BLOCK WEEK 1
“Successful urban environments are environments that work for the rich and the poor”
- Introduction – the global setting/north-south debate
- Housing / Development / Professionalism
- A theoretical background
- Paradigm shifts – thinking on housing over time
- The SA scenario
- Post apartheid housing policy
- Delivery targets and development plans – where to from here?
BLOCK WEEK 2
“Create inhumane environments and people will respond likewise”
- Global dynamics – national imperatives
- Urbanisation debates
- Housing and services
- Urban regeneration
- Restructuring and transformation
- Equity and opportunity
Submit assignment 1 (20 %)
Tour of urban regeneration projects
Issue assignment 2
BLOCK WEEK 3
“Informality is faster and more efficient in providing for the needs of the poor: formal mechanisms of housing delivery are too slow and unaffordable”
- Who builds the city?
- Participation
- The role of governments in housing processes
- Approaches to informality
- Beneficiaries and Non-qualifiers?
- New visions, approaches and implementation models
BLOCK WEEK 4
“Do community-based organizations really have a community behind them?”
- Housing that makes “business sense” – the housing market and affordability
- Housing eco-system
- A housing ladder?
- Housing funding systems
- Stakeholders, partnerships and the meaning of community Spatial justice and the spatial economy
BLOCK WEEK 5
“People do not want to stand out in the neighbourhood as living in the weird experimental box.”
- Quality, permanence and transience
- Project examples – international and national examples
- Government-subsidised social rental housing – opportunities and challenges
- Design principles, the design professions and design decision-making strategies
- Residential Open Building
- Graphic and Design tools for housing
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES
This module emphasises understanding rather than memorising in order to stimulate creative thinking and the development of innovative skills. A problem driven approach is followed. You are expected to participate in discussions during lectures.
At the end of this module, a student will be able to:
- formulate concepts relevant to housing and understand the political, economical and environmental impact of decision regarding housing delivery
- explain various housing scenarios and the South African policy setting with regards to housing
- understand and be in a position to apply good design principles in housing projects
- define housing and terminology used in housing
- to develop a deeper understanding for housing issues in South Africa; formulate concepts and views based on a broader frame of reference by looking at contemporary international precedents
- to develop the ability to discuss, co-relate, logically analyse various housing scenarios
The above will be achieved by:
- exploring alternative approaches to housing provision
- reviewing case studies which reflect good practice in housing design
The module will present various housing typologies as manifestations of social-political-economic-cultural-historical realities and also aims to emphasise the potential of the design professions in making a change in the situation of housing in South Africa.