Sustainable low-cost housing - a review of three low-cost housing developments in Gauteng Province

M.Sc.The social and environmental effects of inequitable development programmes inherited by South Africa’s new dispensation are aggravated by a substantial housing backlog. Tenure security and slow land release for development has motivated land invasions and the development of informal settlements. Subsequent environmental degradation in affected areas is mainly due to the lack of basic infrastructure and services including energy supply, water, sanitation, and waste management facilities. The Housing Act of 1997 has provided the means for developing housing delivery and township upgrade programmes aimed at addressing such problems. In light of South Africa’s Constitution (1996), the National Environmental Management Act (1998) and the Habitat Agenda (1996), the importance of environmentally sensitive and sustainable housing developments has been highlighted. However, socio-political pressure to address the housing backlog may demand a compromise in sustainability criteria over the long term, in order to achieve the shorter-term transformation targets. Within the context of South Africa’s transformation objectives, a question has developed about the extent to which low-cost townships are meeting sustainability criteria. This dissertation contributes towards answering the above question; three housing projects in Gauteng were selected and reviewed. For each project, the ecological risks, social sensitivity, economic stability, and available technology were analysed. The analysis indicated that in all three cases, the projects did not meet all defined sustainability criteria, concluding that under current conditions they are unlikely to be sustainable over the long-term. Factors that influenced the projects’ sustainability potential included the geographical location of each project, compliance with landuse development objectives, the township approval process, views of interested and affected parties, ecological sensitivity, and availability of resources and infrastructure. In order to improve housing delivery, the study further concluded that the process for housing and service provision should be more efficient, low-cost developments should be adequately addressed in landuse development strategies, improved communication between role-players and stakeholders including government departments is required, and alternative and affordable technologies should be considered, with the associated training and awareness for sustainable environmental management