3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item The impact of moving from an informal settlement to a formal settlement on life satisfaction: a difference in difference analysis(2018) Ngqotheni, SinakhokonkeThe aim of study was to trace the life satisfaction of three different groups over four periods of time. The study investigates the impact of moving from an informal settlement to a formal settlement on life satisfaction. Three groups were studied, namely, the treated group, government housing dwellers and private dwellers. The life satisfaction of the three groups is traced using the following five econometric models; Pooled Ordinary Least Squares (POLS), fixed effects, difference in difference (DID), ordinal logit and propensity score matching (PSM). The study results show that the life satisfaction of the government housing dwellers diminished after moving to government housing and was significant throughout DID, ordinal logit and PSM. The private dwellers demonstrated a negative relationship with life satisfaction for the OLS and fixed effects models, DID, nonlinear logit and PSM reported positive with coefficients. The paper found that the location, scale and size of the government houses played an important role in determining life satisfaction.Item The role of the private sector in providing gap housing in Johannesburg(2018) Coetzee, GerritSouth Africa has a significant housing shortage and even though the government has provided in excess of three million subsidised houses to beneficiaries since 1994, a shortage of 2.1 million units still exists. While households earning less than R3 500 qualify for a fully subsidised house, the most affordable newly built house on the market in Johannesburg is only affordable to households earning about R14 300. Therefore, a gap in the housing market exists between those too rich to qualify for a full housing subsidy and those too poor to access formal bonded housing. A partial subsidy, called the Finance-Linked Individual Subsidy Programme (FLISP), is available to households earning less than R15 000 to help them access housing in the formal market. Although private developers are developing houses affordable to households earning less than R15 000, uptake of the subsidy has been limited. Johannesburg has roughly 385 000 households in the gap market. This study seeks to establish what role the private sector currently plays in providing gap housing in Johannesburg. A qualitative study was done by interviewing various developers who are involved with gap housing developments, using semi-structured interviews and email correspondence. Furthermore, this study aims to establish what perceptions developers have of the market, what difficulties they face, what barriers exist to entering the market and how private companies help their employees in accessing gap housing. It was found that developers have a positive view of the market. Many echoed the view that the market in Johannesburg is vast, growing and that there are plentiful opportunities. There are, however, factors that make delivering less expensive houses more difficult. Bulk service contributions, especially, are becoming excessive, while the time taken to approve new townships can lead to unnecessary holding costs. Poor access to development finance is seen as prohibiting new developers from entering the market. Developers are aware of only a handful of private companies involved with assisting their employees to access gap housing. Although there are numerous gap housing developments in Johannesburg and many more planned, relatively few FLISP subsidies have been granted. These subsidies are tied to access to traditional mortgage finance. Fewer and fewer mortgages in the gap housing range have been given in recent years and if more houses are to be delivered, housing finance should be made more accessible to lower income earners.Item Breaking down the walls: how can we integrate gated communities into the existing urban fabric through design?(2017) Van Dyk, WesselInfluenced by the thinking of the Garden City movement, gated and so-called lifestyle security estates have become overwhelmingly popular in many cities across the world. With demand fuelled by a combination of security concerns and a belief that such schemes provides enhanced efficiency and comfortability, these estates have come under severe scrutiny with regards to its apparent spatial and socio-economic impacts on the city structure as a whole. However, despite the severe criticism and awareness, these types of developments have showed very little signs of decline - thus perhaps illustrating a real economic rationale in the desire of people to reside in environments with higher perceptions of safety and control. Cities respond to this by clearly delineating urban development boundaries and even in some cases publish design principles that promote integration and inclusion. These more than often become contested by means of political- and private sector influences resulting in the perpetual realities of estate development and no real prohibiting actions and remedial recourse. Given these realities, what then does the future hold for our city landscape? Could we possibly reposition ourselves now to better the outcome later? Using Steyn City and Dainfern in the Fourways area, as two mega development case studies, this academic inquiry seeks to reflect on the status quo of estate developments and creatively find internal possible clues within the very structuring elements of such schemes that could potentially unlock and ‘un-gate’ developments and in the process improve access to opportunities in the city. This could surely not only provide new insights as to what the potential future can be, but it also provides the opportunity to redefine the ‘right to the city’ and opportunity in already deprived and isolated localities.Item A study of public-private partnerships in the development of affordable housing projects: A case of Johannesburg(2013-07-23) Dube, Simphiwe PetuniaThis research report investigated public-private partnerships in the development of affordable housing in Johannesburg. The study evaluated the success of affordable housing projects developed through the joint efforts of the public and the private sector. It explored how the private and the public sector help each other in development projects to ensure successful projects which benefit low to middle (gap market) income households. To do this, the study utilised two affordable/integrated housing development projects in the Johannesburg area. These were the Fleurhof project on Main Reef road and the Pennyville development on New Canada road. Interviews were also conducted to get information from the different stakeholders involved in affordable housing project developments with regards to their experiences, lessons learnt and propositions for better and more efficient running of future such projects. Studies and information received from interviews were evaluated using theoretical frameworks around affordable housing and public private partnerships as to determine if these projects and activity happening in the Johannesburg area is in line with theories and policies developed to guide public-private activity and affordable housing development. The findings from the field study analysis (case studies and interviews) were used to provide recommendations as to what can be done for better outcomes in public-private partnership projects in affordable housing delivery. From the field work it was found that contrary to the study claims and propositions, publicprivate partnership housing developments are benefiting the intended income group and that the private sector has gained confidence and is becoming more and more interested and involved in such projects. This is not to say that no issues were discovered or raised during the study. This is why recommendations were brought forward and these are mainly directed to the public sector. Recommendations include that public sector needs to increase its capacity when it comes to the area of developing affordable housing projects as lack of capacity results in unnecessarily lengthy application approval periods which become very costly when it comes to development. Other recommendations are for better planning and review of procedures for the public sector to be more efficient as the private sector works on time and need payments and other procedures to occur on time to avoid setbacks and strains on public private relationships.Item An investigation into the planning of urban native housing in South Africa(2012-02-07) Calderwood, Douglas McGavin