Housing Issues South Africa

ARTICLE IN PRESS

Habitat International 31 (2007) 291–302 www.elsevier.com/locate/habitatint

Sustainable urban development? Low-cost housing challenges in South Africa
Allison GoebelÃ
Environmental Studies and Women’s Studies, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ont., Canada K7L 3N6

Abstract Low-cost housing provision has been a major focus of government in post-apartheid urban South Africa. While successes can be noted, there is growing concern regarding the social and environmental sustainability of housing programs and the impacts upon both the surrounding environment and human health. Utilizing key informant interviews, survey research, Census data and documentary review, this essay identifies the major impediments to a sustainable low-cost housing provision in urban South Africa. The essay also points to hopeful signs in new policy directions, particularly attention to health issues and informal settlement upgrade programs. However, the major obstacles to a sustainable low-cost housing process, including macro-economic conditions, enduring historical legacies of race and class, the scale and rapidity of urban growth and institutional challenges show little indication of abating. r 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Low-cost housing; South Africa; Sustainable habitats; Health; Urban environments; Environmental justice

Introduction: the urban housing crisis in South Africa Low-cost housing provision has been a major focus of government in post-apartheid urban South Africa, as the government attempts to address historical race-based inequalities, poor municipal service provision and contemporary rapid urbanization. The White Paper on Housing of 1994 prioritized the needs of the poor, encouraged community participation and the involvement of the private sector, and committed to deliver 1 million houses in five years (Jenkins, 1999, p. 433). The African National Congress (ANC) Reconstruction and Development Program document (RDP) of 1994, and the

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