Social justice and the pursuit of equitable housing strategies for residents of Bertrams, Johannesburg

Abstract

Johannesburg’s inner-city core and its surrounding neighbourhoods have come under increasing pressure to provide housing for new urban residents. The demand for low-income and affordable housing outstrips the supply and occupants often face hazardous living conditions. Additionally, residents facing already precarious living situations may come under threat from urban renewal which could raise the rental prices beyond their financial means. With the pressures faced by housing developers and management companies in meeting their financial obligations, their ability to supply accommodation to those at the lowest end of the market is uncertain. Through qualitative and structured interviews and the use of case studies, the research will explore whether a housing management, or ownership, model would be best suited to maintaining the existing residents in Bertrams. Generating community capacity and the autonomy of occupiers emerges an approach to dealing with a range of limiting factors experienced by both low-income residents and suppliers of affordable and low-income housing. Through the empowerment of individuals and communities, an increasingly just and fair urban environment can besought out in which modes of social justice seek to address the vulnerabilities of low-income residents