Learning Brief #15: When is an informal settlement no longer an informal settlement?

By |2023-04-18T13:46:51+00:00April 18th, 2023|Uncategorized|

The concept of ‘upgrading of informal settlements’ has been around for a long time. One question, however, that has not received much attention is, “when is an informal settlement no longer an informal settlement?” In other words, when can one claim that an informal settlement has been upgraded? In this Learning Brief, the answer to the question, 'when [...]

Learning Brief #12: Equitable Access to Land

By |2018-04-13T12:03:11+00:00December 13th, 2017|Learning Briefs, Managed Land Settlement, News, Sustainable Settlements|

Land redistribution is a hot topic in South Africa. Some are saying that the constitution needs to change so as to speed up land reform and land redistribution while others claim that it is not the constitution that is the problem, but rather weak land reform implementation and elite capture of the land reform process. [...]

Learning Brief #11: Creating quality environments – Managed Land Settlement

By |2018-04-13T12:03:15+00:00August 23rd, 2017|Learning Briefs, Managed Land Settlement, Sustainable Settlements|

Neighbourhoods that are developed using the Managed Land Settlement (MLS) approach are better than RDP neighbourhoods. This assertion is based on the argument that MLS environments are more adaptive to their local context and to the needs of their residents. To further expand on this argument, have a look at the latest Learning Brief from [...]

Learning Brief #10: Managed Land Settlement – Increasing densities

By |2018-04-13T12:03:15+00:00August 22nd, 2017|Learning Briefs, Managed Land Settlement, Organisational, Sustainable Settlements|

The South African Government is sending strong signals that we are about to see a significant policy shift when it comes to how government plans to address its constitutional mandate (section 26) to progressively, within available resources, ensure everyone has access to adequate housing. Read the latest Learning Brief discussing Managed Land Settlement here.

Learning Brief #8: A New Land Records System

By |2018-04-13T12:03:15+00:00August 11th, 2017|Learning Briefs, Managed Land Settlement, Sustainable Settlements|

It is fairly well understood how an incremental settlement approach to addressing South Africa's housing and settlement needs works, but there is less understanding however for how an incremental settlement approach could work in the context of tenure security. For a more in depth look at a new approach to Land Records, click here to [...]

Learning Brief #9: Rethinking Land and Housing Allocation

By |2018-04-13T12:03:16+00:00August 10th, 2017|Learning Briefs, Managed Land Settlement, Sustainable Settlements|

In this Learning Brief, Afesis-corplan proposes that government should shift the majority of its housing budget from building RDP houses (for a relatively few people every year) to providing (basic) serviced sites with access to (at least) incremental tenure security as part of an organised Managed Land Settlement (MLS) programme. Households will then be able to use [...]

Learning Brief #7: Land acquisition and development for human settlement

By |2017-06-29T10:21:53+00:00June 29th, 2017|Learning Briefs, News, Sustainable Settlements|

As a country we need to prioritise the acquisition and development of land for settlement purposes if we are to make any impact on the demand for housing.  Between 1994 and 2014 the South African government provided more than 2.5 million houses and some 1.2 million serviced sites, but the housing backlog nevertheless increased over [...]

Learning Brief #6: Motivation for a housing development support programme

By |2017-06-29T10:22:32+00:00June 29th, 2017|Learning Briefs, Managed Land Settlement, News, Sustainable Settlements|

Afesis-corplan has been promoting the concept of managed land settlement (MLS) for a number of years. MLS is where government allows people to settle on (semi) serviced land with basic tenure security, and households are able to use their own money to start to build their own shelter and houses. In the MLS approach government shifts [...]

Learning Briefs and Lessons Learned Index

By |2023-04-18T13:53:20+00:00June 8th, 2017|Learning Briefs, Lessons Learned, Local Governance, Organisational, Sustainable Settlements|

Learning Briefs Chronological list of learning briefs Back to Basics and the Integrated Development Plan: Placing the IDP at the centre of COGTA’s Back to Basics programme (Local Governance) Spatial Transformation and the Spatial Development Framework (Sustainable Settlements) Spatial Planning and Integrated Development Planning (Sustainable Settlements) The Missing Middle: A Smallholding Land Subsidy Programme [...]

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