Abstract
Research on informal settlement upgrading tends to focus on one-off case studies. This article investigates the changing experiences, over nearly 25 years, of people living in an upgraded informal settlement. We sought to determine how the perceptions of the residents of Freedom Square changed. Our latest survey (2014) included responses from 199 household representatives and followed earlier surveys. Firstly, we find that the upgrading of Freedom Square represents a first step towards ensuring the housing rights of black people in urban South Africa. Secondly, spatial infilling and locational advantage continue to play valuable roles. Thirdly, dweller control, in terms of which residents themselves are able to design extensions to their houses, remains important. Fourthly, social cohesion among community members is proving to be more important than access to a stand. Fifthly, urban management remains an important long-term requirement. Lastly, elements of informality persist in the area.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 460-479 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| Journal | Journal of Urbanism |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 14 Jun 2018 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 16 Jun 2018 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Fingerprint
Cite this
}
Informal settlement upgrading in South Africa : beneficiaries’ perceptions over nearly twenty-five years. / Ntema, John; Massey, Ruth; Marais, Lochner; Cloete, Jan; Lenka, Molefi.
In: Journal of Urbanism, Vol. 11, No. 4, 16.06.2018, p. 460-479.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Informal settlement upgrading in South Africa
T2 - beneficiaries’ perceptions over nearly twenty-five years
AU - Ntema, John
AU - Massey, Ruth
AU - Marais, Lochner
AU - Cloete, Jan
AU - Lenka, Molefi
PY - 2018/6/16
Y1 - 2018/6/16
N2 - Research on informal settlement upgrading tends to focus on one-off case studies. This article investigates the changing experiences, over nearly 25 years, of people living in an upgraded informal settlement. We sought to determine how the perceptions of the residents of Freedom Square changed. Our latest survey (2014) included responses from 199 household representatives and followed earlier surveys. Firstly, we find that the upgrading of Freedom Square represents a first step towards ensuring the housing rights of black people in urban South Africa. Secondly, spatial infilling and locational advantage continue to play valuable roles. Thirdly, dweller control, in terms of which residents themselves are able to design extensions to their houses, remains important. Fourthly, social cohesion among community members is proving to be more important than access to a stand. Fifthly, urban management remains an important long-term requirement. Lastly, elements of informality persist in the area.
AB - Research on informal settlement upgrading tends to focus on one-off case studies. This article investigates the changing experiences, over nearly 25 years, of people living in an upgraded informal settlement. We sought to determine how the perceptions of the residents of Freedom Square changed. Our latest survey (2014) included responses from 199 household representatives and followed earlier surveys. Firstly, we find that the upgrading of Freedom Square represents a first step towards ensuring the housing rights of black people in urban South Africa. Secondly, spatial infilling and locational advantage continue to play valuable roles. Thirdly, dweller control, in terms of which residents themselves are able to design extensions to their houses, remains important. Fourthly, social cohesion among community members is proving to be more important than access to a stand. Fifthly, urban management remains an important long-term requirement. Lastly, elements of informality persist in the area.
KW - Informal settlement upgrading
KW - housing policy
KW - respondent experiences
KW - social mobility
KW - living environment
KW - dweller control
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85048816848&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/17549175.2018.1484792
DO - 10.1080/17549175.2018.1484792
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85048816848
VL - 11
SP - 460
EP - 479
JO - Journal of Urbanism
JF - Journal of Urbanism
SN - 1754-9175
IS - 4
ER -