beleid. Ter ondersteuning
hiervan is kriteria en aanwysers deur middel van ‘n literatuuroorsig geïdentifiseer.
Vervolgens is spesifikasies uit die Beleid geïdentifiseer. Hierdie kriteria, aanwysers
en spesifikasies is gebruik om ‘n assesseringsraamwerk te ontwikkel. Die studie het
bevind dat die kwaliteit van buiteruimtes in die drie gevallestudies slegs tot ‘n mate
voldoen aan spesifikasies in die Beleid. Die studie kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat, ten
spyte van goeie bedoelings, die Beleid nie voldoende besonderhede bevat om rigting
te gee aan hierdie assessering nie. Dit is te dubbelsinnig om ‘n noemenswaardige
impak te hê op die ontwikkeling van gedeelde buiteruimtes van goeie gehalte in
sosiale behuisingskomplekse. Aanbevelings word gemaak betreffende verdere
navorsing wat moontlik hierdie tekortkoming kan aanspreek.