SA's housing crisis | Empower housing project changing the face of affordable housing

Summary

Urban Think Tank in Power is addressing South Africa's housing crisis with an innovative model that emphasizes community participation and sustainable construction. The model involves developing double-story duplex units on occupied sites, optimizing land use and freeing up space for community amenities. By keeping communities together and focusing on quality over quantity, the initiative aims to create long-lasting, comfortable homes that residents can take pride in.

Takeaways

• 🏠 The project aims to address the housing crisis in South Africa, with at least 1.9 million households living in informal dwellings.
• 🌐 Urban Think Tank is introducing a radical housing model to tackle the issue, focusing on innovation and community involvement.
• 🔍 The model has been tested over a 10-year pilot project, proving its effectiveness before scaling up for wider implementation.
• 🏢 The approach includes developing on already occupied sites, working closely with the community from the beginning of the project.
• 👪 The housing typology features double-story duplex units, optimizing land use and creating higher density living spaces.
• 🎨 The design includes separate living and sleeping areas, allowing for more efficient use of space and community amenities like playgrounds.
• 📈 The pilot project was able to free up approximately 30 percent of the site area, emphasizing community spaces over traditional RDP models.
• 👥 Community participation is a key factor in the success of the model, with residents being the stakeholders and clients of the development.
• 📍 The project aims to keep communities intact, avoiding the dispersion that can occur with RDP housing assignments outside of existing communities.
• 🛠️ Quality is prioritized over quantity, with a focus on sustainable construction methods and long-term durability of the housing.
• 🌡️ Sustainable construction also considers thermal comfort, ensuring homes are warm in winter and cool in summer.

Q & A

What is the primary issue being addressed by the innovative housing project mentioned in the script?

The primary issue being addressed is the housing crisis, specifically the lack of formal housing for the 1.9 million households living in informal dwellings in the country.

Who is Mama Local Kubai and what did she reveal in Parliament?

Mama Local Kubai is the Minister of Human Settlements. She revealed in Parliament that at least 1.9 million households live in informal dwellings.

What is Urban Think Tank and what is their role in this housing initiative?

Urban Think Tank is an organization that is rolling out a radical housing model to address the housing crisis. They are working on innovative solutions to develop occupied sites and improve living conditions.

What is the alternative model proposed by Urban Think Tank to the current RDP solution?

The alternative model proposed by Urban Think Tank involves developing double-story duplex units on occupied sites, optimizing land use, and maintaining community cohesion by keeping people in their existing communities.

How does the new housing model differ from the traditional RDP model?

The new model focuses on community participation, sustainable construction methodologies, and creating comfortable homes with consideration for thermal comfort. It contrasts with the RDP model, which has been criticized for prioritizing quantity over quality.

What is the significance of community participation in the new housing model?

Community participation is crucial as it ensures that the residents are key stakeholders and clients in the development process, allowing them to take ownership and maintain the community bonds.

How does the new housing model address the issue of space in the City of Cape Town?

The model addresses space issues by focusing on developing already occupied sites rather than finding new unoccupied land, thus optimizing the efficiency of land use.

What is the housing typology developed by Urban Think Tank and how does it contribute to higher density?

The housing typology is a double-story duplex unit with living areas on the ground floor and separate sleeping spaces for adults and children on the first floor, allowing for higher density and more efficient land use.

What are the benefits of the new housing model for the residents and the community?

The benefits include better quality housing, community cohesion, the creation of playgrounds and community centers, and the provision of training for local community members in construction processes.

How does the new housing model ensure the longevity and sustainability of the constructed homes?

The model ensures longevity and sustainability by focusing on quality construction, using sustainable construction methodologies, and considering thermal comfort for year-round livability.

What is the role of Delana Finlayson in this initiative and what is her position at Urban Think Tank?

Delana Finlayson is the Managing Director of Urban Think Tank. She is responsible for leading the initiative and has been involved in proving the pilot project and the model over the past 10 years.

Outlines

00:00

🏠 Innovative Housing Solutions for Informal Settlements

The video script discusses an innovative project aimed at addressing the critical issue of housing in South Africa, particularly the challenge of informal dwellings. The Minister of Human Settlements, Mama Local Kubai, highlights the staggering number of 1.9 million households living in such conditions. Urban Think Tank in Power is introducing a radical housing model to tackle this crisis. The managing director, Delana Finlayson, explains their approach involves community participation and innovative housing typologies, such as double-story duplex units, to optimize land use and create higher density living spaces. The pilot project in Cape Town has successfully freed up approximately 30% of site area for community amenities like playgrounds and a community center, which are not typically found in the standard RDP housing model. The emphasis is on maintaining community integrity and providing better quality housing that is sustainable and long-lasting.

05:01

🛠️ Sustainable Construction and Community Empowerment

In the second paragraph, the focus shifts to the sustainability and quality of the housing solutions being proposed by Urban Think Tank in Power. Delana Finlayson emphasizes the importance of creating comfortable homes that consider thermal comfort, ensuring the houses are warm in winter and cool in summer. The initiative also involves the local community in the construction process, providing them with training and a sense of ownership over their homes. The goal is to develop housing that will stand the test of time, avoiding the pitfalls of previous models where quantity was prioritized over quality, leading to houses that deteriorated quickly. The narrative concludes with an invitation for viewers to learn more about the project, highlighting the significance of this approach in creating lasting, positive change in communities.

Keywords

💡Housing Crisis

The term 'Housing Crisis' refers to a situation where there is a significant shortage of affordable housing, often leading to homelessness or inadequate living conditions for a large portion of the population. In the video's context, it is a pressing issue in South Africa, with at least 1.9 million households living in informal dwellings, indicating a dire need for innovative solutions.

💡RDP Solution

The 'RDP Solution' stands for the Reconstruction and Development Programme, a government initiative aimed at addressing housing shortages in South Africa. The script mentions an alternative model being proposed to the RDP, suggesting that the current solution may not be fully effective or satisfactory in solving the housing crisis.

💡Urban Think Tank

An 'Urban Think Tank' is a group or organization that focuses on urban development, planning, and policy. In the video, Urban Think Tank in Power is the organization proposing a radical housing model to address the housing crisis, indicating their role as innovators in urban housing solutions.

💡Innovative Solutions

Innovative solutions are new and creative approaches to solving problems. The video discusses an innovative housing model being developed by Urban Think Tank in Power, which aims to provide a more effective and sustainable way to address the housing crisis compared to traditional methods.

💡Community Participation

Community participation involves involving the local community in the decision-making and development processes. The script emphasizes the importance of community involvement in the housing model, suggesting that it is a key factor in the success of the project and in maintaining community cohesion.

💡Duplex Unit

A 'Duplex Unit' is a type of housing that consists of two separate living units within a single building. The video mentions the development of a housing typology that includes duplex units, which allows for higher density and more efficient land use in the housing model.

💡Land Use Efficiency

Land use efficiency refers to the optimal use of land to accommodate more housing units or facilities while minimizing waste. The script describes how the housing model optimizes land use by freeing up approximately 30 percent of the site area for community spaces like playgrounds and a community center.

💡Sustainable Construction

Sustainable construction involves building practices that are environmentally friendly, economically viable, and socially responsible. The video highlights the focus on sustainable construction methodologies in the housing model, aiming to create long-lasting, comfortable homes.

💡Thermal Comfort

Thermal comfort is the condition of a building's interior environment that maintains a comfortable temperature for its occupants. The script mentions that the housing model considers thermal comfort, ensuring that homes are warm in winter and cool in summer, which is crucial for energy efficiency and occupant well-being.

💡Community Center

A community center is a public space designed to serve the needs and interests of a community. The video script discusses the inclusion of a community center in the housing model, which is a departure from the typical RDP model and represents an effort to build a stronger community.

💡Quality Over Quantity

The phrase 'Quality Over Quantity' emphasizes the importance of focusing on the quality of housing rather than just the number of units built. The video script criticizes the previous approach to housing development that prioritized quantity, leading to poorly constructed homes that quickly deteriorate.

Highlights

An innovative project aims to address South Africa's pressing housing issue, with 1.9 million households living in informal dwellings.

Urban Think Tank in Power is rolling out a radical housing model as an alternative to the RDP solution.

The new model focuses on developing already occupied sites in collaboration with the community.

A double-story duplex housing typology is introduced to optimize land use efficiency.

The pilot project was able to free up approximately 30% of the site area for community spaces like playgrounds and a community center.

Community participation is emphasized as a key factor for the success of the housing model.

The model aims to keep communities together rather than assigning houses outside their existing communities.

Residents have been living in the area since the 80s, and the project seeks to strengthen community bonds.

Quality over quantity is prioritized, with a focus on sustainable construction methodologies.

Local community members are trained to assist in the construction process, ensuring long-term durability of the houses.

The project emphasizes creating comfortable homes with consideration for thermal comfort year-round.

The goal is to develop houses that will stand the test of time, not falling apart within 5-10 years.

The project's managing director, Delana Finlayson, discusses the innovative approach on ENCA.

The housing model has been tested and proven over the past 10 years through a pilot project.

The project seeks to make a significant impact in the Western Cape by scaling up the successful pilot model.

The innovative housing solution has been featured in an in-depth write-up, encouraging further exploration of the topic.

Transcripts

an Innovative project is offering a

solution to one of our country's most

pressing issues yes there are many I'm

referring to housing answering a

question in Parliament a minister of

human settlements Mama local kubai

revealed that at least 1.9 million

households live in informal dwellings

Urban think tank in power is rolling out

what it says is a radical housing model

to address this so how exactly are they

planning to do it how does it all work

making time for me today the MD the

managing director Delana Finlayson

making time for us here on enca to talk

more about this initiative in

khayelitsha Delana hello to you good

afternoon thanks for your time just help

me understand what is this exactly what

are you trying to what are you trying to

solve for us

hi good afternoon thank you so much for

having me on

me on well housing in Cape Town well

across the country really is a huge

problem and we are trying to offer an

alternative model to the RDP solution we

think there are there are better ways to

solve the crisis and we have over the

past 10 years work very hard to prove

our pilot project and our model and it

works so we're ready to scale it up and

roll it out to really make an impact in

the Western Cape paint a picture for me

how does this model try and Achieve that

well first of all I think we are trying

to be Innovative in the solutions that

we offer I mean we know that the City of

Cape Town is running out of space if you

go and you look at the Google Earth

images over the last 20 years you can

very quickly get a real thing of how the

population has grown in informal

settlements

so we we cannot just focus on

Greenfield's developments uh it's

obviously a lot easier to just find

unoccupied land and develop that but it

really doesn't work we need to focus on

sites that are already occupied and

develop those

and in working very closely with the

community from the word go

uh and getting there by in and allowing

them to participate in the process

um we we can in fact develop occupied

sites with relative ease of course there

are always stumbling blocks but what

we've done is we've developed a housing

typology which is double story a duplex

unit with living areas on the ground

floor and sleeping spaces a separate

sleeping spaces in fact for adults and

children on the first floor so that this

allows us to create a higher density it

optimizes the efficiency of the of the

land use

in fact in our pilot project we were

able to approach free up approximately

30 percent of the site area this is

allows us to create playgrounds we are

building a community center which of

course is not possible and you don't see

this in the normal RDP model

um yeah and and I really think just to

to put emphasis on this is that the

community participation is what

ultimately makes the model successful

um they are the key stakeholders and

ultimately our clients and it's

something that you don't see in the RDP

program where people are assigned houses

outside their existing communities

um we're trying to keep the communities

together if you look at at the pilot

project it's interesting that some of

the well in fact most of the residents

have been living there since the 80s so

to give them for example an RDP house in

a remote area you will literally break

up the entire community and we try to

strengthen the bonds that are already in

place by keeping the people on the on

the site that they have been living on

but I imagine

I imagine it's also keeping them where

they are because that is what they're

calling home but better quality housing

as well because the sense given over the

last two two to three decades is it's a

case of uh quantity over quality and

then what happens these houses start

breaking we know how wet Cape Town can

get during the the winter season as well

so I imagine this is quality over

quantity

absolutely

um it has to be quality first in a way

and

and we are using the local community and

and providing them training to assist in

the construction processes but

ultimately we're in it for the long haul

we don't want to develop houses that in

five years or ten years time from now

will be falling apart they need to be

there they need to be a testament to

what is possible if things are done

right we have specifically focus on

sustainable construction methodologies

we want to create comfortable homes

um where there is a real consideration

for thermal comfort in the first place

houses that are that are warm in Winter

and cool in summer

um and that and that the community would

like to call home yeah

take ownership in a place

as well I'm going to say thank you very

much indeed for this afternoon Delana

I'll tell you why I'm going to leave it

very briefly Delana for lesson is the MD

of urban think tank in power there's a

lot more to that story please do

yourself a favor uh go and Google it as

well there's an incredible write-up

about it the reason I need to come out

of