The role of community participation and community empowerment in the planning and delivery of low-income housing : an evaluation of housing project 59 in Paarl

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:In the past, the policy for the provision of low-cost housing was, by and large,ineffective because apartheid planning spatially and economically marginalisedthe majority. The disenfranchisement of the majority and social engineeringdenied this majority any access and voice in shaping, or influencing the shape, oftheir living environment. Today, there are various pieces of legislation thatemphasise and highlight the importance of community participation indevelopment planning. The concept of community participation has repeatedlyappeared in the literature as an approach that empowers people to take controlover their own lives. The involvement of people in all aspects of planning anddevelopment programmes that affect them is a fundamental requirement forsustainable development. Satisfying basic human needs in participatory,empowering and sustainable formats is the essence of development.The study is descriptive and issue-orientated, limiting itself to the understandingof the process of community participation and empowerment in low-cost housing.Interviews were conducted with 75 respondents from male- and female-headedhouseholds, using a semi-structured questionnaire. The study records howrespondents participated in the shaping of their living environments, and theextent to which they were/felt empowered by the housing delivery process. The findings suggest that participation contributed to empowerment, and anoverwhelming 91% of the sample were satisfied with their level of involvement inthe project. The findings of the study further indicates that, although there hadbeen some effort to involve the community as a whole, as well as individualmembers in the project, the level of involvement, particularly of individuals, wasnot satisfactory. Beneficiaries were given information regarding the housingdevelopment and were offered opportunities to participate, but their views werenot taken into account during the design and implementation phases.The recommendations provide some insights on how low-income housingdelivery can be made more participatory, empowering and sustainable.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University