This was said by MMC for Development Planning and Urban Management, Roslynn Greeff, in response to the effects of rapid urbanisation which requires immediate and long-term strategic responses to deal with the need for future residential growth across all income groups.
This includes the use of various housing typologies in different locations across the City through specific institutional mechanisms. Greeff said that alternative rental accommodation was part of the City’s Sustainable Human Settlement Urbanisation Plan [SHSUP] and represented a housing market with an estimated 320 000 informal dwellings. “Also, it [plan] advocated a conceptual shift towards supporting and facilitating backyard rental stock which could be achieved with the technology and knowledge available in the construction industry.”
Greeff said the City had partly delivered on this through new developments as in Fleurhof, City Deep, Lehae and the upcoming South Hills development which are helping to deal with housing backlogs for various demand categories. The developments are sensitive to environmental degradation, health impacts, sufficiency and proximity of services, security, socio-economic opportunities, unemployment, poverty and inequalities.
Also, she said the new development approach would increase rental units and boost the City’s rates base in an affordable way for many lower-income, employed citizens while also providing a habitable and safe community environment that builds on the current socio-economic dynamics of the backyard rental model..
Adverts for proposals from service providers on various housing typologies/models for other areas would be posted in various newspapers and the City’s website.
Details: Nkosinathi Nkabinde; NkosonathiN@joburg.org.za
