Moving towards 'humanising' housing : a closer look at the issues surrounding housing provision in South Africa

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:After many years of fragmentation and inequity, the new housing policy envisages theestablishment and maintenance of habitable, stable and sustainable public and privateenvironments to ensure viable households and communities in areas allowing convenientaccess to economic opportunities, and to health, educational and social amenities(Housing White Paper, 1994:21). It appears, however, given the size of the housingbacklog (currently estimated by the Housing Minister at 2,8 million units) and the generalform housing provision has taken, that the overall vision of what should be accomplishedthrough housing development have taken the backseat to rapid housing production in thecountry.In practice, inhabitants of recently undertaken housing projects are to a large extent stilldenied access to the city and its opportunities. Recent housing projects reflectgovernment's view that the solution to the housing problem lies in the packagedproduction of physical housing units, choosing to define the housing problem only interms of housing production and technical and engineering efficiency(Noero,2000: 1). This approach have been described by Noero as being naive and criticised forits ability to be counterproductive by failing to address the full spectrum of needs in thelives of people. The limited definition of housing further stands in opposition to theextensive definition of housing found in policy documents.This study, with the help of a case study of one such housing project, explored some ofthe dominant issues surrounding current housing provision in South Africa, and theproblems associated with it. It sought to establish that current housing provision is farremoved from the overall aims and objectives set out for housing development by thenew housing policy. This study considered some ways of bringing housing deliverycloser to the vision of housing as an engine of growth and change.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University