The solution to informal settlements
On hearing that I do work related to informal settlements, someone asked me yesterday: “What is the solution to informal settlements?”. I would never be so presumptuous to say that I have a solution (and apologies if you clicked on this article thinking you would find one), but it did start an interesting discussion and clarified some of my own thoughts.
Even beginning to think about a solution to informal settlements depends on why one thinks informal settlements exist. My own view is that informal settlements exist because of structural poverty and inequality that exists with a context of privatized land rights. They are therefore primarily a symptom of an economic problem. ‘Solving’ informal settlements begins with economic growth and redistribution – put simply: people having more money for shelter. ?Secondly, informal settlements exist because access to land close to areas of opportunity (informal settlements proliferate in cities; the bigger the city, the more informal settlements) is governed by the property market. Land in cities is too expensive for people to buy. ?Thirdly, access to formal services (water, sanitation, electricity, roads) is generally linked to formal properties, so if you can’t buy land or rent in a formal area, you can’t easily access formal services.? All of these issues combine, together with building norms and standards, to restrict the supply of affordable housing in cities. ?
In addition to a vague notion of ‘economic development’, what else can then be done about informal settlements? We have learned through experience that South Africa cannot afford to build our way out of the problem through state-funded housing projects – in most, if not all South African cities, there are more informal settlement dwellings now than when the formal housing programme began in 1994. One radical option would be the elimination of the private property market through the nationalization of land. I don’t subscribe to this approach, given the types of incentives and efficiencies that a private land market provides. Instead, we need to find ways to increase the supply and decrease the cost of land and services in cities.? People need services and land, not houses. Informal settlements themselves are evidence of the resourcefulness and ability of even the poorest residents to provide their own shelters and improve these over time.
Increasing the supply and decreasing the cost of serviced land can happen through a number of government policy choices. Those that I believe would be most impactful would be to:
·?????? Develop and release (subsidised or at cost), serviced land instead of formal houses. Known as ‘managed land settlement, this is not a new concept and has been piloted and proposed in a few places.
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·?????? Rapidly regularise ownership in existing informal settlements, providing individual tenure to demarcated stands: this is difficult to do given localized politics around occupancy, ownership and the verification thereof. It also makes sense to do this simultaneously with ‘re-blocking’ to facilitate service provision which adds to the time taken to do this, given the need to de-densify settlements and move structures in a participatory and non-forceful manner.
·?????? Facilitate and actively encourage small-scale private rental through the reduction of administrative barriers.
·?????? Reduce building standards and minimum plot sizes/maximum densities in both private and public development.
There is no silver bullet solution to informal settlements. They will be with us for as long as the pre-conditions for their establishment exist. However, a pro-active policy approach can start to make inroads to improve the living conditions of some of the most marginalised residents of our cities.
Managing Director at PULANE Enterprise Consulting CC
4 个月We Must encourage Influx Control Legislative Framework. Apartheid system managed to control Influx though it was discrimination but it did help in the development of previously advantaged individuals. Then the hostel system of Apartheid did also manage to control influx. We Must look at how to improve those Apartheid systems. Government has Money for Human Settlement. Government should build flats in replacement of those Apartheid Hostels for the purpose of managing migration into Cities. Those Hostel Flats should be Managed and Services by government to accommodate those people coming from outside Cities. Those individuals who are accommodate at yhose flats Must be audited of their talent capabilities and be trained for self-efficacy and self-reliance. Once those individuals are nurtured and guided for ability to create wealth for themselves, then those individuals should be released into developed affirdable residential areas to be free to buy and maintain their own lovelyhood. The problem is to allow people to come into the Cities and struggle on their own for living. Government must encourage influx control. Then there are the UN HABITAT Programmes to assist Countries with addressing informal Settlement.
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7 个月I fully Agree with your inputs Nick, interestingly most of your suggestions are already being done in various stages. The Land Release program of government is a project where qualifying beneficiaries are given a serviced stand to build their houses. 2) The informal Settlement upgrade program is another that seeks to say, people settle in areas where they believe allows them great chances to access jobs and Economic opportunities. So where posdible and where Environmental Impact Assesment confirms suitability, govt acquires the land and undertakes a process to formalize the land as a township and give beneficisries titlle in a properly registered township. Where are the Gaps I believe SA needs to be innovative and use this challenge to leap frog us to introduce innovative, sustainable and cost effective solutions that take into considerstion our unique chsllenges. These are Decentralized on site Sewer treatment solutions that treats sewer water and reuses it for flushing and irrigation. This will reduce water demands by 60% whilst delivering very cost effective solutions that are self funding from water savings. It is about time SA stops using bottled water standard to flush toilets. 2Next is alternative energy solutions
Need full funding for your housing project? I’ll secure it by implementing & managing systems, cash flows, & budgets to meet lender requirements. Why risk it alone?
7 个月Excellent points Nick. Additionally I would say that there is too much lip service paid to “integrated human settlements”. And then a developer has “low cost” options in the development and when you look closely these are bachelor units. The state is moving away from RDPs/ BNGs towards serviced sites and First Home Finance for people with some income simply because free housing is not working or affordable. A few years ago Seri (I think) did a map of where low costs homes should be built. I mapped it against where the HDA was buying land - no overlap. To be blunt they were reinforcing apartheid spatial planning with people still having to travel miles to get to shops/schools/work. An area that, to my mind, would be ideal for your idea is Khayalitsha. The only challenge is the wetland areas - too many people erect shacks there in the dry season and get flooded when the rains come. However with development of even 2 or 3 storey homes in the area (funded at least partially by uMaStandi ) this challenge could be turned into a tourism business for bird watchers. The final challenge with increasing density in existing settlements is that the bulk is not designed for a larger population so will need upgrading.
Town and Regional Planner
7 个月Indeed there is no one solution to approaching this challenge, Nick has outlined very valuable options/alternatives. One can only add & apply their minds to continue this discussion. Whilst it is a fact that informal settlements are a syptom of an existing economic problem/ inequality, urban migration particularly on the fringes is still a huge factor. There are numerous push & pull factors to this, one that comes to mind is the neglect of rural economic development. Lack of incentives to potential investors is almost non existent.
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7 个月This is a very tough one, especially in SA with unemployment rates at 45-50%. Until the government and private sector work together on address unemployment, I don't see a way out, except if we use long term transformation models used by countries such as China, South Korea and Singapore. The fact is the government current tax base can't cater for all the socio-economic needs of its citizens, which are exacerbated by massive corruption as evidenced in the Zondo Commission report. My opinion is first deal with stomach politics, by dealing with the massive unemployment problem, than gradually work your way to other aspects of housing, quality education etc based on Maslow hierarchy of needs.